Immoral or Simply Immodest?

Yesterday, my mom and I took the twins to a waterpark for the day. Our temps here are skyrocketing higher and higher by the minute and we won't be getting our pool until next month so we figured a day in the water is just what we needed. Our day started early in the morning because the waterpark is an hour and a half away and we wanted to get there early. After some problems with the gps (it kept us going in circles in one town) we finally arrived for a day of fun. A worker led us to the cabana we rented for the day and, after stowing away our gear, we headed to the attractions. After awhile mom and I decided to go back to the cabana and relax. We had a great view of the park from our deck chairs so we could keep our eyes on the kids. Unfortunately, the park wasn't the only thing we had a great view of. Our cabana was right in front of an entrance to the lazy river tube ride and we could see all the people as they were getting on and getting off. My mom was the first to notice something. She pointed out this family that was about to go on the lazy river. I was shocked (not much shocks me these days but this did) at what I saw. First, a little girl about 7, wearing a cute little bathing suit. Nothing wrong there. then her sister, who was about 10-12 came into view. Poor thing was at least 50-60 pounds overweight. But that wasn't what shocked me so bad. She was wearing a STRING BIKINI!!!! I wasn't sure exactly what was more disturbing, the fact that this poor girl is not being taught much about nutrition (I'll get to her mom and grandma in just a sec) or the fact that a child was wearing something that showed almost every inch of her body. It was so sad. Then her mom came into view. At least 100-150 pounds overweight wearing a .....can you guess??? STRING BIKINI!!!!! I actually sat there with my mouth open! I could not believe it! Most of the bikini was hidden in the folds of her body so sometimes it looked like she was naked. Now, let me state for the record this is in NO WAY a condemnation of overweight people. I happen to be one of those who has a few pounds to lose myself and I feel for ANYONE struggling to lose weight. HOWEVER, I can not see how anyone can justify putting themselves in a STRING BIKINI when they weigh over 300 lbs much less put their child (overweight or not) in one. Grandma came into view and it was obvious that the entire family is struggling with weight issues. Grandma at least had the decency to wear a full coverage bathing suit. Does anyone else feel for the children in this family??? This was just ONE instance of bad bathing suit choices. I was really amazed (not in a good way) at what some people consider proper for public viewing. I am in no way a prude. I do not wear Duggar style bathing suits (nothing wrong with them, just not for me). I wear a 2 piece but the bottom is a shirt which hits about mid thigh and the top comes down past the waistband of the bottom. Like I said, I need to shed a few pounds myself but even if I didn't I could never wear a bikini in public! There was a girl, fantastic figure, wearing what looked exactly like a bra and underwear! I am not convinced that it was a bathing suit! Now, most people would not wear their underclothes in public but they don't have a problem in a water setting???? There was every body type under the sun there wearing every type of "water wear" imaginable and most of it was...shocking. And sad. If adults choose to show off everything that God them, then that is their choice (no matter how misguided it is) but to put a child in something that covers less than their training bras and panties is disgusting! I am really having a hard time NOT judging these parents. What are they thinking? ARE they thinking??? What message is it sending to their children? What message is it sending to the perverts that are out there? Come on people! If we refuse to teach and protect our children, exactly who do you think will? I was going to include a few photos to show you what I am talking about but I couldn't bear violating these children in that way. Parents, really take stock in what you dress your children in and be a good example to them with your way of dressing. You are to lead them and, trust me, they are following you.

Taco Thingamajig

I was searching through the fridge the other day trying to come up with something for lunch. That always seems to be the hardest meal for me to decide on. I hate having the same things over and over. So, during my search I found a tube of crescent rolls. I know, I know, whole food eaters shouldn't be eating bread from a tube but I have had it in there for months and needed to use it up so I came up with....

Taco Thingamajig!!!!
Yes, that is the best name I could come up with.
Anyway, it is really simple to make.
I browned a pound of ground beef then added some taco seasoning. You can use an envelope of premade stuff or a couple tablespoons of homemade. Add just a bit of water, as if you were making taco meat...cuz you are. Once that is done, butter a 13x9 pan and unroll the crescent rolls in it. Smoosh it all down and seal up the perforations. Make sure the rolls cover the bottom of the pan. Next, spoon the meat all over the rolls. Put pan in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Take pan out and add some shredded cheese on top of the meat. I added about a cup. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rolls are cooked. Then add whatever toppings you like. I used some salsa, lettuce, sour cream and, of course, more cheese! This was a yummy way to use up the dreaded (but oh so tasty) crescent rolls. Lucky for me, I still have 2 more tubes of the stuff.

To Have a Dishwasher Or Not To....

Not quite 2 weeks ago, my dishwasher went kaput. Then a very strange thing happened. I realized that I really didn't miss it. Yes, I now wash dishes several times a day but it doesn't really bother me. Each morning while I make breakfast, I fill the sink with hot soapy water. As I cook, dirty stuff goes into the sink. When we finish eating, I wash everything and leave it in the strainer to dry. I HATE drying dishes! At lunch and dinner, I do the same thing. If it happens to be a major cooking day, I will do an extra sinkful of dishes between lunch and dinner. Since the twins are responsible for nightly dish duty, this hasn't really bothered them. They always had to wash the pots and pans before so now there are just some plates, cups and forks added to it. They haven't complained a bit. Want to know who is in a real hurry to get a new one? Hubby! And he doesn't even do dishes! He says that we need one because we may have to run a sanitized load if someone gets sick. Hmmmm. Whatever did people do before there were dishwashers to sanitize their dishes?????

Anyway, just to humor him, I went to Home Depot and looked at the dishwashers. Who is it that decided that a kitchen machine that has just ONE function should cost approximately both arms and a leg??? No kidding, $600 for the cheaper ones and $800 and up for the better ones! WHY?? It is not like manufacturers are building them to last because a new one will konk out after 4-6 years. You know, that kind of money will keep me in sponges and dish detergent (the organic ones at that!) FOREVER!!!

Now, if I can just get hubby to agree....

So, what do you prefer. Good ole hand washing or the easy no mess dishwasher?

Designed Healthy Living

While I was browsing over at Growing Home, Jacinda did a post on Designed Healthy Living. I checked them out and was amazed at what I found. So amazed that I ended up ordering a cookbook and nutrition manual. The whole purpose is to show people how to eat and live in a healthy, biblical way. Honestly, is there any other way that we Christians should be living????? Ok, I know I should be living and eating that way but I get lazy. We all do. That's why God gives us His grace so freely. Pretty cool, right? So hop on over and check them out. Let me know what you think!
I will do a review of the books I ordered as soon as I get them.

Fan-dang-tastic Pancakes

Lately, it has been hard to impress me in the recipe department. I tend to pick apart recipes and "improve" them. This recipe needs no improvement...unless I could get someone to actually cook them for me. Now THAT would be an improvement!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 C. Flour (I used Soft White Wheat)
2 Tbsp. Sugar (I used Sucanat)
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/4- 1 1/2 C. Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Whisk up all ingredients until combined and cook as you normally do pancakes. You will notice that the baking powder goes to work right away. These pancakes are light and airy and delish! So delish that we ate them before I got any pictures of them. I wish I could remember where I saw this recipe because this person needs the recognition but, alas, I cannot for the life of me remember. If you see this and it is your recipe, thank you, thank you, thank you.....

Being shared at Frugally Sustainable

Spring-y Apron

I have never really been an apron kind of girl until I started all my cooking from scratch. Now I can appreciate the importance of using an apron to protect my wardrobe. I can be a messy cook sometimes!
Here is a cute little apron that I sewed up in just a few hours. I am NOT an experienced seamstress so these things take me much longer than someone who actually knows what they are doing. This project was pretty easy for the novice like me.
Instuctions can be found here.

This is my finished piece modeled by my lovely daughter in her Aristocats PJ's!

This was seriously easy to do and you can change it up for different occasions by using different hand towels and fabric. The only change I would make to the apron is that I would make the fabric skirt part wider so that when it is gathered up and sown to the towel it is a bit more ruched. I am sure that is a word but not sure I spelled it right!
I plan on taking this apron to our UMW planning meeting for ideas for our Breakfast With Santa gift shop. This will be the first time I actually made something to sell in our gift shop. Yay me!

Being shared at Frugally Sustainable

Spiced Peach Jam

I went to the farmers market Saturday and wouldn't you know, the peach guy was there. I have been enjoying this guy's peaches since we moved to Georgia. They are DIVINE!!! I bought 2 ginormous baskets of them and have been in peach heaven all weekend! Last night I made Spiced Peach Jam. I got the recipe from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader. It is chock full of wonderful recipes.
 It took me about 4 hours, start to finish, only because I was texting my cousin the whole time getting all the juicy family gossip. Now my phone is sticky from my peachy fingers all over it :)
So here is what I did....
This recipe calls for the following amounts but I doubled it because I have A LOT of peaches to use up.

 4lbs. Peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
5 Cups Sugar
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/8 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a large heavy stockpot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil until it reaches 220 degrees. Be careful, because this stuff will foam.

 Ladle into hot, sterile jars (you already prepared these right???) leaving 1/4" headspace.
Wipe, cap and seal. Process for 15 minutes in a water bath canner. Take out jars and let sit on a towel on the counter until cool. Check that all jars sealed. Voila!

I can't wait to dig into these!!!!  Some upcoming recipes (hopefully) will be peach chutney, canned peaches and peach pie filling...Seriously, I am DROOLING thinking about all this peachy goodness!

Being shared at The Prairie Homestead Blog Hop and Growing Home and Frugally Sustainable

Goodbye Precious...

Farm living has its ups and downs and yesterday was definitely a downer. Awhile back I introduced you to Blind Chicken aka Precious.

She was of the breed Cherry Egger. She was a very sweet lil chicken, she just couldn't see. Over the last week, I noticed that she was having trouble finding her way down the ramp of the coop so each morning I would pick her up out of the coop and put her on the ground so she could join her sisters and have breakfast. Then, a few days later, I noticed that she wasn't eating or drinking so, thinking that she was having trouble finding the food and water, I tried to feed her by hand. She wasn't having any of it so I took her to the waterer and she refused to drink. I also noticed how her comb had shriveled up and was almost nonexistant. She looked nothing like she did in the picture above. I was hoping that if I just left her alone for the day, she would perk up, but I knew it was a matter of time. My son was out cleaning the chicken coop that afternoon and he said he thought she was dead. I went out and she was lying right where she had been all morning. Her head was on the ground and her feet out behind her so I was quite surprised when I picked her up and she lifted her head up. However, it was one of her last movements. I couldn't bear her fading anymore slowly so hubby came out and "took care of it". I absolutely HATE this aspect of farm life. It would have been different if we had raised her to be butchered and eaten. At least I would have known that she had a spectacular life right up until the end. The thought that she may have been suffering for up to a week just kills me. Needless to say, I will NOT be buying anymore of this particular breed. Of the 5 we bought, 3 have died. The first one died after 3 days, the second a few months later and now Precious a year later. There were no wounds on any of them and the deaths were unexplainable. Live and learn I guess. I am quite happy with the hardiness of the Buff Orpingtons and Americaunas. Very healthy, happy chickens. They are "quite robust" if you know what I mean!

Anyhow, we are still having some internet connectivity issues. Narrowed it down to the wireless router. We will be replacing it soon so the posts may or may not get done in a timely fashion. Thanks for sticking with me!

We are having all kinds of internet issues. Darn satellite internet!!! I will be back to posting as soon as they are resolved. Thanks for sticking with me!