Peace in the Storm and Preservation of Freedom

Hello all.

It's been quite a while. It's felt strange to not be writing.

My mind has been in a bit of a strange place, too. So much has happened, and yet I've had trouble thinking of something to write about.

Because of the foot surgery there has been no baking days to post. Because of the foot surgery there haven't been any adventures in laundry, either. No big changes on the preparedness or food storage front. No big challenges, no big changes, no big happenings at all. Just the quiet, simple adventures of daily living.

Because of where I live and the preparations we've made, I feel quite insulated from the world. All is quiet here.

At the same time the world is in a frenzy and the "voice of warning" is moving me to action.

Our country is being kidnapped and taken to the land of socialism. Our rights are being threatened. At least half (at current count) of the states in the union have passed bills asserting their state sovereignty under the ninth and tenth amendments. People are losing their jobs, stores are closing, deflation in some markets is rampant and in other markets we are seeing inflation.

So how is it that the world can be in a frenzy yet I can be grounded and calm? How is it that a person can feel the "voice of warning" and yet not have fear?

Imagine a rock in the middle of the ocean during a hurricane. The rock is in the eye of the storm. The storm is the world and the rock is the "preparation of the gospel of peace". I stand on my rock which is my Savior, Jesus Christ. I have been instructed to be temporally and spiritually prepared and have done my best to do both. The Atonement will make up the rest.

Therefore, I need not feel the storm. Therefore, I can feel peace.

However, there are people caught in the storm. There are other people on the rock who may get caught up in the storm. Shall I then start to fear the storm, be paralyzed against action, and then get swallowed up by the storm myself? No. I will listen to the "voice of warning" that moves me to action. It is the "Voice of Warning" that comes from my Father.

Joseph of Egypt heard that "Voice of Warning" in the Pharoh's dream and was moved to action. Our Founding Fathers heard that "Voice of Warning" in the actions of the King and were moved to action.

I hear that "Voice of Warning" as I read the news and watch what is going on in the world. What can I do? What shall I do?

This week we had our first "Current Events" group. It may sound benign but it is powerful. We do not simply talk about the news. We prepare for action. Calling our representatives. Writing letters. Collecting signatures for petitions. Making our voices heard. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

What is done to "prepare for action"? How does one "prepare for the worst and hope for the best"?

I will educate myself. It has been years since I have read the constitution. I am reading it again. I am learning about the real history of our country, not the pablum I was fed in government-run schools. I will continue to read and I will teach my daughter what I learn. She will grow up with an intimate knowledge of the constitution.

I am preparing myself temporally. Storing food used to be "normal". It was considered nonsensical to not store up for the winter. When did we lose that value?

"Stocking up" is not "hoarding". It is wisdom. It is a hedge against inflation. If you are stocked up you are free to shop the specials and sales. You will never have to pay full price for anything. You will also be prepared in the case of a job loss. You will also be in a position to help others when they need it.

I am preparing for emergencies and natural disasters. If I am prepared I shall not fear. I already know what we will do and where we will go if something happens. I no longer have to worry about it.

I am preparing myself spiritually. As I better my relationships with God and Christ I have more peace. I have more courage to speak my mind. I care less what other people think and more about what my Father in Heaven thinks.

The yoke of the world is heavy indeed. It weighs us down and keeps us from moving forward. The yoke is not there so we can pull a wagon or plow a field. It is there only to keep us bound and ensnared. It is a yoke thrust upon us by pressure and force.

Matthew 11:
28 ¶ ^aCome unto me, all ye that ^blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.

29 Take my ^ayoke upon you, and ^blearn of me; for I am ^cmeek and ^dlowly in ^eheart: and ye shall find ^frest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is ^aeasy, and my burden is light.

Christ's yoke is for those who are already heavy laden. He invites us to take his yoke upon us. It is a choice.

In order to take on one yoke, one must take off the other. He will help us take it off.

His yoke is easy. It is light. We will find rest. For He is meek. He is "lowly in heart" - in other words, He is humble.

His yoke is worn to help us move forward in life. His yoke does not weigh us down but buoys us up. His yoke guides us on a journey. It is a joyful journey - a constant discovery of His Wonders.

The longer I choose to wear His yoke, the more aware I am of His mercy and grace, and the more happily humble I choose to become.

And what about meekness? The word "meek" makes me think "squeak" which of course makes me think of a mouse which makes me think "timid".

Was Christ timid? I cannot imagine it. To stand up to the political and social forces of his day took great courage. So what does "meek" really mean?

One of my favorite authors, Bruce R. McConkie, said this:

"Few virtues have such inherent worth as meekness, for the meek are the godfearing and the righteous. They are the ones who willingly conform to the gospel standards, thus submitting their wills to the will of the Lord. They are not the fearful, the spiritless, the timid. Rather, the most forceful, dynamic personality who ever lived - He who drove the money changers from the temple, and with violence threw down their merchandising equipment (Matt. 21:12-13 KJV) - said of Himself, "I am meek and lowly in heart." (Matt 11:29). "

I shall put on His yoke and I will be meek. I will submit my will to the Father. I will use my dynamic personality for Him as He would have me use it.

And what of the money changers on the steps of the temple of our Constitution? If called to do so I shall throw them down with violence.

Until then, I prepare for whatever action my Father asks me to take. I pray it may always be peaceful.

May there never be a need to defend our God-given rights with violence.

Home School and Public School – My Perspective (by request – long post)

A friend of mine sent me an email asking me all sorts of questions about home schooling vs. public schooling, what works for us, etc. Here's pretty much what I sent her. Well, OK... I did add some stuff to this post that wasn't in her email.

One more thing: please don't take this post personally if you love public school and find that it's right for you and for your family. This is my perspective.

Dear Friend,

I have LOVED home schooling! Neither Charlotte nor I fully appreciated it until this year while going through the public school thing.

Charlotte's current school is excellent. It's a Department of Defense school here on base. Her teacher is wonderful and the curriculum is challenging. Bullying and teasing are not allowed in the classrooms she's in. There's plenty of help for her dyslexia as well as speech therapy and an IEP.

Presuming a good school, teachers, etc., here are my pros and cons of public school:

Pros:

* Time to myself for six hours a day.

* Extra services at the school.

Cons:

* Time to myself for six hours a day. It does actually get old after a while.

* Charlotte's not here to help with house chores. (That's why I had a kid, after all.)

* Isolation (Home school groups are a great source of friends for Mom, too!)

* BEING A SLAVE TO "THE MAN". I HATE having some government entity telling me what time we have to get up, what time we have to leave, what constitutes "sick", when I can and cannot take vacation, when my child does and does not learn, what my child does or does not learn, and who they have to associate with. The school system has also taken away my afternoons due to Charlotte's homework. Because Charlotte also needs lots of sleep, the government is forcing a different bedtime than we would normally choose as well.

Pros and Cons for Home Schooling:

Pros:

*FREEDOM! We can adjust our family schedule to whatever fits us. If hubby has to work "swing" shift, we can adjust our schedules to match. Cousins on vacation from school? On to NC we go for a visit. If Charlotte's not feeling well she can still get her school work done as well as get some rest.

* Curriculum. I get to choose what my child learns and what style of teaching she gets.

* Time with family.

* Control over who she associates with. I've had many comments about how Charlotte must never have gotten any socialization as a home schooler but the same person will turn around and tell me how "well adjusted" Charlotte is. As a home schooling family your child(ren) will associate with children and adults of all ages, races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. Bully at the play group? Find another playgroup.

* The Scriptures count as text books.

* Learning can stay fun and interesting rather than a chore.

* You get to experience adventures with your kids and learn stuff with them. I'm already learning tons from Charlotte's new history books!

Cons:

* Freedom = Responsibility. I have to choose the curriculum, take attendance, follow the applicable laws, get something done every day, and sometimes I have to play the "meanie" when it comes to getting homework done.

* Hard Work

* Don't get tons of time to myself.

* You will get NO accolades from the world. No matter how well your children "perform", no matter how smart they are, or how many accomplishments they acquire, you will be considered a "failure" because you did not send them off for someone else to teach. If you choose to home school, be ready for opposition. There is opposition in all things - especially against the good things. Be ready for this.

You must have enough "spiritual confidence" to be satisfied with whatever it is your children can accomplish in a given day. Sometimes that will be a lot academically, and sometimes it will be a triumph just to get them to not drown the neighbor's cat in your toilet. If you don't have that "spiritual confidence" yet - that confidence that comes as a gift of the spirit - it's time to get it.

As far as "scarring my child for life", I'm going to do that anyway. I may as well have fun while doing it.

Who is to say that public schooling is "normal"?

What will scar my child more...

having a bad day at home, or having a bad day at school?

having your mom grump at you because you're griping about doing your schoolwork, or having your mom grump at you because you're griping about doing your homework?

having to leave a play group because there's a mean nasty kid there, or having to face that mean nasty kid every day of the school year and have no way to defend myself?

Q: What about all the friends she's missing at school?

A: What about all the home schooling friends she misses out on because she's at public school?

Q: Shouldn't kids have to face challenges?

A: Would you ride a motorcycle without a helmet? Take a test without studying? Go bungee jumping without a cord? A child must be prepared to "face challenges".

Q: You can't protect or insulate them forever. It's good for them to have to face mean teachers and bullies.

A: Really? Would you put up with a co-worker beating you up? How about a boss that belittles you? What about a co-worker that snaps your bra or puts gum in your hair or destroys your presentation? If we wouldn't put up with it as adults, why should we expect our children to put up with it? Why should we teach our children that their self esteem should be dependent upon how much or what type of attention they get from strangers?

Please don't let all that talk before about "opposition" discourage you. The rewards are tremendous.

Charlotte has a vocabulary that can put many high-schoolers to shame (and she's a dyslexic-autistic-spectrum 9 year old). Charlotte still loves to learn. I have a wonderful relationship with her - she's a friend as well as a daughter. So far I have not run into any "parents just don't understand" attitude. No "us against them" mentality. Sure the occasional “Why should I have to do that?” attitude, but much more so while she's been in public school than home schooled.

You also asked about curriculum. I'm quite happy to share with you what works for us. The key is to read reviews, talk to people, look at and handle as much home schooling stuff as possible, and read "How They Learn". Then think on each one of your children and pray about them. What should you teach them? What will work best for them?

Basically if you have pencils, paper, a really good dictionary, some imagination, a good attitude, and the scriptures, you can home school. The main key is to have a prayerful attitude, invite the Holy Spirit into your school day with your kids, and then just have fun with them.

If they're doing worksheets, study something for yourself. There must be something out there in the world you'd like to learn more about. Sit at the kitchen table with them. If you're cooking, include them as much as possible. It may be that they're only able to put the forks on the table for you, but they are learning. If you're involved with what they do, and show interest in it yourself, they will, too.

Too often I get into the "get things done" mode and my child and her education are just one more thing to do. Life is much simpler and much more pleasant when we do things together. Even when she was barely walking - when I included her our life was much better. (If I was cleaning a room she "helped" - even if she wasn't actually helping - at least I knew where she was and what she was doing.) Even now - if I'm doing laundry I include her. Same with baking day (she likes that one), hanging clothes on the line, dusting, etc. As long as we're doing it together she's happy to go along for the ride.

Again, prayer and following Heavenly Father in what you teach them is exceptionally important. If Heavenly Father tells you that this year your child(ren) should be taught Reading, Math, and Spelling, do not try to include history or writing as "subjects". TEACH Reading, Math, and Spelling. Everything beyond that would be superfluous. That's not to say they won't learn things. You can watch videos, go to museums, read books together.... just don't try to have them as "set subjects". It will backfire on you. So will teaching less than Heavenly Father directs.

So here's what's on our plates for this upcoming year. (Starting in June... we home school year round.)

We'll spend about 30 minutes on each subject unless we're just having a blast and wanna keep going.

Religion: Preach My Gospel ($4) and the scriptures - FREE online.

English: Rod and Staff - I love Rod and Staff! Built by the Amish = Built to Last. Timeless, simple, no-frills, affordable. $50 or less per set per grade.

Math: Rod and Staff. We're doing some review to make sure the public school didn't miss anything that Rod and Staff covers for her grade level. While the going is "easy", she'll do 3 worksheets (front and back) per day. That's about the same amount she brings home from school every day for regular home work so she's excited. Normal dose is 1 worksheet (front and back) per day. $50 for the set per grade.

Reading: McGuffey readers. Project Gutenberg. Do an author search for McGuffey. The version I found was from 1912 or somewhere near that. It's timeless, it works (the only thing I found that helped Charlotte's dyslexia), it's tested, it teaches good values, it treats children as intelligent beings, and it's FREE.

Spelling: McGuffey for now. (Also at Project Gutenberg.) I may switch over to Rod and Staff as it relies less on wrote memorization and gets into word etymology - Charlotte likes that type of stuff. FREE.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary Cartoons. About $16 per book. Three books in the series.

History: "The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child" - Volumes 1 - 4. $12 - $17 per book depending on whether you get hardcover or paperback. Activity books and test books can also be purchased. My goal is to help Charlotte get a good general sense of history - then we'll delve into revolutionary history, the constitution, and the restoration of the gospel.

Science: Netflix. Charlotte LOVES documentaries and science shows. There's a Nova series on physics (string theory) that she really likes. About $20 per month (including taxes) to have 4 discs out at a time and all the online viewing we can stand. We get Netflix instead of cable or satellite.

Other resources we use:

English Grammar 101 - FREE

Library - My tax dollars at work

Dictionary.Com - FREE for basic service, $10 per year for a subscription

"Blackline Maps of World History" with CD - $30

Project Gutenberg – FREE

As we get to the Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology phase of our world history tour, we'll read out loud the series "Percy Jackson & the Olympians". VERY fun books. Available in paperback at Wal-Mart – about $7 per book.

If she spends 30 minutes a day on each subject (ok... we'll probably spend about 30 minutes on spelling and vocabulary combined) that's 4 hours of instruction per day. That's much less time than public school (she's leaves to walk to school at 07:30 and gets home right about 15:00 - that's 7.5 hours away from home every day). And the time we spend will be more efficient as she's getting more one-on-one time and can pretty much go straight into "self teaching" mode right away.

The rest of the day can be spent on playing, housework (keeping a home is part of her education, too), getting together with friends, classes, museums, play dates, TV, reading, art... basically whatever interests her. We just limit the amount of time the TV is on per day.

She was home sick from school today and we had a lovely time. We had a late breakfast together and we talked. She worked on some school work for her class while we listened to Glenn Beck and I did some housework. She played with her dolls and she rested a bit. A friend came over to help me inventory my food storage and Charlotte and Harmony also cleaned the floors for me (I had foot surgery on Friday so doing the floors is a bit difficult). We all had a very pleasant lunch together and Charlotte enjoyed participating in the "grown up" talk. After Harmony went home Charlotte and I enjoyed an episode of Little House on the Prairie together. Then it was time to put the clean sheets on the bed (fresh out of the dryer) and we listened to the radio for a bit while winding down. 19:30 I tucked her in bed and she fell asleep quickly.

If she hadn't been sick and this had been a "normal" home school day, here's most likely how it would have gone:

08:00 - Breakfast and scripture study

09:00 - School Work and house chores (If Charlotte's having a case of the "wiggles" she'll alternate between school work and house work or other things)

12:00 - Lunch and finish school work

1:30 - PLAY!

What's great is that the schedule is flexible. Cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby? GREAT! We can do school work in the afternoon. Friend calls up and wants to meet at the park! GREAT! No problem! School work can be done in the car on the way to the activities. (There's even a curriculum called "Car Schooling"!)

I know... it all seems very idealistic. It should be. It can be - as long as I'm willing to give my angst a boot and just kick back and enjoy the process. It can be a lot of work.. scanning stuff in, getting her work together, keeping track of stuff to fulfill the legal requirements... but it's all worth it. Organization goes a long way - as does prayer.

Expect to make mistakes. You will make them. However, if you are in tune with the Spirit (inspiration from God via the Holy Ghost) and willing to learn from the mistakes and are honest with your kids about your mistakes, you will not scar them for life. You will be providing them with opportunities to learn about mercy, forgiveness, and resilience.

Surgery Prep - More menus and Baking Day Pics

It's been a few days since I've done anything with my blog.

This week has been busy and full and fun. I've really enjoyed getting to know my in-laws.

I hadn't planned on having a baking day this week. I thought, “well, since I'm going to be having surgery on Friday, I'll just buy some “instant” meals.” You know, I just couldn't do it. Sure, I bought a few things, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend tons of money on things I could make for less money and would taste better.

I went to Wal-Mart and spent around $100 (including the aluminum pans). My groceries plus some raw materials I had at home helped me get over a month's supply of dinners prepared for after the surgery. (It's just bunion repair – nothing huge.)

I decided to peruse my sister's website (www.ChristysClipArt.com) and come up with some recipes to make. I also “cobbled” together a couple of things. Because our family is small, each 3-quart casserole dish should last about two meals, perhaps with leftovers. (Except the lasagna – that will go fairly quickly.)

Here's what's on the menu:

Lasagna (x 4)
Tater Tot Casserole (x 2)
Cheesy Broccoli and Rice (x 2)
Chicken & Veggie mix (x 2)
Cream Cheese Chicken (x 2)
Cheese Enchiladas (store-bought)
Pizza (store-bought)
Taquitos (store-bought)
Sloppy Joes

Raw materials I already had:
4 lbs. Ground turkey ($1.19 each at Aldi, used for Tater Tot Casserole and Sloppy Joes)
4 lbs. Chicken Legs (from Angel Food Ministries www.angelfoodministries.com)
3 lbs. Frozen Veggies (Wal-Mart and Aldi)
8 cans “cream of” soups (.50 each at Aldi)

Altogether I spent about $120 for over a month's worth of dinners for my family. Not too bad.

I started around 4pm and was done with dinner ready for the family by 6:30. (Well, OK... We had a rotisserie chicken - bought that day and included in that $100 spent at Wal-Mart - and some leftover stuffing and potatoes. And green beans. Can't forget the beans. Wednesday we turned the leftover chicken into chicken soup.)

Now for the pictures:

We put the top on the table along with a cloth and plastic cover (got that idea from my grandma). This gave me the extra space I needed to line up the pans to put the ingredients in them.

I also included a picture of our freezer. It's not a very big one - about 5 ft tall. However, it can hold quite a bit. My super-geeky dream: to have two freezers: one for raw materials and one for finished products.

The box labeled "raw beef" is just that. Some steaks, some hamburger, that sort of thing. The meatballs and meatloaf are still there from a previous baking day. I like keeping things in boxes - otherwise things tend to get lost. Does anyone else out there have that problem?

Here are the pics of the BOBs that I finished the other day:

Here's what I started with:

And here's what we ended up with:

Another post I'll go over what's in our "little BOBs".

That's pretty much all I have to offer the world this week. If I get up early enough tomorrow I'll share a keen experience I had on my way home from the mountains today. But right now I have my family (in-laws included) waiting for me to play Uno and then it's off to get ready for tomorrow.

RECIPES!

Hello all.

I have finally finished updating my recipe notebook. It can be found HERE.

This week we finally got our BOBs together. Little BOBs, big BOBs... just have to order a couple of parts to get the really old laptop working again. I think all it can handle is Ubuntu, but it's something. (To know what in the world I'm talking about, go HERE.)

Saturday we got a call from hubby's father (We'll call him G Senior). Keep in mind that we've communicated via chat a few times and a few phone calls, but the last time we saw G Senior in person was 10 years ago at the funeral for G Jr's mom and sister. G Sr has never met Charlotte.

So G Sr and H (his wife) are visiting. So far I really like them. They've been through their own soap operas over the last decade, so perhaps it is best that the reuniting is coming at this time.

The most important thing is the reunification of a family and the healing of a relationship.

And I finally have a mom-in-law (MIL) again. Which is good. REALLY!

My dad always had a good relationship with my mom's parents. I thought that this was normal. I never understood MIL jokes (until some of my friends got bad ones). So I always wanted a MIL.

I had a MIL for about three months. Then Patty (G Jr's mom and G Sr's ex-wife) and Lottie (G Jr's sis and G Sr's daughter) were killed in a car accident.

Then I met G Jr's ex-step-father, B. B's girlfriend, S, became my step-MIL. (Getting confused yet?) Then B & S broke up and B married D. **sigh**. D is nice, but not quite a MIL. Maybe I'm too close to B's kids? (B's kids stayed with us for about a year after Patty and Lottie died... it's a loooong story.)

I had heard a lot about H (G Sr's wife) from G Jr. H had been G Jr's step mom. Then G Sr and H got divorced, and now they're remarried. So I now have a MIL again.

I told H last night that I had been longing for a good MIL, and she said she'd do her best to be one. YAY!

It's intersting though... Heavenly Father has always known my needs, and when I've needed a MIL the most, there always was one.

Most wonderfully, Nanna (a friend's mom). Nanna was there for me when she didn't have to be. She loves me though there is no obligation for her to do so. No blood ties... only friendship and unconditional love. I miss her a ton. (I have GOT to get myself up to the mountains!)

Out of all my MIL's I love her the best.

Another Form of Evil...

It's 19:45 and my chibi is already in bed and asleep.

The house is done up.

Tomorrow's projects wait patiently for me in the living room.

Today's completed tasks and shiny sink are deep in slumber.

The Man of the Place is taking care of some things at the storage shed and he took the dog with him.

The cats are outside stalking shadows.

The house is quiet except for the furnace. It is working hard, attempting to hum me to sleep.

It's starting to work.

Suddenly, a new form of evil interrupts my reverie. It stealthily creeps into the recesses of my brain and slyly takes over my will.

My body moves according to its demands.

It's all Harmony's fault.

Against my will, the cobalt mug is filled with water and banished to the microwave. It reappears in front of me only three minutes later, begging for an unhealthy dose of home-made hot cocoa mix to be stirred into it.

Under the evil spell, I give in.

While the mug's liquid is still whirling around from the stirring, my hand is reaching into the freezer. What could be in there? What else could this evil be beckoning for?

Ice cream. You heard me right.

A lonely scoop of vanilla ice cream meets it's doom in the sultry depths of the cocoa.

The heat and the cold mix together to create an other-worldly juxtaposition. I am completely drawn in to the evil that is...

        the "Hot Cocoa Float."

I now have a dire dilemma.

Harmony...

        do I hate you for this...

              or do I sing your praises?

I will think on it tomorrow.

For now the humming of the furnace has transfixed my concentration and I am lulled into a carnal state of epicurean delight.

I will sleep well, my dreams floating on a cocoa bean induced euphoria.

Harmony...

        I think I shall love you ...


               Good night.

Last Week in Review

Have you ever had one of those weeks? You know... a week that was busy, and full, and a lot happened... but when you tell it to someone else it doesn't sound like much at all? Last week was a lot like that.

We're still working on “getting our stuff together”. Our 72 hour kits (aka Bug Out Bags or BOBs) are still sitting in our living room waiting to be re-packed. My recipe notebooks are still in a stack on the floor in front of the desk waiting to be updated and backed up. The entire house is half way “done up”.

It really does bother me sometimes to have so many things half done. Other times I couldn't care less. I suppose this is one of those times I just have to take things in stride.

Here's how my week went:

Monday: Baking Day (with a super-wonky oven that's finally getting fixed tomorrow)
Tuesday: Food Storage Day
Wednesday: Play Date at Harmony's House
Thursday: “Stuff” Day. Doctor's appointments, house work, etc.
Friday: Laundry day, pay day, errand day, winter sowing day.
Saturday: DAY OFF
Sunday: Birthday and DAY OFF
Monday: (yesterday) no baking. Oven broken. Body tired. Baked enough last Monday to last two weeks. Got to go to EarthFare.
Tuesday: Sick chibi at home and eye appointment. Also teaching chibi about washing clothes by hand. Finally having time to write a blog!

OK... maybe it does sound a little bit busy. No wonder I'm tired! Isn't it strange? I had been thinking that I had nothing to write about because nothing really happened but I was busy doing nothing... but now that it's written down it doesn't seem like so little.

Am I the only one that does that with her life? Sometimes thinking it's misspent... or thinking that I ought to be doing something more glamorous, or “worthwhile” according to the world?

But then I get my head removed from my buttocks and Heavenly Father helps me see things in His light again.

MONDAY

Baking day? SO not glamorous. Worthwhile according to the world? No. Not really. Because I could have a real job and then just buy all that other stuff. Which makes me reflect on the last post. So how is my job worthwhile? You know... the job where I just sit around all day eating bonbons and watching Oprah.....

The only way to have my house smell like homemade bread is to make it myself. The only way to teach my child about being self-sufficient is to do it and then teach it. There is a certain feeling of security in the household when everyone knows that there's food in the fridge, bread in the freezer, and cookies in the cupboard. I don't know exactly why this is. But it's true. Do it once and ask your family how it feels to know there's meals in the freezer all ready to go. There is at least one week's worth of food in the house and no worries until next baking day.

Here are excerpts from my baking day (recipes are at the end if you're interested in them).

On the menu:
Saucy Crockpot Chicken on Rice
Kick Ass Meatloaf
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Salad Night
Leftovers
Saturday we went to dinner at a friend's house
Sunday Greg and Charlotte made dinner – chicken strips and flavored rice.

This week:
EarthFare Fare (had a mystery shop so I had to buy stuff there!)
Steak and pasta (pan searing the steak and pasta is left over from last week)
using this as a trial run for Friday when we have friends over for dinner
Tostadas with rice (from last week)
Saucy Chicken Sammers (chicken filling from last week)
Steak and pasta
Taco Soup
Leftovers

My hubby's Aunt Aida is a Mayan-Mexican lady and she taught me a nifty thing to do for rice. She took whole garlic, onion skins and the outer layer of onions, and butter and boiled them all together for a while. After the veggies gave up all their goodness she would pour the water through a sieve and save the liquid. (The castoffs went into the compost.) She used the liquid to make rice and it was lovely! So that's what I did.

I also made some “kick ass meatloaf”. Yes, that's its name. And it is. Here's a pic of all the ingredients for a double batch (four loaves).

I decided to bake mine in muffin tins and then freeze them.

This way we can have “instant” snacks or dinner whenever we want it. Next week I'll do the same thing with mashed potatoes. The only trick with frozen potatoes is that you shouldn't thaw them before heating. Just pop them straight into the oven or microwave. (Once they were frozen I put them into ziploc bags.)

And then there was the bread. It was a chilly and rainy day, so I had to heat up the oven a little and let the bread and rolls rise there. Now that I think about it, I might should have taken a picture of the risen loaves in the oven, but I didn't think of it at the time.

The meatballs were baked in the oven in a mini-muffin pan until done but not browned. This way I can freeze them on a cookie sheet like I did the meat loaf. Once frozen I put them into a ziploc bag. When we need them I'll thaw a few then brown them, then add the sauce to the browned meatballs. (The sauce helps deglaze the pan so none of the browned goodness in the pan is lost.)

I didn't make homemade sauce because I had jarred sauce. I REALLY like Aldi spaghetti sauce.

At the end of the day Greg and Charlotte help with the clean-up. I make sure all the baking/cooking dishes are washed and then they make sure the dishes are dried and put away.

Yes, that's my kitchen. The entire kitchen. Well, part of the refrigerator didn't show up in the picture... just the handle (on the right side of the picture). The kitchen ends where the fridge does. The "far" end of the kitchen ends at the microwave there. The eating dishes and utensils are in the hutch over by hubby in the "dining room".

The pieces of wood up against the wall (beyond the hutch) is something hubby man made me. When we have lots of company (ok... if we have more than one or two people over) we can put those on the table with a cloth and can seat nine people. NINE! in that tiny kitchen! REALLY! Once Greg gets some benches made we'll be able to seat twelve people.

So if you're saying to yourself “gee, I can't make my own bread.. my kitchen is too small” or “I can't do any canning or preserving because my kitchen is too small” or “I can't cook at all because my kitchen is too small”.... that excuse is gone. Sorry.

TUESDAY

Preparedness day? SO not glamorous. Worthwhile according to the world? No. Not really. Because, you know, I'm just being a nut. Or hording. Because nothing could or ever will go wrong. Really! Katrina didn't ever really happen. Neither does unemployment. There is no reason to be prepared because there's nothing to prepare for. And if something does go wrong the government will take care of me. Right?

Again, we get into a secure feeling for my family. Yes, spiritual security comes through faith in God. Temporal security comes through the laws of Tithe, Sabbath, and then hard work. So this is the hard work part of the equation. (See post titled “Security in an Insecure World.”)

If / When the shi---oops-- stuff hits the fan, my family will know there is a supply of food in the house. We will have light for the darkness. There will toilet paper for their bottoms even if there's none in the stores. We will have these things if the economy collapses. If we are prepared then we need not fear.

Tuesday I had the opportunity to have a bunch of mason jars full of dry good sealed for me at church. So Tuesday I filled mason jars with a year's worth of “goodie mixes”. Twelve jars of chocolate chip cookie mix (except for the chips), twelve jars of “sugar drop” cookie mix, twelve jars of “Quick Cocoa Cake” mix (except for the icing), twelve jars of “basic cookie mix” - it's a versatile mix that can be made in to a variety of different cookie flavors, six jars of “basic baking mix” (same idea as the cookies), and six jars of “Chocolate Orgasm Cake” mix. That was pretty much my day. But we have a year's supply of goodies (one batch per week and some extra for birthdays and holidays). And my hubby and daughter liked the idea of that.

WEDNESDAY

Play date. 'nough said. Pride and Prejudice (A&E version) and good company and a nice lunch. What could be better? Not glamorous. Not a big deal in the eyes of “the world”. But that's OK. I am in the world but not of the world.

THURSDAY

Thursday was busy but boring. We'll skip Thursday. Who needs it anyway? I think I should skip Thursday every week. Really! Well, except for the swimming. Thursday's the day my chibi and I abscond with her little chibi-friend and hit the indoor pool. I suppose Thursday can stick around. But just for the swimming.

FRIDAY

Laundry day? SO not glamorous. Worthwhile according to the world? No. Not really. But I like it! There's an earlier post on that, too. So I won't get into the hand washing of laundry here. But I will talk about winter sowing!

In an earlier post I mentioned winter sowing and plotting plots for plants. So here are some pics of the first stages. Harmony came over to help. YAY HARMONY!

This is Harmony:

She helped me get the old plants out of the pots and winter sow their seed pods in my front planting area with the bushes that I think are ugly but that I'm not allowed to tear out because we live in government housing – sort of the “projects” of the military world. It's not even the new, privatized housing. It's the best... well, not the best... the mediocre... no, not that either... it's the best the lowest bidder had to offer in 1961. (Or earlier?)

So anyway, once we were done with that, we put top soil (which I got for FREE by the way) into a variety of scrounged up or reused containers.

Then we labeled the containers and planted the seeds. It took a little over an hour with both of us doing it. It was actually fun! Here's what it all looks like with the labels:

I also made my own composting thingy (sort of a tumbler, but not really) but I don't have pictures of that yet. I'll get those up later. But I digress... back to the plants... poor Greg will have to – oops – I mean gets to build me boogobs of planters so I can finish sowing seeds. You'll get pics of those later, too.

So that was my week last week. Several posts all in one. And for a good price, too!

This week is going pretty much like last week. All sorts of things happening that weren't scheduled for. Thank goodness for flexibility!

Yesterday was baking day but I didn't. (Did enough last week for two weeks.) Today's errand was an eye exam and ordering contacts. My preparedness stuff will consist of backing up my favorite recipes and maybe I'll get to the BOBs sitting in my living room. Perhaps. I might do some hand sewing while watching TV tonight (Physics: The Elegant Universe disc 1).

But the rhythm of the week continues. Play Day has changed to Thursday, laundry will still be done on Friday but will start sooner so the house will be ready for guests. One week closer to home schooling again.

Hmmm... rhythm of life, seasons, change, what is our “real life”... sounds like another post to me. But later. Now it's time to catch up on some Glenn Beck while backing up my recipes. Oh! Recipes... yes... I did promise some didn't I.... I'll put up another post tonight or tomorrow with those. My fingers are getting a bit tired...