Compassionate

It has been quite a while since I have written on my blog. I am thankful to say that it is because I have been anxiously engaged in good. From my new job tending two sweet babies, canning, getting the farm ready for winter, bringing a son home from a mission, and celebrating 25 years of marriage to my sweetheart, I have had my hands full.

I have had some emotional set backs too, as I suffer from depression. But this blog is not meant for my asking for sympathy, but to give of myself as I work through my difficulties.

This month brings a lot to mind as we get ready for Thanksgiving and then the holidays in December, particularly Christmas, as I am a christian, but not to overlook the Jewish holidays as Jesus was a Jew.

Thanksgiving can easily overwhelm us with thoughts of what pies am I going to make this year, where are we going to have dinner and all the other good and meaningful things that go into getting together and eating a fabulous meal, however, we all know it is and should be more than that.

Thanks-giving

Giving thanks for what we have, our homes, job(s), education, freedoms, good health (or not as bad as it could be), family, food on the table (even when it's not as much of or what we would rather have), etc.

Look around you--are there others who are doing worse off than you?

It would be really easy to look at what we don't have and complain or even criticize. Let me tell you, I do plenty of that, especially when my depression gets bad and I wonder why I need to go through "this".

Those are the times we need to rise above and really look at the good in our lives.

I have seen many friends on Facebook, post something they are thankful for each day in November.

I would challenge you to start now and do it too. You can even post several a day in order to catch up.

I think as we do this we will find a lot more "thanks" rather than "why me".

Happy Thanks-giving

Beautiful

DIY Cosmetics

Here is a link so you can purchase the ingredients to make your own cosmetics.

I really do like make-up but it can be so expensive and sometimes it's not the right shade, so it goes to waste.

I love being a DIY girl too. I make my own laundry soap, baby wipes, cleaning wipes, bread, butter, (the list really is quite boring to some so I won't go on) and now I want to make my own cosmetics.

This site will give you ALL you need. You can even buy kits to get you started, then just buy the refills of what you need.

They have containers, boxes, brushes, equipment, presses and molds, everything you will need to make your own. You can even make gifts for someone.

Let me know what you think.

Creative

Crocheted Stash Basket

This was easy enough, but I wondered what I was going to use it for. Then I remembered my disorganized cabinet in my bathroom where I keep my essential oils. So this is what I did.

After the basket was done, I made a base:

and the insert (both out of and old file folder):

traced around bottles for holes and put the two together:

Then I put into the basket

Then put it in the cabinet

Cute!

Joyous

Camping with a small car

I love camping and I have a lot of 'STUFF' I take camping, but since we downsized from a suburban to a small car, it's really difficult to find room for my likes and necessities. Plus some equipment can cost a lot of money, so I have some ideas of how to deal with both.

I loved watching 'The Home' show in the late 80's with Diane Thomas, and when I found these two books at a thrift store, I grabbed them.

You may be able to find these on the net at Amazon or Ebay or even look at thrift stores too.

She also has these others available:

She is amazing and has a lot of wonderful ideas. 

When I was in the young women's organization, we had a camp crafter's manual that also had some wonderful ideas.

Tent:

For several years, we had a really nice 2-room tent. It was not only used for our family, but girls camps and youth campouts.

Well a couple of summers ago, after and family camp, we set it up in the back yard to air dry. During the night a strong wind storm came up and bent poles and ripped the tent. NO MORE TENT.

We were done camping for the year so we thought, maybe next year we'll get a new one.

Well, a ward campout came up and we didn't have the funds for a new tent, and we really wanted to do.  Charly was little and could sleep on the back seat. I could sleep on the front seat, reclined back, but our tall, teenaged son could not do that.

So we took a tarp and stuck on side into the car doors, stretching it out and secured the other side with stakes. Ta-Da--Instant Tent!

Here are some other ways to use a tarp as a tent.

Cooking:

Fire: If you are able to have a camp fire, this will make your trip a "real camping experience,"

Many times you can get your wood where you will be camping, saving valuable space for other needed items, otherwise you may need to bring your own.

DON'T FORGET MATCHES : )

Follow safety rules of where to put your fire.

A great fire starter that doesn't take a lot of space and is easy to make it the egg carton fire starter:

Fill each cup of a cardboard egg carton with dry red pine needles, pieces of paper or dryer lint. Pour melted paraffin over the material, then place a looped string in the wax to be used as a wick.

Just tear off a cup, light, and you have a lit fire.

Once you have your fire, there are lots of way to cook over the fire.

-stick cooking

-spit cooking

-in the can (opened)

-grill supported by rocks

-pan supported by rocks

-foil packets

-dutch oven (using coals)

-foil reflector oven

-paper cups

-paper bags

For more information on how to use these methods, please refer to the books. 

Camp stove:

We have camped places where fires were prohibited, but propane stoves were ok.

These don't have to take a lot of space either.

They can keep you warm, easy to roast marshmallows over, and of course cooking.

We even have a grill box we set over one of the burners.

There are many options out there for buying them and making your own.

Food:

Food doesn't have to take a ton of space either.

Use ziplock bags as mixing containers for biscuits, muffins, pancakes, cakes, meatloaf, etc. You can even scramble eggs in a bag.

Have food prepped  at home, store in bags, adding liquids when needed. Then just throw the bag away.

Breakfast:

-eggs (can be hard boiled in paper cup or cooked with bacon in paper bags)

-pancakes

-biscuits

-muffins (can be cooked inside of hollowed out orange cut in half

-bacon or sausage

-fruit salad (stored and eaten out of bag)

-or SUPER simple no cook cereal (store and eat out of bag)

Lunch:

-veggies (store and eat out of bags)

-cold cut sandwiches (made ahead of time, adding condiments when ready to eat to keep from going soggy)

-stews or soups

-pizza (can be cooked on a stick or on foil or grill)

-pig in a blanket (on a stick or in foil)

Dinner:

-Meatloaf (cooked on a stick inside of foil)

-foil dinners

-stews

-fry bread tacos

-burgers

-Dutch oven anything

-chicken on a spit or dutch oven

-Pizza (grilled, upside down dutch oven, etc.)

Desserts:

-S'mores

-cobblers

-turnovers

-baked apples

Clean up and Sanitation:

Most camp grounds have bathrooms, at least the ones I go to so that is NOT something I will discuss here.

But keeping clean is important when camping.

Hand washing: 

Keep hand sanitizer around too.

Use a kettle on the stove or in a fire to heat up water.

Washing Dishes:

You don't need to even take a dish pan for this. You can dig a hole in the ground, put a plastic garbage bag down as a liner and fill with water and soap. Remove bag when done and refill with dirt. Leave not trace.

You can even do this for bathing if needed. 

Personal Grooming:

Take a bath towel for each person. Fold up the lower edge about 5 inches and sew pockets for toiletry items such as toothpaste, soap, cup, comb, mirror, and washcloth.

The excess material at the top can become a flap to keep the items in the pocket from falling out and can also serve as a towel for drying your hands an face. 

Sew straps on it so you can tie it around your waist to keep it handy.

Camping doesn't require a trailer or RV (though that would be nice). Nor does it require a lot of money. Camping does build a lot of wonderful memories. 

No need to put it off.  Just 'rough it easy'.

Share some of your ideas.

Compassionate

DAILY SURVIVAL KIT

to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.

Matthew 7:1

to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out.

Romans 8:28

to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or somebody else's.

Colossians 3:12-14

to remind you to list your blessings every day.

Ephesians 1:3

to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay.

Genesis 50:15-21

to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything with Jesus.

Phil 4:13

to remind you that you are worth a mint to your Heavenly Father.

John 3:16-17

to remind you that everyone needs a kiss and a hug every day.

1 John 4:7

to remind you to relax daily and go over that list of blessings.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Beatuiful

I love this hair site.

She has easy instructional videos & info/reviews on hair products like:

Curlformers

The Hair Bean

Here are some pics to organize YOUR hairstuff:

Here is a picture frame with ribbon attached to the back and you just clip the hair pretties to it.

Here's a shoe organizer on the closet door and then you can organize by color various things.

Here are inexpensive drawers and a box without a lid for headbands. This will store easily under the bathroom sink or in a linen closet.

I know this is to show bathroom cleaning supplies, but I like the idea of the tension rod for spray bottles for wetting hair and detangler. I don't keep my cleaning stuff under the sink so nothing will get mixed up. 

Great idea for bobby pins, a magnet stip inside a drawer. Easy to grab and no hunting party.

Here's a cool cabinet door that slides out and in the back an electrical outlet, NO WHERE near the sink. And great storage of styling products.

Here you take PVC pipes that fit the barrel of your curling irons, cut to length of iron and velcro to cabinet door with small pieces for the cord.

I use these elastics from Goody:

and to keep the sizes separate and organized I buy plastic baby food containers (one for each size):

Alright, I confess. I buy the fruit kind and eat it. Then of course wash, dry and store. They have a nice lid too.





Share you ideas of how you store your hair stuff.

Joyous/Rabbits

In April we started our adventure with rabbits. Our first was a female Dutch, Oreo, whom we thought was pregnant. after more than 30 days we realized she was not.

When we realized she was not going to have babies, we started looking for a mate. We found Cookie. He was younger and smaller than Oreo, but he got the job done.

Three 'Mini Oreo/Cookies' were born on Father's Day.

Sorry I don't have pics of then. They are born without hair but their skin had black spots where they were to be black.

Here they are on July 9th, eating with mom

Here they are about 3 weeks ago.

We have as much of a problem taking a family pic as any human family.

Shall I jump?

Mom makes here shelf pretty for the picture.

Tag you're it!

He's got hair too.

Hi!

I love my mom.

Get Him!

PIN!

After the babies were a little bigger, we decided to get some more rabbits. Meet:

Digger (male)

Flopsy (female, yes like in Peter Rabbit)

Mopsy (female)

(Alex)Zander (male) Yes he has eyes, it's just really hard to get a

pic of a moving rabbit.

Having rabbits is easy, fun, and occasionally hard (when they escape and you have to try and catch them, I recommend having a long handled fishing net for this)

Cages are easy to make, with the right tools, they eat pellets, hay and a lot of other things too. But be careful, there are things they should not eat. If you would like a detailed list of both good and bad just let me know.

They don't take a lot of space and rabbit manure is the only animal manure you can put right onto your garden without it burning.

You can even make a bunny run (bottomless cage) to put in your yard and they will munch on grass.

Dutch rabbits are great show rabbits, all rabbits are good for 4-H. Some for show, other's for meat. (Sorry if that offends anyone.)

WE are hoping Zander and Flopsy will have babies around the end of the month. Digger seems a little 'shy' with Mopsy. Maybe in another month or so, he'll be ready.

We are now trying to sell the Dutch babies (all girls). Only two of the three are available, but we are letting anyone pick from the three, and the last one left will go to the lady letting them use a shed at her house, since DH would not let them be here at first. He is open to them eventually coming back here.