9/14/04 EASY REGISTRATION, TIDBITS, STORM, GRANDMA'S APRON, BEANS
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for YOU with LOVE by Lois Breneman
COOKING WITH BEANS
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH A PRAYER REQUEST
in your hair gets on your pillow. If you can, minimize outdoor activity in the morning, when most pollen is released. -- UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, July 2003. pg. 8; http://www.wellnessletter.com
Getting Rid of Burning Hot Pepper Taste ~ When your mouth is on fire from too much hot pepper, you won't be able to quench it with water. The burning component, capsaicin, binds to your taste buds and other receptors in your mouth and doesn't dissolve in water. In stead, try milk or yogurt--or even better, ice cream. Casein, the principal protein in milk, helps remove the
capsaicin from your mouth. -- UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, July 2003. pg. 8; http://www.wellnessletter.com
Brief Christian Counseling from Focus on the Family ~ For a brief complimentary counseling session by trained counselors, Focus on the Family is available to help. Use the main switchboard number, which is (719) 531-3400 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mountain Time and ask for extension 7700. This will put callers in line for one of the counselors. After their complimentary help, the Focus counselors can refer callers to Christian counselors in their area for further assistance. - Thanks to Joyce Shelley, an employee at Focus, for her occasional research for Heart to Heart!
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of carpet.
Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says," because I love you best."
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade. It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mom. ~ Sent by Barb Campbell, Mississippi
Please pray for all those in the paths of the last three hurricanes, Charley, Frances and Ivan! Linda Stevenson was in Florida as Hurricane Charlie approached. She penned the words for this poem as a result.
BLESSINGS FROM THE STORM
By Linda J. Stevenson
The little eagle listened well;
He knew he must prepare.
To face the storm that soon would come,
He whispered a quick prayer.
His father said, "Be not afraid
To face storm winds that blow.
For with each frightful windy blast,
Much higher you will go."
"Surrender to the mighty wind,
Lift up your wings and soar.
Do not retreat; with courage seek
To rise where ne'er before."
The eaglet lifted high his wings
As wind commenced to blow.
His father said, "Now follow me
As upward we must go."
Diving into the raging wind,
He lifted high in flight;
Rising to new heights above,
He soon was out of sight.
Soaring into the heavens, he flew,
Strong wind beneath his wings,
He learned his Heavenly Father
Would use storms to bring blessings.
He learned when tribulation blows,
You'll soar on wings of grace.
God's love will lift you o'er the storm,
Each trial that you face.
With wings of faith you'll face each storm
With confidence and sing.
Uplifted high by winds of love,
New blessings God will bring.
" ...Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength." 1 Cor. 16:13
What happens when you pour boiling water over a tea bag in a cup? The clear water becomes tea. What happens as you leave that tea bag in the cup? A transformation takes place. The tea grows in strength. It looks different, it tastes different, it even smells different. It's called an infusion. Much the same way, we are transformed by the infusion of the Word of God in our lives. The more we steep ourselves in the Word of God, the stronger our faith becomes. The fragrant aroma of Christ arises in our lives causing a visible difference!
" For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ ( which exhales) unto God..." 2 Cor. 2:15a. - The Amplified Version
NOTE: It was cute, but it didn't work. Barbie stayed at Target. We'll visit her there.
The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.
Flash Cards ~ My sons have a hard time taking care of their flash cards. To keep them from getting torn, but still letting them play themselves, I bought one of those $1-$2 4x6 photo albums from Dollar General (can also find at Walmart) and put each card in a sleeve. -- Julia, 35, KY
Picky Eaters ~ I have a picky eater. One thing that helps is having him cut out pictures of food from ads to make his own shopping list. It helps us make it through the store and gets him excited about food. We also allow him to choose one new food to try when we go shopping as long as it's not junk food. -- Jenni, 34, from MN
Furniture ~ We can't afford new furniture, and with two toddlers it would be a waste of money even if we could, so I recovered my husband's favorite old recliner. Upholstery fabric was too spendy for our tight budget, so I bought $2/yard black textured vinyl with felt backing and got more than enough to cover the chair even with a handful of first-time errors. The best part is the vinyl is completely washable (wipes off easily with a sponge) and looks and feels like one of those expensive leather chairs. The real difference is that I don't have a heart attack when my two-year-old writes all over it with crayons or finds a way to rip holes in it... I can just recover again with a new color! -- Marie, 26, from ID Note from Lois: Sometimes the remnant table in the fabric department will have very nice inexpensive upholstery fabric, which would "breathe" more than vinyl for more comfort.
1 roll of Bounty paper towels
2 1/4 cups of water
2 Tbsp. Baby bath or Baby shampoo
1 Tbsp of Baby oil
Cut the roll of towels in half (an electric knife works well) and remove the cardboard center. Mix all liquid ingredients together, put towels in a container (an old wipes container or a round Rubbermaid container works well) and pour the liquid over top of the towels. When ready to use, pull the towels from the center. If the wipes ever dry out, add a little more water.
By Crystal Miller, 2004 ~ Used by permission
Beans are one of the main food staples of our home. I serve bean based meals to my family 2 to 3 times weekly. Beans are a very high quality, nutritious, budget friendly food for your family.
They are a good source of soluble fiber, the kind that helps lower cholesterol. Beans in general, are good sources of things like folate, potassium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. They are low in fat and when combined with grains or a little meat they amply supply your diet with its needed protein.
One of the main drawbacks that people complain about is that beans cause gas. If you are not used to beans in your diet, your body has more trouble digesting them. So the good news is that the more you eat beans, the easier it will be for your body to digest them and you will find that gas problems will greatly diminish. If you don't eat a lot of beans at all then I would suggest that you slowly start adding them to your regular menus. Begin by serving them once a week and then more often as time goes on. Basically you need to have them as part of your regular diet in order to build up natural good intestinal flora that enables you to digest them.
If you are new to cooking beans or have had less than satisfactory results in cooking beans, then here are a few tips to help. To begin with I never bother with soaking beans. I don't even do the fast soak, the one where you boil the beans for 2 minutes and then turn off heat, cover pan and let them sit for 1 hour. I simply put my beans in a large pot and cover with the appropriate amount of water, add salt and cook. I think that the soaking does help cut down the cooking time, but I have never found that the soaking helps with anything else. The other thing that I "always" do is add salt to my beans right at the beginning. I have read in many places that salt will prevent your beans from cooking. I have never experienced this. When I salt the beans ahead of time I find that the beans are very flavorful and the bean broth is delicious. Another important tip to remember when cooking beans is that foods high in acid such as tomatoes will cause your beans not to cook. Make sure high acid foods are added `after' the beans are cooked and soft.
1 cup dry beans, any variety
4 cups water
1 t. salt
Put all ingredients into a cooking pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to somewhere between medium and low. You want the boil to continue, just not too fast. Simmer beans for about 2 to 3 hours or until soft and completely cooked. Don't let the beans run out of water, so check them now and again and add more water if needed. This recipe may be multiplied many times depending on how many beans you need. You can freeze cooked beans in 2 cup portions to use in any recipe that calls for a can of beans. This is very handy to have on hand and much more inexpensive than buying canned beans.
Here is one of my family's favorite budget friendly bean meals.
Sloppy Joes
Crystal Miller
Serves 8 to 10
1 lb hamburger
4 to 5 cups cooked beans, we like to use black beans
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 ½ cups ketchup, fruit sweetened if possible
2T Worcestershire sauce
1 6oz. can tomato paste
¾ cup water
2 to 3T apple cider vinegar, according to taste
3T Sucanat or Brown Sugar
1t dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Brown hamburger with onions and green pepper. Add cooked beans. In a small bowl mix remaining ingredients. Add to hamburger bean mixture and simmer long enough to get everything hot and blend flavors. Serve on homemade whole wheat French Bread Rolls http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/frenchbreadsandwichrolls.html
About the Author:
Crystal Miller ( mailto:[email protected] ) is a mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and country living web site called The Family Homestead http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com and has a free monthly newsletter called Homestead Happenings. You will find sign up information on her website. <a href="http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com">AOL users click here</a>
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of mushrooms
Herbs and pepper to taste
Love from your "Heart to Heart" friend,
Lois
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