Happy Monday!

 I know this has been around for a long time but it is worth sharing again. Hope you are having a great Monday.

 Last week was spring break so we had some wonderful family time. So blessed to have our families close so we can enjoy our children and grandchildren. We bought the movie Frozen. Two of the four hadn't watched it yet and LOVED it. We all camped in the snow and the rain, did some fishing and had a ball. Hope all is well with you and yours as well.
 Robin aka - a little bird

Did you know... Lunar Landing

   

 Forty-three years ago two human beings changed history by 

walking on the surface of the moon. But what happened before Buzz 

Aldrin and Neil Armstrong exited the Lunar Module is perhaps even 

more amazing, if only because so few people know about it. "I'm 

talking about the fact that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the 

surface of the moon. Some months after his return, he wrote about it in Guideposts magazine.

     The background to the story is that Aldrin was an elder at 

his Presbyterian Church in Texas during this period in his life 

and knowing that he would soon be doing something unprecedented in 

human history, he felt he should mark the occasion somehow.He 

asked his minister to help him. And so the minister consecrated a 

communion wafer and a small vial of communion wine. Buzz Aldrin 

took them with him out of the Earth's orbit and on to the surface 

of the moon. He and Armstrong had only been on the lunar surface 

for a few minutes when Aldrin made the following public

statement:

     “This is the LM pilot. I'd like to take this opportunity to 

ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, 

to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few 

hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.” He then ended 

radio communication and there, on the silent surface of the moon,

250,000 miles from home, he read a verse from the Gospel of John and he took communion.

     Here is his own account of what happened: "In the radio 

blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine.

I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the 

one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and 

gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the scripture”:

     I am the vine, you are the branches.

     Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit ...

     Apart from me you can do nothing.'

     "I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, 

but at the last minute [they] had requested that I not do this.

NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray 

O'Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 

crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly."     "I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks 

for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots 

to the Sea of Tranquility . It was interesting for me to think the 

very first liquid ever poured on the moon and the very first food 

eaten there, were the communion elements."

     "And of course, it 's interesting to think that some of the 

first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ , 

who made the Earth and the moon - and who, in the immortal words 

of Dante, is Himself the "Love that moves the Sun and other stars."

Windy - to say the least.

It was a bit windy around here yesterday!!! We had gusts up to 68 mph. Bridges were closed and this is why. D-i-Love got stuck on the far side of the river. She had to drive the long way home so she could get to a bridge that wasn't closed.

Unexpected Visitors

Thursday evening I arrived home late from work.  A meeting went longer than expected.  By Thursday I have  put in my 4 - 10 hour days and  my house shows the lack of attention...  The laundry gets done, the dishes are done, the kitchen gets swept but the house is not tidy.  The counters have gathered stuff, the dust is showing, etc...

We had some friends drop by unexpectedly - my words were,  "The house is a wreck - come in and let's have tea."  They did, and we had a wonderful visit.  I have never been to my friends house that everything isn't in it's place and no dust showing.  I felt uncomfortable that my house was in disarray but the visit was wonderful.  Then today I read Farming On Faith.  She shared a story that blessed me regarding what's really important.

" Just drop by anytime if you come to visit with us. If you come to see a clean house ~ call first so I can get it cleaned for you."  Mrs. Bennett

Isn't this true.  Friends come to see us not our house.  If they are coming to grade our housekeeping are they really friends??

Thank you Mrs. Bennett for your sweet wisdom.
a little bird

A Guide to Food Storage

Click the link below to get your free download from Utah State University Extension.

A Guide to Food Storage for Emergencies Food Storage for Emergencies

Food and Water Storage

Prepare for adversity by storing an emergency supply of food and water.   Earthquakes, fires, severe storms, and power outages are just some of the potential  emergencies we may encounter. Imagine that you have no electricity, no gas, no  water and no telephone service. What would happen if you are told to evacuate your home in the next ten minutes? Imagine that all the businesses are closed and you are  without any kind of emergency services. What will you do until help arrives? The 3 day emergency food and water supply is meant to be a quickly accessed,  portable source of food and water that can sustain you and your family for several  days. It should be stored in one or two containers for quick portability.  The foods  chosen should be ready-to-eat without the need for cooking. The 3 week/ 3 month emergency food and water supply are meant for a disaster  where food and water delivery may be interrupted. Hurricane Katrina was a perfect  example where the normal delivery of food was interrupted. Build a small supply of  food that is part of your normal, daily diet by purchasing a few extra items each  week. Expand on this until you reach your goal.  Not all of these foods will be  ready-to-eat and plans must be made to store the necessary means to prepare them.

Spring Case Lot Sales

Yeah!!  It's case lot sale time again.  You have to buy by the case to get the reduced price but it can reduce the cost by half or more.  If your family eats these items any way now is the time.

I know not all stores offer case lot sales but I recommend asking them if they would reduce the per item cost if you bought a case.  They may just say yes.

Master Food Preserver Class

Yesterday I attended a master food preserver update.  We always come away with new information!!

I thought I would share some of what we talked about.

Have you ever had dry products on the shelf go bad?  Years ago I went to make oatmeal pulled the bag out and it was 'alive'.  I know that is GROSS but true.  There had been an insect hatch.  It took all I had not to vomit on the kitchen floor as I took the whole lot to the dumpster outside.  I also had the same happen with brown rice.  Container and all went straight to the dumpster!!!

Since then I have started using the freezer as a protection against that.  I don't keep the items in the freezer forever but leaving the product in for a time period.

Yesterday we learned that the time period in the freezer is 4 days.  (I normally do a full week, but it's great to know that 4 days is enough.)

We also learned that the oven can be your friend in preventing a bug problem in your dry items too.
Heat the product (oatmeal, rice, wheat, barley, etc whatever dry product you are storing).  1.5 hours at 200 degrees.  You can spread the product out on a baking sheet or you can put it in your storage jars and place them in the oven.  You want the commodity to reach a core temperature of 150 degrees for 30 minutes.  This will kill any insect eggs present.   (Actually this will kill any life stages (egg, larvae, pupae & adult) but if actual bugs are present my recommendation is to toss the lot.)

Shrove Tuesday

The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, meaning "confess". 
Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with." 

The season of Lent begins tomorrow.  

Oven-Dried Orange Slices

Slice oranges, grapefruits, or Meyer lemons, thinly.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place orange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and dust lightly with sugar. Bake until the peels are dry and the flesh is translucent, about 2 1/2 hours.

These make a sweet and yet tangy treat.

a little bird