Waiting for Christmas...Waiting for peace ...

We are waiting to celebrate.  We are preparing pierogies, cookies, and presents for our celebration. 

 Making bologna.

 Pierogie filling

 Pierogie dough

 Our youngest pierogie helper.

Jesus Christ, our hope in this hurting world.

 



We will celebrate Christmas, but our hearts will still groan for the hurt in our world.  Jesus came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life, but while we are on earth our hearts groan for his return.  There is sin and tragedy in our world.  Our hearts break for the victims of cruelty. 

We are not left here without hope.  Jesus brought hope for the world when He came as a baby, lived as the Son of God, died to forgive our sins, and lives again in heaven, waiting to return to redeem the earth.  He promised to come again.  We wait.  We wait with hope.

God's people waited for the Messiah to come to save the world.  Then, Jesus Christ came as a baby to save the world, to save you and me from the seed of sin in each of us.  In Luke 2:30, Simeon said, "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, even me, a Gentile. 

I am now waiting to celebrate his birth, and waiting for Jesus to return to earth.  Psalm 37:3-6 reminds us to delight in the Lord and trust in Him, while we wait. "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this;  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently of him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret- it only leads to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." 

As we wait for Christmas, but see tragedy all around us, let us remember the hope that Jesus brings to those who trust in Him. 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Revelations 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 

Not so Ordinary Christmas Gift Ideas

Here are some ideas of ways to save money, support your local artists, and simplify.

Save Money: 
1.  Shop at your local thrift store.  Today at NESAP (our thrift store in Hampstead) I found two antique glass ornaments, for $1.00.  Each year I get Michael and the kids a special ornament, and these will be perfect for Michael.  We also found snow boots and mud boots for the boys, which they needed.  They were $6.00 each, but if I had bought them new I would have paid a lot more.  For Elena, I found a beautiful white sweater cardigan from Old Navy, for $4.00.  She also bought a little candle in a tin for $0.25, which she will give to someone for Christmas.  She loves to find presents.  Jedrek found some hunting camouflage that he wanted, but then thought of his brother and decided Slade needed it more than him.  I also found two shirts for Slade, which he needs and will be happy to have at Christmas.  One I found at Goodwill.  Last week, we went to a Community Aid Store where I found a doll for Elena.  She had been looking at a doll catalog where the dolls were a lot of money.  We found a beautiful china doll for $2.50. 
This is a way to reuse items and save money.

2.  Think of a friend, who may be happy to have some of your children's old toys or books.  My friend, Karen called me and asked if my daughter would like some of her daughter's extra Pet Shop toys.  I know she will love them, so Karen put them in a bag and gave them to me to wrap for Christmas.  How thoughtful!  Maybe you have some toys or books that would work for one of your friends.  It doesn't hurt to ask.  In this economy, they will probably be blessed!  I know I was!

Support your Local Artists and Businesses:
3.  Buy a gift at a local market, local shop, or craft fair.  In Westminster, MD, Carroll Arts Center has a great gallery of art that you can buy.  We went today and were impressed with the variety, craftmanship, and prices.  Why not support local artists instead of buying cheap stuff from Walmart?  It matters who we support.  One book The Walmart Effect is an interesting book, that changed the way I look at Walmart.  I no longer shop there.  I think there are better options.  I would rather spend a little more for quality and something special, while supporting the local economy. 
4.  You may even know a local artist or craftsman you could buy a gift from.  For example:  I saw yesterday on facebook that my friend Amber made scarves and is selling them on Etsy.

Simplify:
5.  Make a list and buy less.  Sometimes, I see something in the store and buy it, when I wasn't even looking for it.  Then, I think of something else, and buy that.  When I plan and make a list, I actually buy less and the gift I buy is more thoughtful. 

6.  Make your own homemade gift.

I hope you find special gifts for those you love this Christmas.  I hope you are able to seek after Jesus, read His word, and are blessed this Christmas.

Is my Work all in Vain?

No!  My work is not in vain!  I've been saying that over and over again for the last week.  I have to remind myself constantly, to encourage myself to keep going.  When I have just finished cleaning the day before and there is dirt tracked in on boots and everyone has left messes everywhere I look, (No, I am not exaggerating)  I wonder, "Why clean in the first place?" 

Sunday morning, when I saw the destroyed house I asked Mike, "Is it all in vain?  My work is not in vain, right?!  Where does it say that in the Bible?"  I found it in 1 Corinthians 15:56-58, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 

My labor to clean the house, cook meals, and care for the kids is not in vain.  It is the work of the Lord.  I have victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has forgiven my sin and has given me life. 

No Time? Egg Drop Soup/ Homemade French Fries

Tonight, after having no idea of what to make because I had no thawed meat, I came up with a decent meal.  No complaints! 
Menu:  Egg Drop Soup, Homemade French Fries, Tossed Salad, Pickled beets

The Egg Drop Soup is so easy and fast!  The main thing is to have a nice broth.  Mine was made from a leftover turkey and giblet broth and some turkey broth I had frozen. 

Homemade French Fries are also easy, but take time in the oven. 
Put olive oil on a cookie sheet.  Cut potatoes like french fries and put them on the pan.  Toss them around so that they get coated with olive oil, then spread them out into a single layer.  Bake in oven for about one hour at 350 degrees.  Stir at least twice throughout.  Salt to taste at the end. 

Our salad came from our garden!  We bought heirloom seeds from The Sand Hill Preservation Center.  We still have some of the fall mix of greens growing, even through the frost.  I also put some row cover over some to protect them from the frost and chickens.  I planted some fall greens mix in our cold frame, but the plants are still very small.  I hope it grows and we get to eat it soon.  This would be our first year to eat from our cold frame.  Last year, we were inspired to build one after eating a salad grown by my brother and his wife at Christmas time.  I was amazed that they still had lettuce and spinach!  If you are interested, here is some info on cold frames.

The pickled beets are from the beets we grew in the garden and canned.  They were also heirloom seeds from the Sand Hill Preservation Center.  They were the detroit red variety and are delicious.

Meal Plans

When it is supper time, do you find yourself asking, "Now what will I make?"  I have this problem most of the time.  I try to plan.  I even have a binder with weeks of meal plans, but most of the time I come to the hour before the meal and I am perplexed.  Sometimes, I stand with the fridge or pantry open, just staring at the food, like some idea will reach out and hit me.  One a good day, I will have an ingredient that will spur on an idea for a meal, and I make it.  Other days, I think and think and think, sometimes running out of time to even make anything. 

Now that we are eating whole real food, it takes even more effort because most things take more time to cook.  You can't just reach in the freezer, and get out an already made pizza and pop it into the oven.  I'm reading two books to help with my problem.  One is called Food Matters by Mark Bittman.  The other is, Food Matters Cookbook .  Both are interesting and have many great recipes.  The Food Matters book even has meal plans, which I love!  When I have a plan to go by, my stress is relieved.  I just look at the handy dandy list of what I will make and begin.  So far, we tried the blueberry smoothie, eggs, and toast breakfast.  That was yummy.  Then yesterday, I also made the Better Boston baked beans, although I tried them in the crockpot and didn't cook them long enough.  Then, we reheated them for lunch and my husband was saying, "What is that smell?  I know that smell?  You may never want to make these ever again.  I know that smell, Lima Beans!  I hate lima beans."  Well, I even added raw sugar, but noone really ate more than a few spoon fulls.  Sometimes, one recipe may not work, but I will try again.  In fact, as I write it is 4:15, and everyone is getting hungry for supper.  What will I make?  I'll go stare into the fridge and see as soon as I'm done:)

Another great place to find meal plans are www.100daysofrealfood.com and Whole Eats & Whole Treats

There are ways to plan ahead and have easy whole food ready when you need it.  The Food Matters book gives some suggestions.  Now and then, I get it right and have brown rice made ahead that I can make into another meal, or I make extra mashed potatoes to make into potato buns, or I cut up extra veggies or salad to serve at another meal.  Those are good days!  Today,

So I hope today you know what you are making at the next meal.  If not, check out some of these ideas!  Maybe I will too!

Free Range Chickens

The chickens we got as peeps and pullets in the spring are enjoying the leftover garden and yard.  We decided to keep this rooster, although I don't know what kind he is.  He is beautiful and kind.  The other polish roosters are mean!   I have bruises on my legs to prove it! 

Favorite Learning Websites

We just found a new website that I would love to share with you.  A friend of mine, who teaches fifth grade told me she uses it in her classroom.  It is a fun way to learn many subjects!  Each time you get an answer correct you earn grains of rice for hungry people.  The kids enjoy seeing how many grains they can collect to help people. 
www.freerice.com

Some other websites we enjoy are
www.bigbrainz.com  (this one is great for adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division facts)
www.starfall.com  reading
http://tumblebooks.com

If you have some favorites, I would love to hear what they are!

Our Chickens

These are the extra heritage roosters that we sold.  We have one still for sale.  These are polish roosters, and so beautiful!

 Hens busy finding bugs and eating in the garden

We really enjoy having chickens!  Not only do they give us yummy eggs, but they are also fun to watch and are so pretty and diverse. 

We currently have about 25 laying hens and two roosters.  (One rooster is looking for a new home).  These chickens are well taken care of, by Jedrek, Slade, and Elena Czaja. The feed is from the local feed mill, R.F. Warner's Feed Mill. We also free range the chickens or give them extra vegetables, depending on the season of the garden. Our flock is now registered with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.  

The eggs are mostly brown, from the red chickens. We also have Zeb, a Barred rock chicken, that lays a green egg, and Velvet, a black chicken that lays a chocolate-brown egg. Our heritage birds which we raised from a day old are just starting to lay eggs.  So far one egg is green and one is light cream colored.  We eat those, until they are bigger.   Whatever color, inside, the eggs are delicious and fresh.

If you enjoy knowing where your food comes from, stop by to see the chickens, and buy your eggs.

First come, first serve. If you are a regular customer, we will be sure you get top priority.

Helping in the garden

The helpers:

These pictures are of Mike and the kids making polish dill pickles.  Mike and the children were wonderful helpers. They were either helping with the canning and freezing, or watching the busy boy. What a blessing they are. Mike staked the tomatoes and we had a big potato digging night. We got to eat the first apples from his orchard, and made an apple crisp; delicious!

Gardening

Harvest time in the garden...
Heirloom seeds:
Most of the garden turned out great.  The heirloom seeds made it fun and different.  We planted New Zealand spinach, which was great to have in the heat of the summer.  The tomatillos were tasty in the salsa verde.  The down side of the seeds was that somehow we ended up with around 12 plants of yellow cherry tomato plants, which I thought were going to be nice red tomatoes.  I may have mixed up the labels, I don't know.  The Manitoba tomatoes ended up having alot of vines with not many tomatoes.  Although the actual tomato was pink and delicious when I found a good one!  The Nova Red tomato was the best, with little vines and a nice size red tomato.  You live and you learn.
Preserving for the winter:
We canned and froze a lot of spaghetti sauce, even with the yellow cherry tomatoes.  My method this year was to just cut the stem area out and puree the tomatoes in the blender.  Then, I simmered it in a pot of the stove with basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  I added tomato paste to some of it.  We also canned enchilada sauce, which a Mexican friend gave me the recipe for.  The last batch of tomatoes, I just diced them, cooked them alittle, and froze them.  I use a lot of diced tomatoes in the winter.  When I had too much cabbage, I made green tomato relish, for the first time.  From the line of basil, I made basil pesto for the first time, and froze it.  Then we canned the usual, sauerkraut, pickled red beets, bread and butter pickles, and lots of jam.  We also froze beans, red beets, corn, water cress, kale, and peppers.  So where did my summer go?  Well, there you have it, along with watching my busy boy. 

Well now that it is near the end of August, I am reflecting back on the summer.  I cannot believe how fast it went.  I asked Mike where the summer went.  He said, "Blane."  It is true; Blane kept me hopping every minute.  He is a busy boy! 

The farmer's market also took a lot of time, too much time.  I'm glad we did it, but I don't know if we will do it again.  We enjoyed meeting people, being with our friends, and especially the day the whole family got to sing and play music. 

The garden also took a lot of time.  I canned and froze a lot, which was a goal for the summer.  I enjoyed it.  The kids also helped.  We had a big beet day and tomato day.  It goes faster and is more fun when we all work together.  They also helped with Blane many many times, while I was canning and working in the garden.  While the kids were at camp, Blane helped me in the garden.  I gave him tomatoes, and he put them in the box.  He is also a wonderful chicken helper.  He loves to help and be a part of everything.

I don't want the summer to end, but it has.  We started school this week.  The extra mixes from the market are in the pantry.  The potatoes are dug, although the rest of the garden is going strong.  The good part is, the fun doesn't have to end.  Tonight we roasted apples on the fire outside.  The kids wrestled with Mike in the lawn, and told stories when we came in and ate scones.  Yesterday, Elena and I climbed into the tree house and read a chapter in her book, Ten Girls who Changed the World.  Mike took the boys along to town.  School has started, but I don't have to say good-bye to my kids!  Can you believe it?  I get to stay home and be with them everyday! 

The Garden in July

We are trying to stay focused and put away as much as possible for the winter.
We continue to eat more and more plants, and less meat.  Whole and local food is wonderful in this season!  This morning, I made basil pesto, picked a salad for lunch, then baked bread and granola.  For sure, I am crazy.  It is hot today! 

The Hampstead Farmers' Market is on Saturday.  This we are singing and playing music, too!  (9:00-12:00)  We are looking forward to it, and practicing hard. 
If anyone is in the area, we would love if you would come see us!

First Day at Hampstead Farmer's Market

We had a wonderful day as vendors at the market!  If you live close by, we would love to see you this summer, every Saturday from 9:00-12:00.  We have lemonade, plants, trees, whole-grain mixes, jams and jellies, healthy snacks, wreaths, and photo cards.  Karen and her girls, who we share the stand with, offer many perennial plants, knitted items, and soup mixes.  The market is only for producers.
Here are some links to find out more:
Hampstead Farmer's Market
Hampstead Farmer's Market on Facebook