One new thing ...

Here's another super-simple One New Thing that I recently tried -- a new way to make a coleslaw dressing.  Here's a little backstory:

We had leftovers of two meals planned for supper (we love leftovers!), but it seemed a little skimpy so I thought I would make a small amount of coleslaw to have as a side.  I remembered that there was part of a cabbage left in the fridge.  Well, it was a much smaller piece of cabbage than I remembered.  I shredded it up with a knife and then shredded a carrot (using a grater this time) into it.  Still looked a little skimpy, so I cut an unpeeled apple into very small dice and added that.  Perfect, but now for dressing.

What I often do to make coleslaw dressing is to stir some mayonnaise into the slaw, then add seasoned rice vinegar to make it the right consistency.  I usually also add some pepper and some onion powder.  No salt or sugar needed, because the seasoned rice vinegar contains those things.  (And maybe my simple slaw dressing will become a One New Thing to someone else -- who knows?)

But I had run out of rice vinegar and had to think about what to use instead.  I wanted it a little bit sweet because of the apples, but not terribly sweet.  I was thinking maybe a teaspoon or so of sugar, but didn't want to use honey or maple syrup as I felt those flavors would be overwhelming.  What I decided to do instead of adding any sugar was to add about a tablespoon of frozen apple juice concentrate.

So I used mayonnaise to taste, probably a half cup or so, salt to taste, some dashes of pepper and onion, and the tablespoon of apple juice concentrate.  It turned out really good.

I failed to take a picture the day that we enjoyed this coleslaw, so this is a container of the leftover slaw which we enjoyed with our lunch the following day. 

Hope you'll try this trick if you like coleslaw! 

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture post!   As I've previously mentioned,  I worked on a Bible study of Ephesians for the month of January and so I've been using this study to write some Sunday Scripture posts for the remainder of the winter.  

The study I've been working on is the Ephesians Bible study from Good Morning Girls.  For the Scripture Sundays, I'll just select some of the verses I have worked on and share how I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  For today's lesson, we were to look at Ephesians 4:1-7, but I chose to write out and SOAP verses 1-3, though I will allude to some of the other verses.  Here we go:

S= "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called,
"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  (Ephesians 4:1-3)

O= It is Paul, "the prisoner of the Lord" who is beseeching his readers here.  Paul was literally in prison as he wrote.   He beseeches the Christians at Ephesus (and us!):
* To walk worthy of the vocation God has called them to;
* To walk in lowliness and meekness;
* To exhibit longsuffering; to show forbearance to other believers in love;
* To endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

A cross-reference to this passage is 1 Thessalonians 2:12 -- "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His kingdom and glory."

A=  As one of "the faithful in Christ Jesus" (1:1), I know that Paul is also beseeching me to pay attention to these matters.  I am to "walk worthy of God, who has called me unto His kingdom and glory."  He is instructing me, and all believers, to walk through life in humility and gentleness as members of His redeemed family.   I'm to be longsuffering and forbearing with my fellow believers.  This isn't always easy, but can be done in God's strength to promote greater unity and peace in His body.

The Reflection Question directed, "Evaluate yourself right now and write below which areas you need to work on.  In what areas are you tempted to be prideful and how can you be humbler?  Would others describe you as gentle?  Why or why not?  Is anyone trying your patience right now?  Pray for strength ... Is there anything you can do more to bring greater unity or peace in the body of Christ?"

Maybe you would like to work through this exercise on your own.  I will share my answers below:

"I have a list of character flaws that I am continually praying my way through.  I don't necessarily see myself as prideful, but I'm sure I have some tendencies toward that area as it's just the human condition.  I don't really see myself as gentle, although people have described me that way.  In general, my patience is tried by people who are closed-minded and those believers who won't make any attempt to grow spiritually.  I'm sure that there probably is more -- maybe much more -- that I can do to promote greater unity and peace in the body of Christ -- and I can trust Him to lead and guide me in that."

P= "Lord, I know that these verses speak directly to me.  I pray that You will help me each day to walk worthy of You -- to live my life in an attitude of humility, gentleness, patience, and love, especially in relationship to other believers, but also to the world around me.  Help me to grow and change in the areas that need work.  I thank You for all that You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

That is our simple study for today!  I hope it was a blessing to you.

Handy homemade helpers

I've been meaning to put this post together for a couple of years now, and actually thought that I had, but I guess I haven't done so.  I can't seem to find it, anyway, so if it is there, no one else is likely to find it either.

There are many homemade helpers I've come to rely on.  Some are mixes (and I know I have blogged about those, but maybe I should consider doing so again); many are household helpers like cleaners, etc.  Here's a rundown of the ones that have worked best for me:

Tub and Shower Magic.  That's it in the photo at the top of the post.

I never want to be without this one.   A combination of blue Dawn® dish soap and heated white vinegar, it works better than anything else I have ever tried.  We have hard water, and this has been the very best shower cleaner I've used.  Just writing this reminds me that I need to refill my spray bottle.  Today.

Dryer balls work very well.  When using these, I use only one tennis ball and it is fine.  I usually just use white vinegar in my laundry as a fabric softener.  But for loads that seem prone to clinging, or for really stiff items like work jeans, I will add the dryer ball.  

Homemade toilet cleaning bombs.  I keep a jar of these under each  bathroom sink.  

The toilet really needs to be relatively clean before you add one of these -- I think of them as "freshening" more than actually cleaning.  But they are great for freshening up a toilet quickly before company arrives, or sometimes I will pop one into the toilet at night before going to bed.  The ones below were made using a silicone ice cube mold in the shape of oranges.

Homemade fabric softener.  I usually just spray the tennis balls with a small amount of this rather than using the essential oils.  I do know that essential oils would be healthier, so maybe I will get into doing that.

Vacuum Cleaner Bag Sachets.   These are easy to make and I really like how well they work. You just put a sachet into your vacuum cleaner bag when you change the bag, and a nice fresh scent results.   The directions and "recipe" came originally from Tipnut.   I have modified it slightly.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried lavender* (I buy the dried lavender from the bulk herb section of our local health food store)

1/4 cup dried rosemary*
 (I buy a large spice jar of rosemary from the spice section at Dollar Tree)
1 Tblsp. cloves*
 (Again, I buy in a spice jar at Dollar Tree or Ocean State Job Lot)
1/2 cup cedar shavings

1 Tblsp. baking soda

5 to 7 drops of essential oil (your choice)

Coffee filters
String

*Or use 1/2 cup of your favorite herbal blend instead of the lavender/rosemary/cloves.

Directions:
    •    Mix ingredients together then store in a sealed glass container for 1 week.
    •    Place 3 Tblsp. of mix in the center of a coffee filter.  Gather up edges and tie tightly with string.
    •    Store them in a sealed glass jar until needed.

Instructions For Use:
    •    Pop a sachet into the new vacuum bag each time you change it. When you vacuum, the fragrance from the pouch will fill the room.
    •    Instead of using a sachet, you can add a few tablespoons of the mix into the new bag when changing it.
    •    If you prefer a stronger fragrance, add a few more drops of essential oil to the pouch.

This is another one I try not to run out of.  When the sachets get low, I make more and add them to the sealed glass jar.

I have found that these sachets also work great to keep linens and blankets fresh-smelling in storage.

Crocheted Swiffer Sock.   I need to make one more of these.  I've made three, but wash them frequently.  They work wonderfully and I like not having to spend money on the swiffer refills.  I've recently made another of these to take to our little cottage.

Lavender Room and Linen Spray  is so easy to make with just a few ingredients.  I had had a purchased lavender room spray and when it ran out, I tried making more using this formula and was very pleased with it. 

Peppermint spray to deter ants, from Jess at Mom4Real.  This one works very well.  It also helps with silverfish and spiders.  Occasionally I have even used it as a cleaning spray and it smells wonderful!

Photo by Mom4Real

  Homemade fruit and veggie wash, another from Jess.  It works great!  I had at one time tried a different recipe for this type of product and I just didn't feel confident that it was working as well as it should.  This one is much better, and so easy!

There are others that have not worked so well.

A daily shower spray that I tried was such a disappointment.  I didn't throw it away, however, since I knew that if I ever happened to run out of Tilex Daily Shower, it would be much better than nothing.  And now, I have not been able to purchase Tilex Daily Shower for many months.  It's one of those things that has inexplicably disappeared since the coronavirus, and I've had it on order for months.  So now I have a different homemade recipe -- still not as effective as I would like, but it helps.

(And -- this is not homemade, and I really have no idea what dangerous chemicals might be in it [the label doesn't say] -- but I have recently found that the LA Awesome daily shower cleaner sold at the Dollar Tree works extremely well.  It is made in USA, at least, so that is one thing.)

An all-purpose cleaning spray is nice, but I haven't found one yet that works as well as I would like.  I'm still trying to figure out one that works well.  I might try this 3-Ingredient All-Purpose Cleaning Spray; I have everything I need on hand.  It seems to be mostly for kitchens, though.

I've tried homemade Soft Scrub recipes, and they work okay, but they quickly get too stiff and difficult to use.  The other day Mr. T suggested trying just plain baking soda, and really that worked as well as the homemade scrubs I've tried.  One of my bathroom sinks really seems to need something more abrasive than just a spray.  The baking soda is fine but it's not as quick and easy as using a spray.  So we will see if I can come up with something better.

There you have it ... some of my favorite handy homemade helpers.  Hope this is an encouragement to other frugal homemakers!

Hodgepodge for March 9

 

Somehow it's Wednesday again, and time for the Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers.  Here we go ...

 1. Where do you get your news these days? 

For the past couple years, we have been thankful subscribers to The Epoch Times.  It's such a relief to read honest, uncensored news.  Our subscription also gives us access to Epoch TV, where we find a wealth of thought-provoking interviews and news.  [A trial subscription is very inexpensive, so if you are unfamiliar with this newspaper you might wish to try it out.]  The print newspaper arrives once a week, but it's so filled with good articles that it takes us at least a week to read it.  News from The Epoch Times also arrives by email -- you can decide which emails to receive.  For years we subscribed to our state's daily newspaper, but it became so untrustworthy that we looked for a different news source, and are so thankful to have found such a good one.

Photo from Pixabay

2. It's National Crab Day...do you like crab meat? What makes you crabby? 

I do like crab meat, and even the imitation crab is not half bad.  A favorite recipe from years gone by that my kids enjoyed was Crabbies, open face cheesy crab sandwiches on English muffins.   Usually served as an appetizer, we enjoyed them as a quick meal with tomato soup.  

Photo from This Mama Loves

As to what makes me crabby, right now one thing that does so is the fact that masks are still required on airplanes and in airports.  Completely ineffective and unnecessary.

3. Does freedom mean more choices? Have you ever felt there were too many choices? Elaborate. 

I don't think freedom necessarily means more choices.  (See the dictionary definition below.)  I would be very satisfied just to be able to freely exercise the rights that we have as citizens, which have been seen to be very precarious in the past couple of years.

 

Sometimes I do feel as if there are too many choices ... especially, say, on supermarket shelves.    While it's nice to have so much variety, sometimes it can feel overwhelming.  A first world problem.  We are so spoiled. 

  

4. Barbara Millicent Roberts was introduced to the world on March 9, 1959...that's Barbie to most of us. Did you have Barbies as a kid, or did you let your own children play with Barbies? What well known Barbara (living or not) would you most like to meet? 

I did have a Barbie, one of the first ones that came with a blonde ponytail and a black and white striped bathing suit.  I also had a Barbie Dream House, and spent many enjoyable hours playing Barbies.  I did let my daughters play with Barbies, and they enjoyed them too.  They even had Barbie coloring and activity books, which they loved.  As far as a well-known Barbara, I would say perhaps I might like to have met Barbara Bush. 

5. What are three things you value most in another person?

Integrity, kindness, and the ability to keep a confidence.

Sweet image by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Mr. T and I had a great week last week as we had the unique opportunity to "caretake" a Christian camp.  By that I mean staying onsite and checking on the buildings, etc. every day, doing any necessary snow removal, and more.  But it was a very relaxing week, especially for me.  It was quite cold and windy most of the time, but Mr. T found a nice afternoon to go snowshoeing, and I found a glassed in porch that was perfect for cross stitching.

And that wraps up the Hodgepodge for this week!  Why not head on over to From This Side of the Pond and snag the questions to answer on your own blog?

One new thing

 

Here's a very simple One New Thing that I've tried recently: an essential oil blend to help my problematic knee feel better.  When I mentioned the pain I was having, my dear friend Vee mentioned in a comment that she uses a Young Living blend called Deep Relief to help with sciatica.  

Now I have purchased essential oils in the past, but never the high-end ones like Young Living.  I have basically only used essential oils in cleaning formulas, so I usually got lower-priced brands because I wasn't using them in foods or diffusing them into the air.

However, on Vee's recommendation, I did order a bottle of Deep Relief from Amazon.  It's a roll-on and very easy to use.  What is the blend of oils exactly?  Well, it's nine invigorating essentials oils, including peppermint, lemon, balsam fir, clove, and wintergreen, to name the most prominent.

Is it helping?  Yes, it is.  I use it first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  My knee issue is not fully resolved -- I've begun an exercise regimen which is another One New Thing -- but Deep Relief is definitely helping me feel more comfortable.  Thanks to Vee for introducing me to this new-to-me product!

Sunday Scripture

 

Sunday again, so it's time for another Scripture post!   As I've previously mentioned,  I worked on a Bible study of Ephesians for the month of January and so I've been using this study to write some Sunday Scripture posts for the remainder of the winter.  

The study I've been working on is the Ephesians Bible study from Good Morning Girls.  For the Scripture Sundays, I'll just select some of the verses I have worked on and share how I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  For today's lesson, we were to look at Ephesians 3:20-21.  Here we go:

 S= "Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
"Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen."  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

O= "The purpose of a benediction is to express praise to God and comfort to the listeners while focusing on both the character of God and His gifts of grace, peace, and divine enablement."  -- Rand Hummel, In Christ

Paul pauses to give God glory: this One who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or even think in His omnipotence and omniscience, is deserving of honor and glory from His people forever and ever.

A= Rand Hummel writes in In Christ, "May God receive glory and praise forever and ever through endless ages because of His wonderful plan of salvation for His church through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Let's not wait to praise and thank Him when we see Him face to face -- never allow a day to pass without thanking Him for forgiving you, saving you, and giving you everlasting life."

I need to pause every day and thank God for all He has done and is doing in my life, in the lives of people around  me, and in His world.  It's true, as Courtney wrote in the Reflection Question, that "our human minds cannot imagine or comprehend all that God can do and is doing in the world right now."  This is very comforting, because our world is in a huge mess right now.  It's such a blessing to be reminded that God knows every detail, and is able to sort things out in ways we cannot even begin to comprehend.

P= "Lord, I praise You so much that You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even think.  I praise You that You know every detail of our lives and all that is happening in our world, and You are able to sort everything out as You see fit.  There are no limits to Your power.  It's very comforting to remember this, so I pray for Your will to be done and praise You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

And there is our simple study for today!  I hope it was a blessing to you.

Some goals for March

 

 Time to set some goals for this new month!  In some ways I love that February is a shorter month.  But in other ways, I wish that it lasted longer so I could get more accomplished.  Be that as it may,  here are some goals for March.

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week if possible
* Set some yearly goals for 2022
* Continue reading through the New Testament
* Post in this blog several times per week
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
*  Prepare for and attend a monthly ladies' Bible study
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Spend some time on my trust responsibilities
* Spend some time volunteering at a Christian camp
* Celebrate several family birthdays
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Possibly plan a getaway with my hubby
* Memorize several Bible verses and review some older ones
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  -- maybe even 8:30
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

HEALTHY HABITS FOR MARCH:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/limit sugar

 And there some goals for March!  We will see how I do.  

What about you?  Do you have any specific goals for this month?