Wadda Ya Want?

There are just so many things that I want to get into this blog. But, where do I start?  Preparedness?  Faith? Relationships? Politics? Homeschooling? Parenting? Wifery? (Yeah, I know.  It's a funny word, but I swear it's a real word. Okay, so maybe urbandictionary.com isn't the most reliable source, but I am quite fine with their description-"A mature, homely (?), domestic, motherly and sexually attractive woman."  But I'm wondering why there's nothing in there about that husband part that makes you a wife... hmmm...) 

I realize that for now, the primary people who will be reading this blog are my friends and acquaintances. So, it's to you that I pose the question- Wadda ya wanna to talk about? What interests you?  I do not presume to have vast knowledge of any of these topics, but they are all things that are very important to me. They are things that I want to grow deeper in, or more proficient at, or (in the case of homeschooling) I've just stuck my toe in the water and would love some input from the others who are more proficient.

So, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  Lets see where we go.

Red-Eye Canning

Canning season has begun! 

The mother of all pressure canners- Presto's 23 quart giant.

Some how I have managed to acquire not one, but two of the largest pressure canners on the market. The first I inherited from my grandmother, and the second a friend found at a garage sale for a mere five bucks.  New, these babies retail at about $120, and I have managed to put out only the cost of replacement parts. Such a sweet deal. 

We made these same pickles last year and they were amazing!

For some reason, I always end up starting this process much too late for common sense. It was around 9 pm this time. But, 12 quarts of pickles, 5 pints of green beans, and 6 pints of chicken stock isn't too horrible for five and a half hours, right?  It probably would have been an hour less, but being a novice at pressure canning has its disadvantages. Fortunately I already had a replacement gasket and once that was replaced things have been rolling along just fine.

Thankfully, my wonderful husband helped me with the pickles and got me started on the beans, and then it was off to bed for him since he has to work in the morning. 

It took forever to pressurize the cooker.  hopefully they're not mush...

Those poor green beans sat in boiling water for what seemed like forever while I figured out what was going on. I've always been rather reluctant to use the pressure canner for fear that it might blow up, causing one of those delightful geysers in my very own kitchen. I think I'd rather wait to visit Yellowstone for that geyser thing...  Fortunately, it's starting to sink in that familiarity is all it takes to not blow anything up with a pressure canner.

pickles- 12 quarts, green beans- 5 pints, chicken broth- 6 pints

The most exciting thing I tried this evening was my new Tattler lids. Who would have thought that somebody could make plastic reusable lids for canning jars?  Well, that's just what the Tattler people have done.  They've been in business for a couple of decades, and only now are many of their oldest customers starting to look for replacements for their Tattler lids.  From what I've read, these things just don't wear out. A little spendy up front, but well worth it if you can often enough.

Tattler  Reusable Canning Lids

And now, I am very thankful I took a nap today.  It is 3:40 in the morning, and I hear... my pillow... calli... zzzzzz

Small Beginnings

I've had this blog site for quite a few months, and have been too intimidated by it to do much with it.  For several years now I have watched as our economy, our society, and our world have run completely out of control and wished in my heart of hearts that I could do something to help other moms who are not unlike myself. It took me quite some time to accept the fact that all is not as it seems in our country. Things are not rosy.  Our economy is not turning up no matter how the media tries to spin it. At a time when our government should be putting itself on a fiscal diet it seems, rather, to be modeling itself after the likes of the New Jersey lady who wants to weigh a thousand pounds.

It seems like common sense to me that if the cost of living is going up and goods are becoming more scarce, then perhaps one should consider being physically prepared for such things. However, when I started educating myself on the topic of preparedness I was shocked by the amount of resistance I received from family and friends alike. To be perfectly honest, it makes me a little sad that when I start to tell someone something about being prepared for an economic down turn -  or even something as common as a natural disaster- I always feel the need to preface by denying that I own a tinfoil hat.

Aside from being mocked for thinking the economic failure of America is a real possibility, the second greatest resistance I've received is from people who believe that God doesn't expect us to prepare for disaster because he's going to take care of us. This concept has caused me no small amount of Bible, internet, and soul searching to conclude how God would have us prepare to care for our families, friends and neighbors. It was the scripture in Proverbs 21:20, from which I titled my blog, that really solidified in my mind the fact that being prepared is really a biblical concept. It is not a matter of resting on one's own strength and what you have done, but rather using the common sense that God gave you  and being prepared to be a blessing to your family, friends, and neighbors. Hopefully, as this blog grows I will be able to reach out to more than just my little sphere of influence to share with others how God would have us prepare for the brave new world ahead.