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A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up; she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

Monday, 02 November 2009

So Funny

The Power of the Badge...

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas , and talks with the old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher says, "Okay , but do not go in that field over there," as he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, " Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me." Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher. "See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish, On any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?"

The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores while the DEA officer storms off to do his inspections.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's huge bull...

With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs...

" Your badge! Show him your BADGE! "

Sunday, 01 November 2009

Daddy & Mommy time!!

1. Daddy & Mommy Time
                                 a. Dates
b. .Family Planning

When I was writing this outline, I was planning to write about Exactly what is in the outline, But first I have a slightly different bunny trail now!

   To the moms who read this, I am wondering what percent of parenting should be Dad and what part should be Mom! Is a 50 50 deal or that it is 70 30 or maybe even 90 10 ? Do you feel like parenting is shared equally between parents, Or has our culture Mennonite put to much pressure on the mom? I realize that in most cases dad works and mom is home, but does that mean that mom is the sole child trainer just because dad is the sole bread winner?

Ok back to the outline,
   How many of you get mommy only time? What do you do with this time? The only time I have like that is when I'm headed to a meeting or party!! It is nice tho to have a few minutes of time that I can think uninterrupted.
   I can honestly say my hubby really does not have any guy only time, he enjoys being with us or taking his boys along whenever possible. I do have friends tho that have hubbies with hobbies that seem to give them plenty of alone/ guy time, and it makes me wonder if it would be wrong for us women to have a couple evenings a month that we could ,without guilt, leave our children home and go out to scrapbook, shop or something
    Do you think mommy & daddy time is necessary? I'm talking about the kind were you send the children to a babysitter and go out for the evening? Do we really need to be away from the children to get a break? Or are you on the other side of the coin where you never entrust your children into anyone elses care.
While we are on this subject, Does anyone have any creative date idea's? Many of us are on tight budgets and it would be really interesting to see what others do on less!! One of the things we do is have champagne (sparkling grape juice) an chocolate by candle light..... after the boys are sleeping!!

Ok Now for the Family planning!!! Really I'm not going to give any advice, just some caution an opinions from my personal experience!!
   I personally feel that the "pill, patch, shot" should be considered a medication, and used with extreme caution. I personally think that we were given cycles for a reason, so we can predict somewhat when "things" could happen! But, I know from discussions with my sisters that it is also hard when you don't even have a chance to "family plan", Either because of irregular cycles or close pregnancies! I feel like God knows what moms can handle children close and who of us can't! By the Way..... irregular cycles is our bodies way of letting us know that something is out of whack!

   #1 Never assume because someone has only one or two children and they are spaced far apart that they must be on the pill!! I can say from experience that some of us are not "fertile myrtles", we don't cry when we don't get the monthly visitor, we cry when we do!!
   #2 If someone is using the "pill" it does not mean they are doing it with complete disregard for the side effects! I actually need to use the "pill" to become pregnant! And I know that many of my friends who need to take this kind of medication are very cautious and use a second "method" as a precaution at certain times of the month!
   #3 The "pill" is not the only prescription that can cause abortions. Be sure to fully check all side effects of all medicines!
   #4 Use extreme caution in preaching your personal method of "family planning" It is ok to state what you do, and be willing to explain it if asked, but "one size does not fit all"!! Remember no matter what you do, how many children you have, remember you are the only one one who will aswer to God, and you must be sure you can do that with confidence if you were called "home" tonight!! I think our highest calling as parents is to be sure that our children,(how many or few we are given) are raise in the fear of God!!

Ok, I know this is going to get a lot of footprints, If you would like to comment and don't want to post your name you can post anonymously,

Monday, 26 October 2009

Should we " Go Green?"

Ok, I'm back. I have not forgotten the promised posts.
I just have been busy but i'll tell you about that in the next post.

Warning~ There are a lot of I's and we's in the post but that doesn't mean I feel like we have it figured out,
I'm just outlining what we do and am open for more suggestions and opinions.
We started most of these practices in the last couple years, after reading an article in a local paper that talked about how much it cost a county to "take out the trash". They ofset this cost with the money they bring in from the recyclable items.
Did you know that fleece and microfiber is made from recycled plastic jugs and bottles?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
. Conservation
                                     a. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
                                     b. COOP
                                     c. Second Hand Stores
                                      d. Sharing websites
                                     e. Buying meats wholesale

     What is your take on conservation? I am realizing that I could do a much better job of " saving the planet".
The view I feel is more biblical tho is that we are all Steward of this earth. We should not be contributing to the decline of the environment. I also know the earth is in natural decline and the end will come someday,.. ..........BUT,.... We also should do everything in our power, in our little corner of the world, to be sure we are doing the three R's, reduce, reuse, & recycle.
   There are many ways for us to do that.
    One of my favorite ways to REUSE is to second hand shop, I really enjoy second hand stores, they have so much more "personality" than a department store. I have friends that do not like to second hand shop, but I'm sure we all are part of the menno hand-me-down train. This may be with your own children or with cousins and church friends. My sisters and I do this, and not just with clothes. We share books, baby furniture, maternity clothes.....
      Another good example of reuse is CAM(christian aid Ministries) or other similar organizations, that send clothes over seas to be reused. I know of one Sewing circle that use women's pants to make comfort tops to send over, because that is something they received a lot of and they would not ship them. This sewing circle has a deal with a second hand store to take everything that they cannot sell.
     I'm also starting to really like my reusable shopping bags, you can fit so much more in them and they stay put better in the trunk and you can carry them in much quicker! If you do prefer plastic, most grocery stores have a spot to recycle your plastic bags.
      I am also a part of a local sharing website (http://www.freecycle.org) you can not exchange money you must offer your item for free, my SIL and I got lilies for our flower beds and i know she has received other things to, last summer she even freecycled summer squash and zucchini!!!

      My husband has been big in helping me realize how much of an impact we can have just by Recycling our own trash, We downsized from three trash bags a week to one!!
I have several trash cans in my sun porch for, plastic, soda cans, tin cans, glass, and we also separate out our cardboard and newspaper. We actually separate our newspaper by shiney or not shiney and we shred the non for our chickens bedding.
         Speaking of Chickens, they get all our table/kitchen scraps except egg shells, this has really helped with the smelly trash can. I guess a compost pile or bin would also be an option.

   To Reduce is harder for me, Reduce means to leave less of a "trail". There are many ways to do that.
We try to do as many things as we can in the trips to town as we can so we don't waste gas to do it later.
Paper towel use is something that I am really trying to use less of, mostly for budget reasons. Hanging tea towels have been a great replacement for most of my paper towel uses. I'm also trying to convince myself to start taking my dining trays and tableware to fellowship meals and family reunions, still working on that, pride I guess.
Other ways that are not as obvious are,
Take your own drink= less plastic bottles in landfill
cooking with the microwave= uses 55% less energy
baking at home=less plastic, better for you
rechargeable batteries = less toxin in the land fill,
Buying your meat direct from farmers= less fuel for transport, better for your health,
If you don't garden buying your veggies and fruits local= less fuel for transport, supports your neighbors
     Washing dishes in dish pans that fit in your sink, then watering you flower beds with the water, this is one of my grandmother's habits.Turning out lights, using energy efficient bulbs, packing lunches, not leaving the water running, buying in bulk, and COOPs are other ways to cut down. Most of these things are tied directly to the bank account!!

    The one place that I refused to do any reducing, reusing, or recycling was in diapering my children, I know that it may be better, but!!!! I saw another way to reduce the other day that i'll NOT be trying!! HMMM... i'll let you all make your own minds up on that issue! Go to http://www.cottonbabies.com and look under menstrual needs!! hint cup!!

Do you think that we as a community of plain people do a good job of "cleaning up after ourselves"
How do you personally reduce, reuse, recycle?

Monday, 19 October 2009

Video Use

This is something I am on the fence on, Should we totally shield our children from any movies or can they be useful even educational,! I think it is kinda scary how easy it is to just pop in another one when i'm busy! It is much easier to let my boys watch a ABC movie rather that get out the crayons and encourage them to do something with their hands.
   I read the Pamphlet entitled Video & The Christians Mind By Henry Blank
I was very convicted and encouraged to work harder to help my children.
     Here is a little snippet that has caught my attention!!
"the first thing you need to know is that when you sit down in front of the screen, your logical thought processes tend to shut down fairly quickly. ..............So here you have children in front of a television screen being trained hour after hour to be in the passive state, asking no questions with all logical thought turned off, and then we expect those children to grow up and be able to "rightly divide the word of truth"? We may have to give them the bible on DVD "
    Basically it makes young children's minds like a big sponge, they just sit there and everything enters and they question nothing!!!
    Scary, Oh i'm going to work harder at encouraging my children to work with their hands!! I think we should be sure that what our children do watch is ok for their brains/minds to be absorbing!!
       Do you know what the ratings stand for on the cover of videos?
G=
PG=
PG13=
R=
I saw a dvd player at our local Christian book store, It is suppose to screen all offensive language and scenes!! Interesting thought!!

What do you think on this topic, Is it something that we should be concerned about!!

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Pictures

Farming with daddy!!

Saying Goodbye~our lead goat died this week so now we are down to three!!

Our newest visitor!! I saw him this morning on a plant I brought in last eve!!
Internet Safe?

Hello Ladies,
Welcome to my blog:) I have recently been thinking about what our attitude to the world wide web should be!!
Is it a good thing?
How can we make it safe?
What is the best filter to use?
How much use is to much?
Can we consider e-mail, & Blogging/commenting personal contact?
Did you know you can get the web on most cell phones?
Did you know ipods have the capacities to have movies and pictures uploaded to them?
Did you know that if you use a wireless router in your home, the next door neighbors could tap into it if it is not secured??
Do your children have free travel on the internet?

I have more questions than answers today! Please comment with your opinions or answers on this!!

Monday, 12 October 2009

Free Tupperware!!

Hi Ladies,
I'm hosting an online Tupperware party, If you would like an e-vite please message me your e-mail. I try not to push my businesses on anyone, this is totally up to you.
I'm offering the free Tupperware earned from the party to a lucky lady who participates in this party.
How could you win?
By asking for a e-Vite and submitting at least a 15.00 order.

What is an online party~ exactly that a party on my website~ no driving required~ PJ's ok
How do you attend~ By the e-vite. I mail you an e-vite and you click on the link in the e-mail~ wahlaa you are at the party!!!

OK Message me if you are interested, Otherwise ignore this

Dory

Thursday, 08 October 2009

Gardening

Hello Ladies,
No i have not forgotten my promised posts, I'm still peculating some of them!!

Ok here are my thoughts and questions on gardening,

     I have many childhood memories, This morning before i got out of bed I was trying to think how far back i can remember about this.... well it seems that it has always been there, and it has. I was raised almost exclusively on garden produce, venison, & bulk food!! One of my earliest memories is eating cherry tomatoes out of the garden. I also have a vauge memory of being picked up over some kind of low electric fence, my dad had put pigs in the garden in the fall, and i think the fence was to keep them in. My dad had many such ideas that we used in our garden, another was the use of black plastic, we raised our tomatoes, squash, cukes, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, & cabbage! I also remember waking one morning to a gun shot, Dad had shot a groundhog out of the garden from his bedroom window. I have also heard the story of how my Mom was picking beans one day and she kept seeing something moving at the other end of the row, a grounghog was busily chewing off the bean plants heading her direction!!! To this day my parents still plant a large garden.
     I have often wondered if all the work is worth the effort now that we have farmers markets? I have no argument with the fact that home or local grown produce is the best for our health though!! There are many options out there for a weed free garden, but if you do not wish to spray, it does entail a lot more labor. If i had to sum it up in two words it would be Much mulch & Good Tiller!!! I know this is possible because my mother in law always has a 99% weed free garden. I on the other hand do not do so great. This year I did use a combination of weed block fabric, tilling, & mulch, It looked great till about June & then I ran out of steam.
Next year I do not plan to grow potatoes, peas, or much corn, so my garden should be much more manageable!! Please share your garden secret! Do you not garden? Do you have a favorite mulch? How much time do you spend in your garden?
          If you do Garden then, you most likely preserve food in some manner!!! I am a much bigger fan of freezing than canning, and I have never tried my hand at drying anything. Do you feel that it is worth the bother to preserve? Should we just do whatever comes from our own garden, or should we have it figured out how much we need for the entire winter and that be our goal? I know my mom had it estimated per meal/week, that was a lot of stuff for our big family!
        So my question is Should we spend the time to garden & preserve or should we just buy it?

Monday, 05 October 2009

Additions

I had a couple of other thoughts that I want too add to my earlier posts

#1 How much time is to much when it comes to house keeping? Should it be something that is a constant ongoing process (like at my house) Squeezed into the spaces of time left over from everything else? Or can it be done in a few steps everyday?
I checked out http://www.flylady.com and I am inspired to get my clutter under control! With two businesses, and school run I don't feel like i have much time left to "keep house" so my clutter is building!

#2 Does anyone else have any Ideas for cooking on a tight budget, I would like a few recipe Ideas that are freezable!

#3 this is actually about an upcoming post ~mommy time~ If you have a little idea or secret you would like to share about this please Message ME! I need some input on this thought! MESSAGE ME on this one don't comment!

Feel free To leave comments with your footprints!~ Comments are a big encouragement to everyone!