Last Blog Post of 2013

I know there are still a few days left in 2013 but this is probably going to be my last post for this year.  This weekend the kids get here and I am off until after the New Year to spend time with my family.

It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone. It seems like yesterday it was January 1, 2013 and now it's almost over. But that brings us  a fresh new year and new opportunities to be better than we were last year, have more fun, spend more time with family, learn new lessons and try new things. 

I am looking forward to the New Year, sure there is a little apprehension because the economy doesn't seem to be getting much better, and there are always uncertainties about what the future holds.  I think God blesses us when he doesn't allow us to see the future. Some things we can always be sure of are, there will be sorrow, there will be joy, there will be hard times, there will be good times and He will be there through them all.

I hope you all have the Merriest Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mae 

Prayer Before Shopping

Have you ever prayed before grocery shopping? My sister-in-law recently asked me about praying before grocery shopping and I had to tell her I had gotten out of the habit but I used to always pray before I went in the grocery store.  That when I did pray before grocery shopping it seemed as if there were bargains there just waiting for me to come along and spot them. And it even seemed that I got better parking spots when I prayed before grocery shopping.  Maybe all this is just my imagination but I can tell you that now I am going over budget more than I did when I prayed before shopping. I am not as disciplined about using my coupons and am just spending too much money. 

Now I know you may think the Lord is too busy to care about your grocery shopping, or that it's silly to pray about something so ordinary as grocery shopping.  I think the Lord does care about even the small things. He expects us to be good stewards of everything he has given us and that would include the money in the grocery budget.  He is waiting to bless us and we just ignore Him and the awesome power He has.

If you have read my blog, you know that I don't make New Year's resolutions and it's too early for those anyway, but my goal for the New Year is to be more mindful before I go grocery shopping and PRAY.  I never said a really long prayer, I usually just thanked God for the money I had to spend on groceries and asked Him to help me stay in the budget while meeting the needs of my family.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  To me this means I can feel free to ask for help when I go grocery shopping.  And I am not going to wait until the new year to start. Never a better time than the present.

Have a great day!
Mae

Good Tidings of Great Joy

It seems that every time you turn on the news there is bad news. Shootings, suicides, financial woes, Government taking more control over our lives and the like.  There just isn't much good news to be had. The situation can easily put people in an apprehensive state.  Worrying about things like health care, gun control and our government quickly turning from what our forefathers intended it to be. It's enough to drive you bonkers.

But, the good news is the same as it has been for over 2000 years:

Luke 2: 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
² (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
³ And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

As the Christmas season approaches, we all need to remember that the good news is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  And that our Lord is still in control of this country and He has brought us peace even in the most troubled times of our lives. I think that giving Glory to God brings that peace with it.

My wish for you this Christmas season is Peace. I know it's a bit early, but Merry Christmas.
Mae

Baking Season

The Holiday Season seems to be so short this year.  There are only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This has put me in a betwixt and between state. I want to start baking but it's still too early. I want to start decorating for Christmas, but Thanksgiving isn't here yet. I have been able to get a few gifts purchased and hopefully will be able to get the majority done on Black Friday.

My chocolate covered cherries are done and in the fridge.  But most of the things I want to bake will not last for month unless I freeze them and with 2 deer in the freezer, I am limited on freezer space.  I think I will mix up a couple of batches of cookie dough and get them in the freezer, since it will not hurt to squish them in small spaces.

My baking list this year is as follows:
  Icebox cookies
  Sugar cookies
  Chocolate covered cherries
  Fudge
  Rolo Pretzel Turtles
  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Bug cookies)
  Peanut Brittle
  Cornflake Cookies
  Wedding Cookies
  Cheese Straws

April I will be getting together to do some baking but you can only do so much in a day. So I will have to start getting some of it done, soon.

Hope you baking season is coming together.
Mae

Holidays-Fast Approaching

I don’t know how it is sneaking up on me so fast. Usually by now I have at least figured out what I am buying and have bought a few gifts. But this year, I am already behind.  And there just isn’t as much time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I have my Christmas budget all figured out and my menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas planned.  But even the days that we are getting together with extended family hasn’t been planned. But it’s all alright, because it will all come together. 

April and I have narrowed down a weekend for our “Annual Baking” day.  And I have come up with some easy, cute semi-homemade things to go with the regular items on our baking list. Like these Nutter Butter Reindeer from Pinterest.  

These Grinch Kabobs will be on the menu for Christmas Eve when we usually just do appetizers and finger foods.

There are so many things left to do before the kids come home and so I really need to get busy. Tonight we will be grinding deer meat into hamburger. Greg has killed his second deer this year and he hopes to get at least one more doe for the freezer. We hope to thin them out so our garden stands a chance next year. I am thankful that we have all this meat in the freezer.

This weekend April and I are taking a trip to the outlet mall, with my sisters-in law, and going to a craft show before that. Hopefully we can knock out some Christmas shopping on Saturday. 

I am trying really hard to get all of my physical shopping done by December 1st. I may still have to do some online shopping but I don't want to HAVE to go shopping after that.  I also want to get a lot of my cookie dough made and frozen before actual baking day.  I want to be able to enjoy the month of December and not be stressed out by having a lot of things hanging over my head.  This is a time to celebrate our Savior's birth and that is hard to do when there are so many things to be done.

Have a great day!

Mae

Decluttering

I don't know why it always happens in the Fall instead of Spring, but I always get the cleaning out & decluttering bug in the Fall. I guess it's because I know the holidays are coming and there will be more things coming into the house. I have had a few things sitting around that I haven't used in quite a while so I am getting rid of them.  I took a load to Good Will on Sunday. And plan to take another load this coming weekend.

I have also found that selling some of the items that I want to get rid of on Facebook is proving to be pretty easy.  It's much better than setting up a yard sale. You just take a picture of your item, post it on a local Buy/Sale/Trade page and wait for people to respond. The things I have sold on Facebook, have brought me more money than if I had had a yard sale.  Now I know I probably could have sold some of the little things that I took to Good Will at a yard sale, but they would have probably only brought $0.25 and I have made enough money selling the things on Facebook to cover those little things that I donated to Good Will.

This time of year every penny counts and the tax deduction that I will get from the donations will cover anything that I didn't make on those little things. Some people will want to barter with you and that's good. I would barter, too if I saw something I wanted. It seems easier to barter when you aren't face to face with someone. 

If you are trying to declutter and make a few bucks along the way, give the Facebook groups a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Have a great day!
Mae

Dixie Doodle

I wanted to take a minute to promote my daughter's-in-law new business venture. Dixie Doodle is a wonderful place to purchase some homemade crocheted hats and scarves. Go take a look. She does a wonderful job and can make just about anything you send her a picture of.  The prices are very reasonable and so is the shipping.

Enjoy!
Mae

Being Prepared

I used to think that as a Christian, I should not be too worried about being prepared for a disaster. When Y2K was approaching and everyone was stocking up on food and things I just kept quoting Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” And I still believe that He will. But as of late, I am changing my mind about being prepared. After doing some research I have come to believe that we should prepare for disasters.  Why after all the times in the Bible when God told people to prepare would He not want us to be prepared?

I feel like we are being given plenty of warning to prepare. I know that God is in control of everything. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

We live in an area where it would be very realistic to be without electricity for a period of time. The first year we lived here there was an ice storm that had some of our neighbors without power for over a week. We have a different power company and ours was on except for 3 hours. But it could have easily been our power company that was out.  So at the very least we should be prepared for that.

I am slowly buying canned meats, soups, and meals that can easily be heated on our camp stove or open fire.  My husband made deer jerky last night and plans to make more. I am storing up powdered and canned milk. We are going to purchase a few gallons of kerosene for our kerosene heater that we haven’t used in a long time and will get it cleaned and make sure the wick is good. The oil lamps are all going to have the chimney’s cleaned, the wicks trimmed and be filled. I have started trying to put things that may be needed in an emergency where they can easily be found. Like flashlights and extra batteries together, matches near an oil lamp. I am also putting together a much better first aid kit than I’ve ever had and have everything together where it can easily be located.

I have stored up a small amount of water and will be storing more. We also have a pool so I will be buying some sort of purifying system/tabs. We also have 2 cisterns on our farm that we do not use and a pond that I would hate to have to drink out of but if I had to, I would.

Now I am in no way turning into a doomsday-er but I do think our economy is very close to taking a severe hit and we all have heard the “nine meals for chaos” theory.  There is only enough food in most homes and in the grocery stores to last 3 days.  All I am hoping for is to provide for my family in a time of need. And I don’t believe in storing up things you aren’t going to use. I am trying to be very frugal and a good steward of what God has given us so I am setting aside only $20.00 a week to get prepared. I have been at it for 2 weeks and so far I have accumulated quite a bit.

There will be more on my progress later.

Have a great day!

Mae

FAVADO-MONEY SAVING APP

Since groceries are one of the biggest expenses most of us have, I am always looking for a way to save money when grocery shopping.  I use coupons, shop sales, and everything else I can think of to save money in this area.  Savings.com has released a new grocery money saving app-FAVADO.  I have downloaded it on my phone and tested it out a little.  Even the little bit that I have used it has been wonderful.

You download the app, enter the stores that you want to use it on and that's the beginning.  It had every possible store in my area to choose from. Simple and easy.  What I like about the app is that you can search for an item and it will tell you which store it is cheapest at. It will also tell you if there are coupons available for that item.  You add your items to your shopping list, then email the list to yourself.  When you check your email, the items are there with the links to print your coupons.

Go here to download the app: Favado Download. You will love this new app!

Have a great day!
Mae

My Bread Machine

Last year I was in the market for a new bread machine. I wanted one that made a loaf of bread that looked like a loaf of bread. I did a lot of research and finally decide on this one from Amazon Breadman Bread Machine. I must say I love this machine. It makes a wonderful, soft loaf of bread. It also comes with 2 one pound loaf pans which I have never used because when I make the large loaf we eat it all, because it is so good.  I don't usually make bread in the summer so I am glad that the weather is cooling off a bit. Cause I am ready for some homemade bread.
This is the recipe that I use from the booklet that came with the machine:

*I do add 1/4 tsp of vital wheat gluten.

BASIC WHITE BREAD
Ingredients  2-LB.
1½ cups Water (80°F – 90°F)
3 tbsp. Unsalted butter or margarine, cut in pieces 
1 tbsp. Sugar
3 tbsp. Dry skim milk powder
1¼ tsp.  Salt
4 cups Bread flour 
1½ tsp. Bread machine yeast 

1. Measure ingredients into bread pan in the order listed.
2. Insert bread pan securely into baking chamber; close lid. Plug unit into wall outlet.
3. Select WHITE. Choose loaf size and desired crust color. Press the START/STOP button.
4. The complete signal will sound when bread is done.
5. Using pot holders remove bread pan from baking chamber and carefully remove bread from pan.     (If kneading paddle remains in bread, remove paddle once bread has cooled.)
6. Allow bread to cool on a wire rack until ready to serve (at least 20 minutes).

We really do have a hard time waiting the 20 minutes to eat it. It always smells soooooo good.

Fresh bread and Chicken Noodle soup are on the menu for this weekend.

Have a great day!
Mae

9/19/2013

So it seems like all of my last few post have been about pretty negative things that have been going on.  Since I am not normally negative it's time to get back to my normal self.

I have been doing much better at being grounded than I thought I would.  I am still being able to clean in 10 minute spurts and am really making quite a bit of headway on some things that have been let go lately.  Most of the laundry is staying caught up. I only have 3 more cabinets in the kitchen to clean out and de-clutter.  I've learned to sit on the bar stool in front of the stove to do a lot of cooking.  So I am adapting and that's a good thing.

I have been looking a Pinterest a lot lately and actually putting some of the organizational ideas to use.  I cleaned out the fridge and put Press and Seal over the shelves. At first I didn't think it was actually going to stick to the shelves, but guess what? It works.  Now when something leaks on the shelf all I have to do is replace the Press and Seal.  I finally found some stack-able drawers that fit under my bathroom sink and now it is all organized under there.

There is a huge cabinet over my fridge that use to be so cluttered every time you opened it you took a chance on something falling on your head.  I found a big plastic drawer that fit in the cabinet and now all the little things that were just thrown in the cabinet are in the drawer and it still left me enough room to stack stuff on top of and beside the drawer.

There was a post that I read somewhere where someone took the 28 quart plastic tubs and put in her kitchen cabinets to make pull out shelves.  I bought a couple for one of my cabinets and once again, it worked!

Getting organized is a great thing. And whoever is pining all those wonderful ideas on Pinterest, keep up the good work.

Fall is in the air here and I am making my first batch of soup tomorrow night.  I have some leftover ham that needs to be consumed before it gets bad. I haven't really decided what will be in the soup other than ham, but I will try to post what I did (if it turns out good).

Feeling empowered since I have actually been able to accomplish a few things.

Have a great day!
Mae 

Grounded

I have been grounded. And I am not liking it one bit. I have a severe case of Plantar Fasciitis.  25% of my Plantar Fascia is gone! Now I knew I had been having a lot of pain when I walked for any length of time and I had been diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis before and been put in a brace when I sleep. But that was years ago and this pain just wasn't the same.  So I went to an Orthopedic Dr. who did x-rays and an MRI.  After the Dr. looked at the results he put me in a boot that I have to keep on for every step I take. I can only be up for 10 minutes at a time and for a total of 2 hours per day.  Do you know how hard that is to do?  It is a total bummer!  But it has made me realize a couple of things. 1. I am very thankful that this is a temporary thing.  I am blessed to have both of my feet that I have spent over 50 years walking on.  2. I am not a very good patient.  I can not bring myself to sleep in this thing so I am cheating just a little when that 3am bathroom visit occurs I just don't have time to put that boot on before I go (I've reached that time in my life when that call comes at 3am there just isn't a lot of time to get where you need to go.) 3. I have more pride than I thought I did.  I just can't bring myself to get in that little thing that you drive around the grocery store.  I can see that I am going to have to at some point because we are going to need food. So at some point I will have to do some serious grocery shopping.

Apparently the only cure for this is to let God do the healing and stay off my foot so that He can heal it.

The Lord is teaching me a few things right now and hopefully I will be a quick learner.

1.  I need to learn some patience.
2.  To give up some of my pride.
3.  Learn that I am not super woman and I can't do everything.
4.  A clean house is not the most important thing right now.
5.  You can get a lot done in 10 minutes if you try hard.

Have a great day!
Mae

08/29/2013

Things are beginning to get back to normal around our house.  We have a new and improved back door. Now someone is going to have to work real hard to kick in our back door. And they are going to have do it out in the open where people driving by can see them doing it.  Our insurance has paid us so now all we have to do is try to replace some of the items that were stolen. Some just aren't replaceable.  I know I could go buy more jewelry but it just doesn't mean anything when you buy it for yourself.

I have recently discovered something new (to me, anyway). If you text DEALS to 28767, you get a text back with a coupon code for Family Dollar's deal of the day.  Now that I work in the county that I live in Family Dollar is 2 minutes down the road.  I can go on my lunch hour and get the deal.  Yesterday the deal was $2 off Angel Soft tp, today it was $2 off Sparkle paper towels which were on sale for $4.45 for 6 rolls. That made them $2.45+tax.  I haven't tried it yet but since this is a store coupon I would think a manufacturers coupon would work with that coupon.  My Sparkle coupons were expired. But that is less than $.44 per roll even with taxes. That's a darn good deal.  Since we don't use many paper towels they will last us at least 6 months.  The Angel Soft turned out to be $.30 cents per roll.  I don't think that's the cheapest I ever got it, but still a good deal. If you sign up for their emails they send you an email every day telling you what the deal of the day is and you can decide if you want to text or not.

Our garden was pretty much a bust this year.  We are finally eating tomatoes and we got squash one mess of green beans, some peppers and cabbage. The deer got everything else.

We have started feeding the bees. It's been pretty dry around here so not enough pollen for them. Now that the sunflowers are blooming they are crawling with bees. Hopefully we will have a wetter fall and the goldenrods will bloom a lot.

I am planning to have a yard sale when our community has theirs in September so I am going thru stuff to get rid of. Hopefully I can find enough stuff to make a few bucks.

I am getting ready for fall and thinking about Christmas. Got to get the shopping done soon so I am not having to do that close to Christmas.

Have a great day,
Mae

The Break In

We have experienced more loss this week. When I came home on Tuesday, our back storm door was open; then when I looked in the house the back kitchen door was standing wide open. For a minute I thought Greg had accidentally left the house open all day. I didn't realize we had been broken in to until I tried to close the door behind me and saw that it had been kicked in. Even then I guess I really didn't realize what had happened. I called Greg to see if he had had to kick the door in for some reason. Then I saw that my laptop was missing. I got off the phone with Greg and called 911.  They told me to go sit in my car until the Sheriff came. I tried but I had left my keys in the house and it was too hot to sit in the car until the officer got there. So I just stayed outside.  When we went back in we saw that they had stolen pretty much all of my jewelry, my laptop and a couple of hand guns.

I had jewelry from all over the world, a ring my brother gave me from Morocco, a cameo my brother-in-law had given me for graduation that was made from the ash of Mt Etna, a gold chain my husband bought in Saudi Arabia, I can't even begin to value these items. And then there was a couple of antique pairs of earrings, a necklace another brother-in-law had given me when my sister died, gold & diamond earrings, gemstone bracelet and earrings all from husband over the 35 years we've been married. And the necklace he gave me on our wedding night.

But I guess the last straw was when I realized they had taken a pillow case off MY bed, to put MY stuff they were stealing from MY house in.  That really just burns my butt! How can you be so SORRY that you can't even take something of your own to put the stuff you are stealing in?

It is all very frustrating and I have to admit that I am having a very hard time having a Christian attitude towards the people who would do such a thing. I am very thankful that we weren't home at the time and do pray that no one gets hurt with the hand guns. And I realize it is just stuff. But it really makes me angry that you work hard for 35 years then some punk can come in and in less than 5 minutes take the things that you have worked so hard for just to get some quick drug money! URGGG!

I will be alright and get over this in time.
Mae

Deerly Disgusted

We had such a nice crop of corn coming on. Big tall dark green plants, loaded with 2-3 ears on each stalk. The silks were just beginning to turn brown.  And over the course of a week and a half the deer have eaten all but two of those ears.  We tied twine around the garden, sprayed it with the stinky stuff that is supposed to keep the deer out, put up pie pans to blow in the wind, and even a little human urine, nothing stopped them.

One day Greg saw 4 deer in the garden, munching away. Getting fat and happy at our expense!

They are cute, and we all love to watch them...but this year I hope Greg gets his bag limit (which for does, is unlimited in our county) and we will turn the tables next year. Hopefully we will be eating those deer that have fattened up on our corn and did I mention they have also eaten all of our green beans, too. 

It gets very disgusting to put so much work into something then there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep it from getting destroyed. 

On a brighter note: I have been picking lots of blackberries, I have already made two batches of jelly. The tomatoes are getting ripe and we have had a very successful year with squash and cabbage. So our freezer is not empty.

Guess I'll be headed to the farmer's market for corn and green beans.

Have a great day!
Mae

Harvesting

It is a busy time around our house. We went on vacation for about a week and a half and had lots of fun with our children, grandchildren, my brothers ans sisters and their spouses and a few nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren.

Since we got home it has been back to work in the day time and picking things from the garden in the evening.  I think the bees are really helping us with our harvest this year.  I haven't had squash and zucchini last this long and look so healthy in a really long time.  We are picking them every other day.  I have picked one batch of fresh green beans. The tomatoes are beginning to turn red (I can't wait for the first one). And I will be picking black berries this weekend.  I hope there will be enough right for a batch of jelly. And the herbs are growing like crazy.  Here is a picture of some drying in the window.

Drying Herbs

 Tonight I cut, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Basil and Oregano.  I started to get out the dehydrator to dry them but I decided this way it wouldn't cost anything and use no extra electricity.  Win/win for me. And did I mention how good they smell, makes me want to cook something.

It has been really hot here, in the mid 90's all week. We have been in the pool as much as possible which hasn't been very much. But it's nice to be able to get into it.

Have a good week.
Mae

Red Clover Lemonade

When I first saw the recipe for red clover lemonade I was intrigued to say the least.  That was over a year ago and I just got around to trying it last weekend.  Let me tell you it is awesome.

The recipe is:
3 cups red clover blossoms
4 cups water
1 1/4 cup lemon juice
4 Tbsp. honey

Wash clover blossoms and boil 5-7 minutes in 4 cups of water. Strain into pitcher. (I used my wire sieve lined with paper towels. Add lemon juice and honey (it was still pretty tangy to me so I added 1/4 cup sugar.)  Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice.

The funny thing to me was that when you boil the red clover the liquid is green, but when you add it to the lemon juice it turns the pretty shade of pink.  This is the best pink lemonade I've ever had.

Red clover is supposed to be very good for you.  You must give this a try.

Have a great day!
Mae

Hopefully Honey

I know it's been a while since I posted but I wanted to show you what has been going on.  We have been taking a Beginner Beekeeping Class.  It has been really interesting. And Greg and I both have been stung by the "beekeeping bug".  We went to Frankfort and bought our hive and gear. Then our bees came in the next day.

Me in my gear

We released them into their hive on Saturday, April 27th.

Some of the bees didn't pour out so they came out on their own later.

Then we went back 3 days later, on Wednesday, to see if the Queen was out of her cage. And she was! 

We are hoping this means the bees accepted their Queen.  This is what we found attached to her little cage that was inside the hive.

We are really enjoying this so far. Bees are amazing little creatures.  They just know what they are supposed to do and do it.

Hopefully we will get honey, we probably will not take honey from them this year so that they have enough to get them through the winter.  We will look in the hive again Sunday to see if the queen has started laying eggs yet.

I will keep you posted.

Have a great day!
Mae

New Baby

I am finally getting back to normal after being out of pocket for the birth of our first grandson.  I guess I will have to quit calling my grandchildren, grandgirls. 

Isn't he just the most beautiful thing you ever saw.  I think he's already stolen his granny's heart.

Now it's time to get back to normal.  We have been attending several classes through my work. One of them is a beginner beekeeping class through my work.  It is pretty interesting.  We will be ordering our hive and equipment soon. Another one was Backyard Chickens and even though we have had chickens for about 8 years it was nice to be able to learn a few things. The other one Greg had to take alone because I was at the hospital with our daughter and it was a class on raising pigs.  The extension offices in our area have had some really good classes this year.

We are planning to start pigs & bees this year and increase our chickens by adding some meat chickens. 

I received so bare root strawberries from work (free) so they have been planted in one of the raised beds we started last year.  Planning for the garden has started. I have ordered my zipper cream pea seeds and will try to get the same corn we grew last year. It was the sweetest corn we've ever grown and it produced really well. I still have quite a bit of it in the freezer so we will be eating lots of corn over the next few months. 

Spring has me itching to get outside. Hopefully this weekend I will get to work in my flower beds, at least.

Have a great day!
Mae

Mama was Always Right.

One Saturday afternoon, hen is was around 5 or 6 years old (I know I was around that age because we were living in Toombs County at the time) Mama decided I needed a hair cut.  Worse than that she decided she was going to give it to me.  She stood me on a chair in the living room and started clipping.  Then Nell (my oldest sister) came in and told her she was doing it wrong.  They started this long discussion about how it should be done.  Mama kept saying “You do it this way.” And her hands were showing what she meant.  She was zig zagging  her hand in the air indicating that you cut hair in a zig zag fashion!  Nell kept saying “No, you do it this way.” She was demonstrating a straight line.

The next thing I knew they were trying to prove their points by clipping little bits of hair.  Before you knew my head was just a big old mess.

I don’t remember where Daddy was but he got home and saw my head and said “Go get in the car.”  I don’t think he even said a word to anyone else.  I got in the car and he took me to town.  We drove by every beauty shop in town and since it was a Saturday and getting late in the evening they were all closed.  So he took me to a barber shop and had my hair cut.  The barber did the best he could and it did look a lot better.  But that was the shortest haircut I’ve ever had!  I almost looked like a boy.  And I have often wondered why Mama thought you’d cut someone’s hair in a zig zag?!  I do know why she wouldn’t listen to Nell...Mama was always right

20 Mule Team Borax Review & Give Away

Borax provided a free box of 20 Mule Team Borax so I could review it.  However, all of my opinions expressed here are my own.  They also sent me coupons to pass on to my readers for a free box.  Borax is a key ingredient to homemade laundry detergent, this could be a good way to score a free box. 

I tried the box they sent me and while I really can’t tell that my clothes were any cleaner when I added it to my laundry but what I did notice was the smell.  I have never had my clothes smell so clean without hanging them on the clothesline (which I really haven’t been doing much of because of a little thing called WINTER).  I associate fresh smell with clean so I guess my clothes were cleaner than normal.  The smell doesn’t smell like perfume, it just smells clean and fresh. 

Contest

The drawing will take place on March 7th.  Winners will be posted on March 8th.  Leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing.  When I post the winners, the winners can then email me their mailing address so I can send them their coupon for a free box of 20 Mule Team Borax.  Good Luck!

Mae