Today is such a windy day! It's almost as if straight line winds are ripping through. The wind is even blowing the coat of my Collie's fur! Check out the flag! The sun keeps peeking out from behind the clouds, but I think there is a chance of rain. We sure do need it here in the South! We're way behind in our rainfall average. There's even been some fires in the area. I think most of the fires have been put out though.
      It's good to be feeling better again! I read this verse today from Psalm 143, verse 8: "Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You. To lift up one's inner self means to pour out your thoughts , feelings and emotions to God. He knows what's in there anyway. Then ask God to fill you up with His Holy Spirit and lead you where you are to go. 

      I'm not sure what I'm going to cook today, but I'm leaning to spaghetti. Son and hubby always enjoy it, plus its easy for me to prepare. Are you ready for spaghetti?

I said goodbye to an old friend today

      It was my 2003 Cadillac Escalade. I didn't even take a picture of it. But I have some I can pull up. We are working on our debt and since I'm not working, (I was working when we purchased it), we decided that the 89 chevy truck will suffice. We can use it to travel in when we go out of town, it will pull our camper nicely, and I will use it for my vehicle. My husband is working on some minor things on it right now, but it is drivable. We actually didn't have to pay any money for it! My husband traded an old Ford truck for it. We are putting the Escalade on-bay and I know it will sell! We are also trying to sell our old house, owner financing, The ad begins March 1st. I hope it sells this time. God is in control of these sells and I know at the right time He will bring the right buyers. Agree with me that it will be soon! I am slowly getting over this "cold". That's why I haven't been writing on a regular basis, I just haven't felt like it!

Have you ever awakened to the sound...

      Of a tornado siren going off in the middle of the night? Well, that happened here last night. Seems a little early in the year, but that is a sign of spring. It looks and feels like spring with all the trees beginning to bud out and flowers beginning to come up. It's still very windy too. The tornadoes were small and fast but the damage was by the straight line winds. They turned over the basketball goal and nearly demolished my tent over my outdoor kitchen. Limbs were everywhere, but no real damage was done, at least not on our property. Storms are scary while they are going on but thank God, He kept us all safe!
      Nourishing Days is having a giveaway on the book Living Off Off Grid. I want to link to my website from there but I don't know how. I also want to mention about Swagbucks. If you haven't signed up, now would be a good time so you can start earning free swagbucks to spend in the swag store. I'm saving mine for that book.

      

Sometimes......

      No matter what you do to live a healthy life, you still get sick. That's because satan is a thief and tries to rob us of our health. I didn't post yesterday because I felt too bad. I am much better today; however, I am not up to par. I guess it is the flu or a cold, I don't know I just want to be completely over it. I am believing God's Word and I know that's why I'm experiencing a comeback right now. Exodus 23:25 says: "You shall serve the Lord your God; He shall bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness from your midst. And 1 Peter 2:24 says: "He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. Sounds like we should obey God, and live a righteous life unto Him. Lord, forgive me of any sins hidden or open that I have not confessed to You. Reveal to me my hidden sins and make known to me my hidden paths, so that I may be forgiven and healed. Sin is deceptive and sometimes we have sin in our lives and don't even realize it! It may be such a small thing that God has dealt with us about until we are no longer sensitive to Him about it. Remember, it's the little foxes that spoil the vine.
      Since I'm not feeling well today I thought it would be a good idea to boil a chicken and later if I feel like it, make chicken and dumplings. I'm flavoring the broth with onions, celery and carrots, and letting it simmer all day.

Psalm 128 Amplified version

      is a tremendous scripture. it says: verse 1,"Blessed(happy, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who fear, reveres, and worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. verse 2: For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labor of your hands: happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you. I want a blessed, happy, enviable life, and I want to eat the fruit of my labor so I'm going to focus on verse one. Simple isn't it? All we have to do to live a simple life is to worship God and obey his commandments. 
      Speaking of simple, I had a quick lunch today whipped up in my Vitamix. I made Minestrone Soup, no meat. I put some sweet potatoes in my small oven to bake this morning, so they were ready by lunchtime. 






















I worked out with Gunner today. I love working out on the stability ball. You really challenge your balance on the ball.

Seventy-one degrees!

 And maybe even warmer today! I have just been outside today, taking my time and enjoying the beautiful place God has led us to live in. I took pictures of birds and trees,  flowers trying to push their way up, and some of my other birds.

Taking a dust 'bath'

Beautiful Day!

What is a simple life?

    I believe to live a truly simple life, you must choose your thoughts. What are you thinking about? Is your mind cluttered with anxious thoughts? Phil.4:8 says :"Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Wow! I have to admit that my thoughts do not always include these virtues. I am going to be more careful about the thoughts I think. Yes, you can choose to think about what you're thinking about. (Joyce Meyer). When we choose to obey God's Word, we are choosing life, a simple life because the Holy Spirit shows us how, through God's Word, to live a simple, uncomplicated life.
But a simple life doesn't necessarily mean that things are easy. I've found that going to the neighbors pasture to gather horse manure is quite a workout! I had to haul heavy buckets up the hill back to the garden. Simple maybe, but not easy.

New at Blogging

      Since I've started reading blogs and decided to start my own blog, I realize there are a lot of things I don't know how to do yet, such as link from my post to someone else's. I've got to take some time to figure these things out, but the weather is so nice, I can hardly stay inside! and since I don't see many girls raised in the south writing about the new things I'm learning about , maybe I can share what I'm learning with them. When I speak of things like kefir and fermentation , most people I know have never heard of this. I understand, I used to be that way, but I want to be more healthy, so I'm learning from people like Wardeh at gnowfglins how to prepare foods in this tradition. So far, I've only tried kefir, but I want too soak my grains and nuts before I make things like granola.
      Here are some pics of yesterdays adventures. I was transplanting Irises to their new home in the garden and the chickens would not stay out of my way! We are planting flowers on this side of the garden because that's where the septic lines are. My husband didn't want to take a chance on our vegetables becoming contaminated. Roses, Irises, and daylillies, seem to thrive there.

      Lat night I cooked the bread that had been sitting for twenty-four hours according to Jim Lahey's recipe. The recipe is a no knead recipe but only makes up enough for one loaf, which is just right for my family. It is then placed in a dutch oven with a lid on to bake. Here it is.

 I also made these delicious stuffed shells and cheese. I love using my pasta pot! I don't know if these recipes are in accordance with the new things I'm learning about, but I do have to keep in mind what my family will eat. Neither my husband or son will eat anything made with whole wheat so I use organic,  unbleached flour instead. I thought they might eat this whole wheat honey sweetened chocolate bread, but no, they didn't even like this!

Freedom!

      Freedom is a beautiful thing! One I don't believe we Americans fully understand. The more I watch Joyce Meyer, the more I realize that freedom is not only about our country but about our spirits, as well. When it comes to being free in our spirits and minds, we have a choice.  We can choose to let the sins and mistakes from our pasts keep us in bondage, or we can choose to accept forgiveness for our sins and mistakes and move forward, not looking back. We must choose to forgive those who have hurt us if we ever want real freedom. If we choose not to forgive others, then God will not forgive us. Forgiveness brings freedom to us, not necessarily to the one we are forgiving. Do you have unforgiveness in your heart towards anyone? Please choose to forgive that person now and experience a release and freedom like you've never known before. I have chosen to walk in the freedom of forgiveness and I am so blessed now! God is such a wonderful, merciful, and forgiving God that if you truly forgive, you too will be blessed!






      

Continuing My Day

The Door

      Did you watch Joyce Meyer this morning? You can check with your cable or satellite companies to see when she is on, or you may go to her website, joycemeyer.org and listen to her teaching anytime. Today she was teaching on how Jesus is the door and how you may spend your time trying to get to God some other way but there is no other way! John 14:6. She also taught about the sacrifices and offerings from the old Testament and how, now through Jesus, we don't have to give those sacrifices anymore. Jesus wants our sacrifice to be one of praise to Him! Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to Him in our everyday life, no matter where we are or what we do. I pray these words minister life to you today.

Pictures

I've been trying to figure out how to insert pics onto my previous posts but I couldn't seem to figure it out. I wanted to show you what my husband gave me for Valentine's Day and pics of our dinner. There are other pics as well so I'll just insert them here.

Have you ever eaten a banana sandwich? I love mine with mayonaise and peanut butter! You can tell I'm a girl raised in the south since I love this concoction! Some girls raised in the south do not prefer this, such as my sister.  I just gobbled my down and then I drank a glass of kefir water straight. Some people do not prefer the fermented taste but it tastes delicious to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

      Today, in the Heart of Dixie, it is a beautiful day! The sun is shining and the temp is supposed to be in the 60's! I enjoy living in the South, most of the time. The only thing is it is very windy! It will probably be that way until April. I have a lot to do today since it is Monday, because I like to cook big so I can have leftovers. I also need to do some laundry and other cleaning. I work out three times a week , usually Mon., Wed., and Fri. I will do that sometime today. 
      Do you watch Joyce Meyer? I watch her everyday and have for a long time. She shared today about Truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can come to the Father except through His Son, Jesus. John14:6. I pray that many will choose to follow Jesus today!
       I just recently purchased kefir grains and am happy to say that I love kefir! It is so good for your body, especially your intestines. Kefir provides the  good bacteria your body needs to stay healthy. I have both water and milk kefir grains. The water kefir grains multiply very quickly while the milk kefir grains do not. At least that is the way it is for me. The milk kefir tastes so much like buttermilk, just tangier. The water kefir tastes like whatever juice you mix in, with just a slight fermented taste afterwards. I drink milk kefir straight or in a smoothie. I also just drink the water kefir like juice. I told my husband that I actually feel better since I started drinking kefir. Not that I am sick or anything, I just feel less draggy.

Valentine

I am writing for the first time on my newly created blog! I thought I had so much to say but since it has taken me so long to get here, I'm running on empty. I would just like you to know that even if you can't go out to eat on Valentine's Day you can still prepare a meal your family can appreciate. Your love for them will shine through when you prepare them even something as simple as spaghetti. Tonight, I am making a simple mac and cheese, opening a can of baked beans, and my husband is cooking pork chops on the grill. Tomorrow I am making cubed steak cooked in the crockpot with mashed potatoes and English peas. I will also have homemade bread and a special dessert, of which I'm not sure of. Something chocolate, for sure. The name I chose for my blog is not the name I had intended but since I am newly turned on to kefir, it has a nice ring. Kefir Creature! Don't forget it!