The Incredible-is-it Edible Egg?

I love this, and have to repeat it every time i reach for those powerful bursts of protein in those fragile little shells:

(a great rule of thumb when determining freshness of eggs), thanks to my friend David!

If not sure you ought-ter,
then place it in water.
If it lies on its side,
then it's fresh; eat with pride.

After three or four days,
at an angle it lays.
But, it still is a treat,
so go on and eat.

Ten days, stands on end,
in your baking 'twill blend.
'Cause it's definitely edible,
in your baking, incredible.

But, if it floats on the surface,
that egg serves no purpose.
'Cause a floater's a stinker!
Out the back door best fling 'er!

Preparing Our Children

For children ages 5 years or younger, watch for such behaviors as: crying more frequently than usual, clinging, having nightmares, showing excessive fear of the dark, fear of animals, fear of being alone, changing appetites, speaking with difficulty, or returning to outgrown behaviors such as bed-wetting or thumb-sucking.

Children ages 5 to 11 years old may exhibit increased irritability, aggression, and competing with their siblings for parental attention, or show anxiety through whining, withdrawal from their peers, and loss of interest in normal activities. Those 11 to 18 years old may show signs of rebellion, physical problems, apathy, or sleep disturbance.

The manifestations of anxiety often result from the losses, disruption to family life, and a sense of a hostile world created by a natural disaster. The following are tips for helping children deal with disaster.

• Spend some time each day giving each child your undivided attention, even if just for a few minutes. Share experiences, reaffirm your love, make plans together, and just "be there" for each other.
  
• Encourage them to talk. Encourage children to describe what they are feeling. Let them talk about the disaster and ask as many questions as they like. Listen to what they say. Assure them that the disaster was an act of nature and not caused by them. Include the entire family in the discussion, if possible.
  
• Understand their fears. It is important that parents accept anxieties as being very real to children. Help them cope by getting them to understand what causes their anxieties and fears. Recognize their losses, such as their pets, favorite toys and other personal items. Reassure them with firmness and love that everything will be all right. Through your persistence, children will realize life will eventually return to normal. If a child does not respond to the above suggestions, seek help for them from a mental health professional.
  
• Inform children. Every effort should be made to keep children informed about what is happening. Explanations should be in simple language. With children 5 years and older, rehearse safety measures for use in case of future disasters.
  
• Reassure them. Parents can help reassure children by telling them they are safe, holding and hugging them frequently, restoring normal routines, providing play experiences for them, and making bedtime a special moment of calm and comfort.
  
• Encourage activities with their peers. As with adults, social time with friends is a very important part of the recovery process.
  
• Temporarily lower expectations for them. Allow for the fact that stress from the disaster can show itself in many ways over a period of time, and make appropriate allowances.
  

AND THE WINNER IS...............

So sorry for the delay in posting the winner, got called in to work and then the celebratory festivities were in full force, but today is the first day of a new year......
so here is the winning 'RESOLUTION CHALLENGE POST':


 Replace my inefficient fireplace with a suitable woodstove that will create a usable cooking surface.   
as posted by 'unknown' on Dec 21, 2011!


To claim your prize, send me an address to where you'd like your prize to be sent.  You can post it here under the comments page and it will appear in my email.  It will not show here on the blog at all!


CONGRATULATIONS!!!, AND CHALLENGE ON MY FRIEND!

I will not be able to replace my inefficient stove with a woodstove suitable for cooking, for I do not have a woodstove to begin with.  I can however, install a wood burning stove with a cooking surface, or something of the like that will actually fit into my home.  HHMmmmm, will have to do some researching...........bring it on!!!  Truly a challenge!


I will post monthly updates on my progress here, i hope you will share as well!


Happy New Year to all!  And thank you all who sent it your resolutions!  Best of luck to you and all you endeavor to do!

FINAL DRAWING.........

FINAL DRAWING TO BE HELD DECEMBER 31, 2011. I WILL POST THE WINNING RESOLUTION ABOUT MID DAY, SO WE CAN GO GREAT GUNS ON THE VERY 1ST OF JANUARY!!!

CHALLENGE ME TO YOUR RESOLUTION AND BE A WINNER!

 I've never really participated in the proverbial 'New Years Resolution' concept.  For me every day, every week, every month, each year has constant goals.  I'm a list kinda girl. Each night I make a list of the things, the goals, for the following day.  I strategize on how to accomplish each thing around my work schedule. I'm a fanatic about time management.  I almost never make a trip out to accomplish or pick up 'just one thing'!, No way, ain't gonna happen.  If  I'm passing through on my way to or from work, maybe, but rarely.
I make a list of people to call, usually "Bill", we all call 'Bill' from time to time, don't we? Anyway, along with the list of people to call, I jot down the things that have to be done that day! Yes, I know....fanatic! Imagine my joy when life throws me a curve ball, or a kid lets me know at the last minute they need something! Yes, over-organized. It's getting better with time though, the older I get the less I remember to write on my list!

So New Years Resolutions?  I just want what everybody else wants, health and happiness.

What are some of your resolutions?  Maybe I'm missing the whole concept here.  SO I OFFER TO YOU......

THE RESOLUTION CHALLENGE!

Please share your resolutions. And to make it 'a challenge' I will pick one resolution from all those posted on my blog, and I will 'challenge' the postee. The postee will receive a special gift from me just for being chosen! I will post the resolution chosen on my blog and you can follow my progress with regular updates of postings and pictures.  When I accomplish your goal, you will receive a second gift from me!  The postee resolution will be drawn from a hat by my 6 year old!  (Oh Lord, save me!) Be kind, remember you have to also want to accomplish this goal and we would enjoy seeing pix/reading posts of your progress too!   I would love to say there are no limits, but I have to say, though I do enjoy eating, I WILL NOT EAT LIVE THINGS OR SLIMY THINGS! Plus the resolution has to be safe and legal! Most everything else is a go!  SO GAME ON FRIENDS, LET'S GET POSTING!!! LET'S GET RESOLUTING!

Survival Bracelets.............the process

So great to see an old friend......WOW, where does the time go?

This one is just for you Jess..... the process, as promised!

How to Make a Survival Bracelet

In an emergency, you can use paracord for lashings, tourniquets, shoelaces, snares, tying splints, or, if you tease out the threads, even fishing lines and sewing threads. This bracelet lets you carry a useful amount at all times.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED: scissors, a lighter, a tape measure, and 10 feet of 550 paracord.


Cut a two-foot of cord, melt the ends, and fold it in half. Wrap the doubled-up cord around your wrist. Pull the tag ends through the loop. Tie an overhand knot with the ends. Adjust the knot so you can slip a finger between the cord and your wrist. Lay the remaining eight feet of cord in front of you horizontally. Note: In the rest of the photos, this cord is red, not brown. Now place the base cord, with the loop at the top, over the middle of the eight-foot cord, forming a T.

Make a cobra knot. To start, take the cord on the right and bring it over the top of the basecord to form a Z.


Take the left cord and thread it down through the loop on the left side of the base cord. Go under the base cord and up inside the loop on the right. Pull tight.
Make sure the overhand knot will fit through the small loop at the top of the base cord. Next, starting on the left, reverse the process. Begin by, this time, making an S.

To finish reversing the step, bring the right cord down through the loop right of the base cord. Go under the base cord and up inside the loop on the left. Pull tight.

You've now completed the first cobra knot. Continue making cobra knots until you are about one-quarter of an inch from the stopper knot.
Check the fit on your wrist by pushing the stopper knot through the loop at the apex. You can adjust the fit by moving the knot up or down. The bracelet should fit snugly without being too tight. When you're done, trim the tag ends and melt them.

To wear, push the stopper knot through the loop to hold the bracelet securely on your wrist. If desired, you can also add wooden toggles, buttons, buckles, and other fastening methods. To use the cord, simply unweave the bracelet.

Twas the Night before a Preparedness CHRISTmas

This has long been an annual fave!  The author is unknown, but near and dear to my heart..............

Twas the month before Christmas

And all through the house

The storage was low

Hardly a crumb for a mouse.

The shelves were about empty,

Oh, what a plight!

The wolf’s at the door,

And no money in sight.

All the children were nestled

To keep warm in their bed,

Hoping that before long

They surely would be fed.

The prophet had counseled

“Each one be prepared,”

We had procrastinated the day,

Why hadn’t we cared?

ALAS! “Twas only a dream”,

But that didn’t matter

I jumped from my bed

Making a loud awful clatter.

Away to the basement

I flew like a flash,

Stumbling over boxes and bottles,

Along with some trash.

As I surveyed my storage,

With eyes all aglow

The security of filled bottles

All straight in a row

Filled my heart with a warmth

And my eyes with a tear

To think I had food

to last us a year.

This feeling of warmth

And security too,

Is what we as your friends

Wish for you.

So put gifts of storage

Under each Christmas tree

For those on your list,

Is our warmest plea,

Give honey, give sugar,

Give flour or wheat.

Give milk, give salt,

Give something to eat.

And you’ll hear them exclaim,

When Christmas is here,

“Thank-you so much,

It will be a good year.”

SURVIVAL BRACELETS!

This is something that a friend of mine shared with me!  After you order/buy your para-cord, learning how to tie these bad boys is a cinch!   Thanks Sherry!
Ok, just 14 feet of para-cord, and it holds up to 550#!!!  I love that! Truly remarkable, light weight and after the cord is tied, they're so 'fashionable', even kids love wearing them!  They're great stocking stuffers too!  Para-cord comes in a super variety of colors, and you can add charms to them depicting your favorite sports teams and/or hobbies. These bracelets can be used to save lives, move large objects, pull heavy loads and lasso a small wild animal! Well, I wouldn't recommend the latter. You can get the para-cord and bracelet buckles very cheap! If you are web savvy, you can even order the materials and make bracelets for less than $3. each.  They sell for $8-12 online!

Check these out!
Just google 'survival bracelets' to learn how to tie some for yourself!  Great project for even the kidlets! And you get peace of mind and assurance that you've help to move the self-reliance concept in those you love!

IT'S WHATS FOR DINNER!

 SAUSAGE STUFFED APPLES!

  Ingredients:

 8 apples, cored and halved into the top and bottom

 1 lb pork sausage

  2 tbs ground sage

 ½ cup maple syrup (approximately, to taste)

 1 cup chopped walnuts

 Olive oil

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place apples cut-side-up in a greased baking pan.
• In separate bowl, mix the sausage, sage, maple syrup, and walnuts. 
• Stuff the apples with the mixture.
• Drizzle olive oil on top.

 Bake for approximately 45 minutes. 

SO FALL- HARVEST GOOD!

LEFT IN THE DARK

Seriously, I've been left in the dark with all the things old jars are good for.  Clearly I underestimated the splendor of all those old jars.
Festive or holiday 'jar' stemware?!?!?!?!
 
 "jar" soap dispensers and chandeliers!?!?!?!

  I am so inspired now, so intrigued and well, my glee is just all 'jarred'up!  So glad this is the start of the holiday season. This year, it's jar madness!, a little bit of Christmas cheer in a jar for everyone!