Worker @ Home

Outside my window....the skies are sunny.

I am thinking...Of allllll the things to do that I havn't been able to get done in the last few months. (I confess it is a bit overwhelming)

I am thankfull..that I got to spend the day with my son and his family. The grandkids were great fun.

From the kitchen...nothing..menues will be planned according to what is in the kitchen cupboards.

I am going to...my Home care clients at 11:00. Mrs B fell and is in the hospital. I will be checking in on Mr B. This is not what I had planned. But I have had such great peace knowing that God has my schedule in hand...yes even though it appears that I have no income.

I am hearing..the upstairs neighbors walking around.

I am reading...Proverbs & Basic Nursing

I am hoping...to get caught up quickly.. in my home so I can concentrate on studies again.

Around the house...is clutter of unfinished projects. Christmas is up.The vacume is waiting to be used and put away.

One of my favorite things...is seeing the smiles of a small child.Holding the hand of a small child...they are so squeezably soft...I got to do a lot of that on Sat.

Plans for work...you got it already...get things in order.

From my needle....finished up amending job for a cooworker. and I just got a new job from my niece. she wants me to cover some pillow's. My sewing machine is so light..it got bumped and fell on the florr. I pray it is ok.

From Gods word...Proverbs 1:33 The sum of wisdom...But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. I am hungrey for Gods word..and want to seek Him in all my ways.

Gods richest blessings on you today as you seek Him for all your ways.

Nettie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope this finds you all well.

Just got done with my home care client. I am so looking forward to caring for her and her husband soon on more full time basis. Tomorrow is my last day at the Manor and I look forward to getting my home back in order and prepare for Christmas. I'm so happy that we are going East to Central Ne for Thanksgiving.  I will have Christmas presents for those family members there ready to go. Always such a relief to have this part done.   Lord willing, Kirk will attend the Col/NE game in Lincoln on Friday, and I will get to spend the day in Omaha with my son and Sister.

Kirk and I took a drive on Sat. The Sandhills are breathtaking at dusk. The Sunsets are more than a person can take in. I told Kirk our land must have views of these fabulous sunsets. I was sounding like a broken record,as I wa constantly telling Kirk.."how beautifull is that sunset" , "oh my , Look at that honey" !!  LOL!  It WAS breathtaking.  We hunger for a piece of land that we can build a hay bale home on. We will be content with what the Lord wills. He knows the desires of our hearts. We trust...All the while we continue to plug away at debt and keep looking.

Well its time for lunch here and I must prepare something.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Nettie

Resignation

After many weeks of dispair here, I decided to resign from my kitchen job at the Manor. I have decided that I am not super wowman and the Lord doesn't require me to be. He certainly will provide for our needs and I have given up the notion that it is my responsibility to provide for myself.

This will free me up to take care of one of my home care lady and her hubby ,who needs help desparatley. I'm very pleased to help such a lady, who has become very dear to me.

This change will also free my weekends for my husband,as he is getting tired of being left home alone...PLUS I can work at the rest of my on line course and finish up without trying to muddle through schedules.

So thats whats happening here. If your like me, Holiday plans are in the making. Presents are being slowly bought and wrapped.

Weather report...cold !

Thanks for stopping in.  Have a great day!

Nettie 

OOOOOOOhhhhhhhwwweeeee!!!!

God is Good! I passed my 7th Module...you know the Math one. I'm on the end of the road now. Just have to do this last Module and then send in all my paper work and line up my Clinicals. I'll do half at the Manor and the other half at t he hospital.

We have had our first snow. The wind has been very high. It made for a nasty morning yesterday. But in a few hours the sun came out and the high winds dried up the roads...an advandtage of our winds.

Well I'm off to do some jobs before I settle in to study.

Have a great day!

Nettie

Prayers

This is the end of the week for some ,but for me it is just another work day.

I'd appreciate your prayers for endurance...work, studies, and home making is taking a toll. Since I'm relearning MATH life with studies have come to a painfull crawl.

I do have a note of praise...our youth group is full of kids. We lure them in with a small meal on Wednesdays evening..haha!Right now we are averaging 20+ kids. A crowd for our small church.

The day has been lovely, warm ..Kirk and I have been enjoying our evening walks.

Thats all for now. Have a great Day.

What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?   Micah 6:8

Nettie 

Outside my window....

Outside my window-The sun is shining, and it's cool.The Skies are bue!

I am thinking-of all the little things I have to do after being gone a week from home.

I am thankfull- for my time with my daughter and her family. I had a great time in SA.

From the kitchen-laundrey baskets are sitting full of clothes waiting to be washed.

I am going- to the dentist this afternoon to have a tooth pulled! yuk!

I am hearing - Home and Garden on TV

I am reading- an inspirational novel I started on the plane.

I am hoping- to get to my studies today???

Around the house- is trip clutter that has to be put back in its place.

One of my favorite things- is watching people at the airport...The world seems so much bigger when I'm there.

Plans for work-clean clean

With my needle- I finished a baby quilt-officially... I worked on sewing scraps together on Ambers machine and by hand while I was in SA. I Sewed some curtains for her living room.

 From Gods word- There fore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exault you at the proper time,casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1Peter 5:6-7

Have a Blessed Day!

Nettie

A Recipe

This one's for you, Angela!

Big Red Bars

1 Cup crushed grahm crackers

1 stick margarine (I used butter)

1 Cup walnuts

1 cup coconuts

1 cup cherry chips

1 cup vanilla chips

1 can Eagle Brand evap milk

Melt butter & combine with grahm crackers. Pat grahm crackers into 9x13 pan. Spread chips, nuts, coconut over crumbs. Pour evap milk evenly over the top. Bake 350 for 30 min

Please pray for me as I try to complete the 6th module.

Nettie 

More On soap!

Hi,

Wow! What a response  to soap making. Ill answer a few questions.

Yes, these soap recipies are for personal use ...Kirk and I are STILL using it....it lasts! LOL!

Yes, you can probably add any essential oil. I'm sure crushed herbs would be ok as well. I havn't made a 2nd recipee yet to try it. My "12 month Harvest" book says this: (This is the previouse section of the soap article in the book. It includes more info, another soap recipe.)

To make  homemade perfumed soap , spread 10 lbs of lard(Im sure you could use this for the simple recipee in previous blog) approximatly 1 inch thick on a baord. Place blossoms deep into the lard. Choose bright smelling blossoms for  the best effect and keep the board in a well sheletered area outside. Leave the blossoms in the Lard for 24 hrs and then remove for another 24 hrs.

For a pine needle ordor, boil  pine needles for in soft water for 5 min and let steep for another 10 miniutes. Strain and us this water in place of the  plain water needed in the soap recipee. ( From me-the possibilities are endless I bet)

Put 10 lbs of  lard in a kettle with 2 qrts of water(or pine scented water) and bring to boil. Cool overnight. Any dirt or meat particles will sink to the bottom and can be scraped off easily the next morning.

Mix 4 TBL  sugar ,2 TBL salt,6 TBL pwdered borax, and 1/2 C ammonia into 1 Cup of the pine or soft water. In an outside area mix 2 qrts of cold water(soft or pine secented) with 2 Cups of lye. Use a stainless steel or graniteware pan. Mix and let the mixture  cool to luke warm. Take the  sugar, borax,ammonia mixture and  pour into the cooled lye and water mix. Add the cool lard, slowly,stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir gently and completely untill thick and light in color.

Pour the thickening soap into a stainless stell or granite pan or wooden box lined with a dampened cloth. Leave untill hard and cut into portions. The longer you let it dry the longer the bar will last.

 Thats the end of the second half of the article.

Note-a freind said be sure to let lye soap sit  becasue it will netralize the lye. she said if it burns its not ready to use. I waited a week  or two and tried the bar.(I couldnt wait) I'm not sure how acurte this information is. I'm just passing it on.

I used the more simpler method from previous blog entry. But this part of the article shows how to infuse the scents.

****

Today I made my homemade laundrey recipe and  Ranch dressing mix.from my homemade buttermilk. You can find some of these recipees on the Living on the Dime link  to the right of your screen.

Gotta go. get ready for work.

Have a great weekend and thanks for the questions.

 Nettie

This ones for Amy Jo- A soap Recipee.

Amy Jo , Thanks for your interest in making soap. All of homesteaders like "stuff" like this. I found this gem of a book at a Goodwill ,years back. It is A book by Ortho Books..A guide to preserving Food for a "12 months Harvest". A Homesteaders delight indeed! Its filled with gardening tips,freezing,canning, making cheese, cider, soap, and grinfing grain..and more. 

Heres the recipee. "The easiest soap I know"

Mix 5 lbs  of fat(bacon grease is fine) (I used lard from the grocery store)

1 can lye(Red Devil)

6 Qrts cold water

3 TBL borax .....in an enamel pan. Leave  for 48 hr, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. After 48 hrs heat over a low fire(on top of the stove is fine) until melted. Pour into a shallow box or a heavy and shallow cardboard box lined with a wet cloth.(I used cheese cloth) I let  the edges of the cloth hang over the outside so its easier to pull  the soap out later.

When the  soap is hard , pull it out and cut it into bars using a knife or wire used as a saw.

The soap will last much longer if you store the bars for several weeks before using. I find that homemade   soap las so long I get tired of using the same old bar. It is white(mine turned more yellow with time) has a clean smell and nice to use. I often store it with sachet so it picks up a nice scent. You can also use homemade  for the laundrey. Shred it and dry the falkes in a dehydrator or in a warm place on a screen. It works best in soft water. I like wahing wool for spinning in this homemade soap.

  *I read lots of internet sites about homemade soap to get the general feel of it before I started.

*My husband made a shallow wooden box designated for soap.

*Get an enamel pan,measuring cups and spoons designated for soap. These can be bought at garage sales or goodwills. But make sure you inspect it well. Mine had a hole in it that wasnt visible to the naked eye and my  liquid was leaking all over the table outside.The lye will make it bigger. I would definatly do this outside with a spotter.  

*Lye-I had some fearfull  warnings about its use. so I had a healthy fear. Follow all instructions. Red Devil is the brand that can be used for soaps. It was in the  plumbing section  at Menards or Lowes. My friend said  remember  the lye is like snow falling on the water.  So,  in the order of  mixing ingredients. put the water in first  and then the lye. Dont ask me why, I just did as she said! Something about a dangerous reaction.

Have fun! I found it to be very rewarding.  Next time I I want to add some pine or other good smelling herbs.  

God Bless,

Nettie

Pancake Syrup Recipe

Easy pancake recipe.

1 Cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup Brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

Boil 3 miniutes add flavoring.

Remove from heat.

1/4-1/2 tsp butter flavoring,coconut flavoring

or 1/4-1/2 tsp maple flavoring.

or suit your self and experiment.

Syrup will thicken as cools.

Make your own buttermilk

Good Morning,

Recently I bought some buttermilk for a recipe. I almost ran out and remembered a recipe fromLaines Letters(look at my links-she has other recipies) where you can make your own buttermilk.

Buttermilk

1/4 C buttermilk.and 4 C milk to a mason Jar.

cover and shake ,then put on counter.

In about 24 hrs you will have Buttermilk.

*remember to save a little buttermilk from each batch for the next batch.

(it worked great!)

Life with Molly is so great.

She is such a blessing to me.

 She is now in the "jumper" stage. She is so happy to stand on her own feet and jump around in her jumperoo.

I've put her on the floor and she working on rolling over.

We have had georgous weather here.

there is a possible move for us in the near future. To a more rural area of Nebraska. I am sure I will be using my mixes and recipies for making soap alot more. As we will have to travel  to larger towns for certain shopping. I'm sad and excited all at the same time. will let you know more soon.

God is good, and able to take care of all our needs!

Nettie

Zuchinnie Marmelade Recipie

Hello,Hope this is finding you all well today.

Do ya have a lot of zuchinnie? Here is a great recipie I came accross.

ZUCHINNIE MARMELADE

6 C grated and peeled zuchinnie

1/2 C water

Boil this gently for 6 min

Drain well press out liquid through a colander

Add                                                                                                                                                                                      1 large can of crushed pineapple

6 C sugar

2 T lemon juice

Boil 6 min

add

2 sm boxes of jello(any flavor you like)

Boil 2 min.

Transfer to clean and hot jars. put a lid on. These will seal them selves. No water bath needed.

*note. I cleaned jars, microwaved them about 10 min then transferred  them sitting in a large fry pan with about an inch of water ,simmerring while recipee cooked.

*note I have dome orange,apricot,rasperry. all very good.

*note great on ice cream as well.

Enjoy...what a great Christmas present.

A recipee for you!

Hi All,

A couple weeks ago I was stirring around in my cupboards to find something and I ran accross a container  that had a ranch dressing mix in it. Its the powdered form you add the wet ingredients. My husband loves a salad at lunch so we have been going through the dressing. Not wanting to wate what I have I rustled  up a recipee. It was so good. Here it is.

Ranch Dressing Mix

Place 15 saltines in blender and process on high till powdered.

Add: 1 C dry minced parsley flakes

1/2 C Dry minced onion

2 T dry dill weed

Blend again till powdered  .  Dump in bowel. Stir in:

1/4 C onion salt

1/4 C Garlic salt

1/4 onion powder

Store in  container with tight fitting lid.

Yield 42 one Tablespoon servings.

To use:

Mix 1 T mix with 1 C buttermilk  and 1 C mayonaise

FYI 42 pkts=$1.79=$75.18

Enjoy

Nettie