8/12/03 1500S FACTS, MARRIAGE POLL, DENIM, SCRIPTURE MEMORY
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
HEART TO HEART NEWSLETTER
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for YOU with LOVE by Lois Breneman
8/12/03 1500S FACTS, MARRIAGE POLL, DENIM, SCRIPTURE MEMORY
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CONTENTS:
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE 1500's
CHICKEN BREAST WITH ORANGE SAUCE
CANNED ICE CREAM
LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD ~ CNN POLL ON DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE
RECYCLING IDEAS FOR DENIM AND OTHER CLOTHING
NUTRITION APTITUDE TEST
TEACHING THE SEQUENCE OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
SCRIPTURE MEMORY
DO YOUR CHILDREN KNOW ?
CREATIVE AND FUN TEACHING METHODS
BABY CONGRATULATIONS TO FAMILY OF AMELIA DAWN COUPE!
ANSWERS TO NUTRITION APTITUDE TEST
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE 1500's
Author unknown ~ contributed by Elsie Wertz, Virginia
(If taking care of your family's needs as well as all of your homemaking responsibilities seem like drudgery to you, I'm sure you will count your blessings after reading this. Happy Homemaking, Ladies! - Lois)
Now, whoever said that history was boring! The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children-last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor."
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold."
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."
CHICKEN BREAST WITH ORANGE SAUCE
1-1/2 pound skinned, deboned chicken breasts (about 4 medium)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 tsp. unsaturated margarine
1 Tbsp. orange rind, grated
1 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1 orange, sliced
Wash and pat the chicken dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In an oven-proof skillet, brown the chicken in margarine. Add juice, grated rind, and tarragon. Cook uncovered in oven at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and cook sauce over high heat to reduce volume. Serve sauce over chicken and/or steamed rice. Garnish with orange slices. Serves 4.
Exchange for 3-ounce serving with 1/4 of sauce = 1 fruit and 3 meat.
For diabetic recipes, click here! http://cooksrecipes.com/category/diabetic.html
CANNED ICE CREAM ~ Fill a gallon size freezer bag half full of ice. Add 6 Tbsp. of rock salt. Using a pint size freezer bag, add the following ingredients: 1 cup Half and Half (or milk), 2 Tbsp. sugar (or less), and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Seal the pint size bag and put into the gallon bag. Seal the gallon bag, releasing as much air as possible before stuffing into a 2 pound coffee can. Put the lid on the coffee can. Now comes the fun part! Rapidly roll the coffee can back and forth for about 10 minutes! Creative fun for a date, youth groups, camp, families or just kids! Have fun!
LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD ~ CNN OPINION POLL ON THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE
This is a combination of contributions from Laurie Moody (NC), Bernie Teague (MO), Margie DeMonbrun MO), Barb Campbell (MS)
A CNN poll asks, "Should marriage be legally defined as only a union between a man and a woman?" At this writing, an appalling NO is winning!
With the president's bold stand recently, I think this would be a good and easy way to show our support, not only for him, but also for the Biblical view of marriage. Obviously this vote isn't scientific, nor will it strongly influence the laws in and of itself. But CNN has far reaching hands and many who may be on the fence about this issue are going to see this poll.
We are sitting back and enjoying life while surveys are being taken, proving that we don't really care whether we want marriage to mean a man and a woman or of the "same sex." Laws are being enacted and we don't seem to care a whole lot what they decide.
July 30, 2003 President Bush said society should "respect each individual," but he said he would not compromise on his position that the only legitimate marriages were those between men and women.
Last week this CNN Poll on marriage showed we're losing 2-1 on the Christian meaning of marriage. On August 11, it was 49 to 51%, with President Bush's and the Bible's view losing. Please go to the site below and VOTE! CNN is trying to prove the President wrong on his anti-gay-marriage stand, and we are losing. Forward it on to your friends. This poll will be used by CNN to show how "out of date" they think the President is.
This CNN Poll asks: Should marriage be legally defined as only a union between a man and a woman? http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/07/30/bush.gay.marriage/index.html Please have each family member vote. If you don't get throught the first time, try again later.
RECYCLING IDEAS FOR DENIM AND OTHER CLOTHING
By Lois Breneman
Denim Quilt ~ I've been saving old denim jeans or parts of them for years. Many of my scraps are from turning worn jeans into shorts for the three men in my family over the years. There was a motive, however, for saving those different shades of blue denim. It is on my "Round To It" List! I have plans to make a denim quilt with those scraps - when I can find the time - when I get "around to it," you know. We all have lists like that, at least in our minds, if not on paper. If I make this denim quilt for a boy, I'd like to find some printed denim that a boy would like, to use squares of that print throughout the quilt, along with the solids. If this quilt is made for a girl, I already have two beautiful denim florals from which to choose. I may already have a pile of denim for every grandchild I'll ever have!
Before cutting, decide on a quilt pattern. Use only the sections of the fabric that aren't worn out, of course. If sewing a patchwork denim quilt, cut the fabric into squares of 3,4,5 or 6 inches - whatever you choose. You may want to lay out the squares to see how it will turn out before sewing them together.
If you want to make a "rag" quilt, sew it so the seams are on the outside, rather than on the inside. The exposed seams of your quilt will automatically fray after being washed and dried in the dryer. If the seams are on the inside, do not wash the quilt until it is finished, since you do not want them to fray.
Patchwork Pillows ~ Using various shades and prints of denim, sew a patchwork pillow or make one in a crazy quilt design.
Pencil People ~ Children will enjoy getting their pencils ready to take to school by doing this craft. Look through your family's supply of gloves for the ones without partners, or check out a thrift store for inexpensive gloves. Cut off about one inch of the fingertips. You will slip a glove fingertip over the eraser of a new pencil for school when finished. First decorate by gluing on a pair of googly eyes, a bead for a nose, acrylic paint for a mouth, blush for rosy cheeks and felt for a hat - maybe with a tiny pom pom on top. Let your imagination run wild with this craft. Make animals too.
NUTRITION APTITUDE TEST
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2003, http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/wlTOC.html
(Answers given at the end of this newsletter)
1. Milk is a great source of calcium. Which of these are also good sources?
(a) broccoli, (b) almonds, (c) sardines with bones, (d) collards, or (e) dried figs.
2. Which of the following actually get a nutritional boost when cooked or canned?
(a) corn, tomatoes, and carrots, (b) broccoli, onions, and green beans, or (c) lima beans and kale.
3. True or false: Sweet potatoes are no higher in calories than white ones.
4. Ounce for ounce, which of these has three times as much vitamin C as oranges?
(a) sweet potatoes, (b) green peppers, or (c) spinach.
5. True or false: Seven-grain and other multi-grain breads are a better choice than plain whole-wheat bread.
6. True or false: Honey is more nutritious than white sugar.
TEACHING THE SEQUENCE OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
By Virginia Knowles, http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/cse.html
(Virginia's note: This idea comes from my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Education for Preschool to 5th Grade. You can also use this method to teach other sequenced fact sets such as months of the year, Spanish word numbers, etc.)
Teach the sequence of the books of the Bible. This will help your child look up specific references. Wee Sing Bible Songs has tunes to teach Old Testament and New Testament books. I also made a set of what I call flip sticks. I took large wooden craft sticks (they look like tongue depressors), and using a permanent marker, I wrote the name of one book on each stick. On the opposite side, I wrote a sequence number at the left-hand edge (1 for Genesis, 2 for Exodus, etc.) To play, have the child put the sticks in order, lining them up like a ladder. To check the answer, flip them all over, and the numbers should be in order. (Make sure that you write the numbers so that they will be right side up when you flip them!)
SCRIPTURE MEMORY
By Janette Lilley, Editor of Homefires Hearth, http://aamazinggrace.org/sys-tmpl/donate/
Before our MOMS group broke for the summer, one of the Titus 2 ladies shared this with us:
Time: Short period each day (about 5 minutes)
Needs: 3X5 cards and your Bible
Choose a verse and write it on a card with the reference
Say verse out loud:
25 times 1st day
20 times 2nd day
15 times 3rd day
10 times 4th day
Continue saying verse one time each day for 45 days!
(Mark off on card with a mark every day you say it once)
Once a week (you decide which day) say only verses you have said 45 days.
Review once a month.
Start a new verse- one verse a week = 52 verses in a year!
More Scripture Memorization Tips from Three Readers of Homefires Hearth:
My daughter participates in Bible quizzing, learning close to 300 verses a year. She has verses on flashcards and reviews them about 5 times, then goes over them every day to commit them to memory. I found a booklet on scripture memory authored by Mark Water, published by Hendrickson Publishers, entitled, Scripture Memory Made Easy. Ask your local Christian Bookstore to order it for you if they don't have it in stock. God bless you in your memory building. ~ Cookie in Texas
I use music to memorize scripture. A lot of Christian music out there is actually God's word put to music. Another method I use is to make up my own little ditties (with the help of the LORD of course!) I have been able to recall a lot of scripture this way. For some reason I find it easier to remember a scripture put to music. You can also memorize one scripture a week by writing it on a card and 6 or 8 times a day for a week, read and practice reciting that scripture. Make sure you review the last 4 weeks of scripture once a month. By the end of one year, you will have memorized 52 new scriptures! Hope this helps you. May God bless you with a memory for his wonderful word. ~ A sister in Jesus Christ, Rona AZ
To memorize scripture write it out and put it several places where you will see it. Read it over five or six times. Include the reference where it is found as part of your memorization. Once you can repeat it without looking at the words, just keep saying it while you are doing other things. You will need to repeat it each day as you add new scriptures, keep saying the other ones that you have memorized. I learned a complete chapter in Psalms using this method. I have also worked with young people who were in Bible Quizzing and children as young as 10 have learned over 200 scriptures in about 5 months. Don't give up - just keep repeating it, especially as you lay down to go to sleep. ~ Donna in Ohio
DO YOUR CHILDREN KNOW...?
KneEmail http://www.oakhillcoc.org
One day, a father took his two elementary school-age children for a ride in a pontoon boat They were traveling down the river when suddenly the motor stopped. When the father looked behind him, he noticed something familiar about the red sweater tangled up in the propeller. Then his young son yelled, "Sherry fell in!" In horror, the father saw his little girl entwined in the propeller of the boat. She was submerged just beneath the surface of the water, looking straight into the eyes of her father and holding her breath. He jumped into the water and tried to pull the motor up, but the heavy engine wouldn't budge. Time was running out. Desperately, the father filled his own lungs with air and dipped below the surface, blowing air into his daughter's lungs.
After giving her air three times, the father took a filet knife from his shocked son's hand. He quickly cut the red sweater from the propeller and lifted his daughter into the boat. Although she had survived, her deep cuts and bruises need medical attention, so they rushed her to the hospital.
When the crisis was over, the doctors and nurses asked the girl, "How come you didn't panic?" "Well, we've grown up on the river, and my dad always taught us that if you panic, you die. Besides, I knew my daddy would come and get me."
THOUGHT: Do your children know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would come and get them if they were in trouble...not matter what? [John Croyle.]
Some fun stuff that is really working for us.
- For PE I bought them a good CD player to use while jogging. They thought that was the coolest.
- For history we read and discuss then they act it out. Doing drama really helps them get it and remember it. Much better than taking a test. We are using the history songs and singing them each day and I made copies of them so we can use it for a timeline.
- Writing projects: A) a book on the fruits of the Spirit. We are spending 2 days a week for two weeks on each fruit. B) a newsletter for our family who live in Minnesota using the digital camera I bought them. Last year they did a weekly newspaper for our co-op using it.
- For current events they read some good articles and at dinner orally tell us about them. They do two nationally and one internationally.
- We are using the book "Playpen to Podium" and using the last 15 minutes of our day practicing communication skills. I made a poster that says, "Benefits of communication training" and posted all over it --- intelligence, reading and writing improve, thinking skills improve, success in life, leadership skills improve, social relations improve.
- For vocabulary I bought the most wonderful books at Books A Million called Word Ssmart and Vocabulary Cartoons. The cartoon one is wonderful! But they are both good. I just assign them 20 words a week and as part of their reading time they read and study them. Then on Friday they do a quiz, which is already in the book. So simple and so GOOD!
- I'm reading poetry to them at lunch.
- For science I have a wonderful book called "Creative Sciencing." I just assign them different ones to do and then we check it all when they're done. It covers all different parts of science and is so easy to use.
- For Bible study the kids are learning how to share their faith and I bought the most wonderful tool called "Giving an Account of the Hope that is in You Workbook." It is incredible. A home school dad put it together and it covers EVERYTHING! We are taking one day a week to go to a nursing home to get practice with their communication skills and sharing their faith.
CONGRATULATIONS TO AMELIA DAWN COUPES PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS!
Welcome to Amelia Dawn, the daughter of Jamie and April Coupe and the granddaughter of Bill and Becky Coupe, all of North Carolina. Amelia joined her family, including her big brother, Ryan, on August 7, 2003.
ANSWERS TO NUTRITION APTITUDE TEST (ABOVE)
1. all; 2. a; 3. true; 4. b; 5. false; 6. false.
God bless each one of you this week as you strive to honor the Lord each day!
Your Heart to Heart friend,
Lois
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