Family Cleaning Night

Several months ago we started a new thing here at home. Each Tuesday night we all take an hour and clean the house. It was getting too much for me to keep up with and having individual assignments always seemed to be easily forgotten. We have a list and check off each item as it is completed. This then allows me time to do the deeper cleaning as I have time during the week.

At first, no one was enthusiastic about this. It is not our favorite time of the week but it has worked well for us. We really can knock out the cleaning in about an hour since we all hit it hard. I find that people also pick up and clean up after themselves better because they know that they will have to clean it up come Tuesday night.

I am glad we tried this and we will keep on doing this. We are flexible about it. Tonight we did it because Tuesday night we had plans. We always agree on another night though if it is not done on Tuesday night. 

Honeysuckle

Yesterday, the home school Biology class I teach went on a fieldtrip to Raven Run Nature Sanctuary here in Fayette County. It is a beautiful place just a short drive from Lexington. While we were there, one of the naturalists there took us on a hike to look at spring wildflowers and trees. He talked a lot to us about the Janpanese Honeysuckle which used to be a popular landscaping plant.

I have known for quite a while that honeysuckle is an invasive species here and has taken over many habitats but did not understand the significance of this. Woodland wildflowers bloom here in late February to early April. They bloom, seed and take up food stores before the leaves come out on the trees which is usually late April to early May here. Honeysuckle leafs out early. It shades out these woodland flowers and then they are not able to get the sunshine they require to store reserves for the rest of the year. When they can't get there food stores, they die.

In addition to crowding out woodland wildflowers, honeysuckle spreads very easily. Birds eat the seeds than fly somewhere else. The seed is not digested and spreads through their excrement. As you can imagine, it is hard to control the bushes spread. The naturalist said that honeysuckle is no longer allowed to be sold here in Kentucky. He asked if anyone had it growing in their yard if they would replace it. It is hard to kill. It must be pulled up by its roots because cutting it down to the ground will not destroy it. He said if the roots can not be completely pulled, that the only way to kill it is to put poison just on the roots.

Unfortuantely, when we moved into this house many years ago, there was an established honeysuckly hedge that surrounds two sides of our backyard. I thought it was OK to leave it since it was already here. Sounds like we need to consider replacing it so we are not adding to the problem. Looks like a big job ahead of us.  

Baby Chicks' First Day

Yesterday was a very busy but fun day. I got up knowing that our baby chicks should be arriving anytime. I found a little after 9 AM that our baby chicks were sitting on someone's desk in the post office. I got in the car right away to go get them. I did not have enough time to get them to my friend's garage, where we are keeping them until they are fully feathered and ready to be outside full time, so I brought them home. Mary and I immediately took them out of their small box and put them in a larger box we had laying around here. We mixed up the mineral/electrolyte/water mixture for them and dipped each of their little beaks in it to teach them how to drink.

Next, we ran out to get our heat lamp out of the coop because they were obviously too cold. Chuck had done a great job of installing it though and we could not get it out fast enough. Hmm, plan B on keeping them warm. We cranked up the heat in the house, put them in the big bathroom with both space heaters running on high directed right at them. Finally, they warmed up after Mary sat and blew the space heater over their temporary cage. In the meantime, Makenzie's speech therapist came.

After Makenzie's speech therapist left, we quickly put the chicks back in the truck and made the short trek to our friend's garage. They had everything ready for us. We took them out, hooked up the heat lamp and watched how they adjusted to their new home. It shortly became obvious that they were still too cold. I ran Mary and Makenzie home as Mary had a Spanish quiz that afternoon to study for and grabbed our heat lamp.

When I got home, I opened up our chicken coop and with scissors in hand began to disassemble Chuck's installation of our heat lamp in it. He had zip tied the chord tightly to the top brace with at least 10 zip ties. You can never be too careful you know when you are an engineer:) Several of them took quite a while to wiggle my scissors underneath the tie to snip it. It took me over 10 minutes to finally free the heat lamp. The next dilemma was how to get the rope across the board overhanging the coop in my friends garage. It was too high to reach. I also was not quite sure how I was going to secure and plug in the lamp once I got it over the beam. I looked at the tools I had quickly grabbed from our house, took the heavy duty bungee chord, threw it over the board (made it over the first try), tied rope to it and then tied the lamp onto it using a beautiful slip knot, if I don't say so myself. After I turned the lamp on the chicks looked like they were finally warming up.

I came home just in time to grab Mary and Makenzie and get Mary to class on time. Makenzie and I then headed to my friends farm in Richmond for the rest of the afternoon for our adventures there. More on that later. Whew, I am tired today and we also have a busy day today. Maybe, a little rest for the weary will come tomorrow. My doctor wanders why I can't rest enough after my sinus surgery:) I am loving every minute of this though. We took one more step to my dreams of food self-sufficiency today. 

Baby Chick Pictures

Baby chicks arrived this morning. Here are a couple of initial pictures. They are really cute!

Baby Chicks

I am so excited. I received an e-mail last night that our baby chicks have been mailed. My friend and I are sharing them. They are Buff Orpingtons and everyone I talked to who has had them says that we will love them. I will post pictures when they come. Any baby chick is so cute. I can hardly wait to greet them.

Little Things Make Big Differences

Little Things Make Big Differences by Rev John Nunes and Monique Nunes is a book written for children to educate them on the world malaria problem. It is well written and explains the problem in terms the children can understand. The book tells the story of a girl, Rehema from Tanzania who had malaria as an infant. She shares the story as her parents have told her. The book then tells how people are helping fix the problem and steps they can take to help. The book does a good job of educating the children on some of the culture of Tanzania as well. This book was written for Lutheran World Relief so a couple of the pages focus on what Lutherans are doing to help the problem but other organizations (such as Nothing But Nets) can also be shared with them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to teach their children about the greater world as well as the world malaria problem. 

Too Much Stuff

I have spent the last couple of years slowly decluttering my house. It is amazing to me how much stuff we really have. We live in a 1300 square foot home with a full basement. We also have a small shed and attic space. When I sort through things I find things that I didn't even know or remember that I had. I have come to the conclusion though that if I didn't remember I had it that I probably don't need it. I feel that this stuff is not doing anyone any good if it is just sitting in my basement, shed or attic.

I tell you this because yesterday, we gathered things for our church's yard sale. Each year the youth host the sale as one of their big fundraisers for their annual mission trip. We are a smaller church and keep thinking that we will not be able to collect enough stuff. Each year though we fill the fellowship, entryway and hallway to overflowing.

Yesterday, I did not think we had a lot to give but yet I filled the back end of our Aztec as well as the backseat to overflowing with our donations. This was with not even going through everything. We only looked around to find this "extra" stuff. We also had three bags of things that we will be giving to other people. Our house is slowly getting decluttered as we get rid of things and are careful of new purchases. All that I can say is we still have too much stuff and it is freeing as we get rid of all of the extras.

Busy Weekend

It seems like everything seems to get scheduled at the same time. This weekend we have two big events. One is our youth group's yard sale at church. This is there biggest money making event for their mission trip they go on each year. In less than 24 hours, we sort out all the items, price them, hold the sale and clean everything back up. It makes for a very busy time period. The other event is my youngest daughter's ballet performance. They have rehearsal tonight from 5-9 and then two performance tomorrow. It will be a whirlwind time period. I think Sunday will be a day of rest and catch-up. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Sweet Beginnings, LLC

I was reading an article today in the Fall 2010 Urban Farms (yes, I am a little behind in my reading). It is about the company, Sweet Beginnings, located in the Chicago area. They make an eco-friendly line of body care products as well as raw honey. What makes the company unique is its employees. It was started by a woman who used to be part of a group that helped former inmates find work after their prison sentences were completed. She became frustrated in the fact that no one would employ them. Thus, she started Sweet Beginnings.

In the community that Sweet Beginnings was started, 57 percent of people had some kind of criminal background. The company hires former inmates, they then go through a 60 hour beekeeping course and obtain certification through Wilbur Wright College in Chicago. They then gain work experience by working at the company. In the last 2 1/2 years the company has trained 172 formerly incarcerated people. Of those only 4% have returned to prison compared 62% nationally and 55% in the state of Illinois. This is an excellent success rate in returning productive people back into the community.

I would encourage you to support Sweet Beginnings by buying their products if they are available in your area. According to the article, the products are carried nationally at Whole Foods,, 21 local green, and organic stores and boutiques. They also can be obtained online at Peapod.com. 

Crazy Crust Pizza

If you are nervous around making anything with yeast, this is just he recipe for you. My Mom used to make this every Sunday night for supper. We loved it then and continue to love it. Even if you like yeast, this recipe makes a nice thin crust type pizza and is quick to fix.

CRAZY CRUST PIZZA

1 cup whole wheat (or white) flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Toppings of choice: browned hamburger or sausage, cooked mushrooms and/or onions
1 can pizza sauce (I use 1 pint (2 cups) of homemade pizza sauce)
8 oz shredded cheese of choice
Non-cooked items: chicken, cooked ham, pepperoni, broccoli, spinach, etc

Mix top 5 ingredients together until smooth. Pour batter into pizza pan. Arrange browned and cooked toppings of choice on crust. Bake 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with pizza sauce. Add non-cooked toppings of choice. Sprinkle with cheese of choice. Bake for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spring Flowers



Apricot Tree Flowers

Daffodils

Daffodils have always been one of my favorite flowers. Besides the pretty yellow color, they announce the end of winter and beginning of spring at our house. They started blooming over the weekend. Our apricot is blooming also as well as the Evening Primrose. I walked around the yard today and noticed many of my plants have green leaves or buds. Spring has finally sprung. I could not resist. I had to take some pretty pictures of the apricot blooms and daffodils. Thought I would share a couple of them with you. In the meantime, Happy Spring!

Rabbit Hutch

While I was on girl's weekend, Chuck built a new rabbit hutch. We are going to get a male rabbit (Thumper being female) to start breeding rabbits. Chuck designed this hutch after looking at several pictures of them on the internet. He has done a nice job. I spent the morning getting a coat of primer paint on it since it is supposed to rain this afternoon. Mary spent the morning putting the hardware cloth on the open part. We still have the door and bottom to do before we get rabbits hopefully this afternoon. Chuck will finish up the rest as he is able the next couple of weeks. Eventually there will be a ramp down to the bottom where the rabbits can nibble the grass.

Here are some pictures of our work in progress.



Front

 

Back



Girl's Weekend

Each year my sister, Darlene hosts a girl's weekend at her home. Everyone there is over 21 and female. This is the first year that I went and it was such a relaxing, fun time. We spent the first night playing games and visiting. The next day we ate a light breakfast and lunch and then went to a local winery for wine tasting. We then went to a nice restaurant to eat and then back to Darlene's house for another nice night of visiting. This morning she fixed us a nice brunch and then we each headed our separate ways. What a nice weekend!

We all need a break once in a while. This was not a pricey weekend for any of us. We all brought our own beds and bedding and crashed on her floor. Of course her upstairs and downstairs were wall to wall beds both nights but it was fun having a grown up girls slumber party. Giggles and talking could be heard after we had settled into beds. Darlene did provide the meals and my other sister Deb made one of the lunches but this could also be done by people taking turns bringing and preparing part or all of the meals. We all brought our own drinks of choice for the weekend. .

I can't wait until next year but my friend, Diane, and I are talking about sponsoring a girl's weekend here in Lexington during the Keeneland fall meet in October. Hoping our female family and friends will make the trip down. Will let you know as we get closer if it is going to happen.  
  

Garden Fun

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful here. It was sunny and warm. Although it was a busy day, Mary and I still found time to get some planting done. It felt so good to get my hands in the soil although brief for me. I am still recovering from sinus surgery and am on restrictions yet. I should say that I helped Mary get things in the garden last night. That would probably be more accurate. She ended up doing most of the work. She didn't mind though. She loves planting and gardening as much as I do.

Last night, we planted some cabbages amongst our flowers in the front flower beds. I am trying to do some more edible landscaping and find red cabbage can be a very pretty plant. Potatoes are also gorgeous when they bloom and would be a good choice but I like to plant lots of potatoes so find them easier to do in the garden We also planted cilantro, kohlrabies, peas, carrots and potatoes.

We still have a few more things to plant. It is supposed to rain this afternoon so we will try to get them in this morning before it does. We also need to put some more grass seed down. The exciting part is the first patches that I planted several weeks ago are finally coming through. We will have to rake back the straw this weekend so it can get plenty of sun. We still have many more patches of bare ground to go but hope to get them done sometime this week.

I have to say the most exciting part of the evening was discovering our first daffodil bloom. It won't be long now until they all start blooming.

Hope you all can get in your gardens soon! We are really enjoying ours.

Spring Fever

Spring fever has taken a hold of the Webb household. Today is absolutely beautiful weather. It is sunny and in high 60's here. Mary and I spent yesterday and this morning looking at plants and seeds for the garden. Last night, I finalized our garden plan.

We have onions, beets and spinach in the ground. Tonight we are hoping to plant our first row of potatoes and our sugar snap peas. We also have cabbage plant to put in the ground. Hopefully this weekend, we will get carrots, kohlrabis and lettuce also in the garden. Love spring planting time. This will be the first planting of many of our crops. I stagger plantings of many crops 2-3 weeks apart so they do not all come on at once.

What are you planting this year?

Decluttering

I have spent the last several years decluttering our house. We have come a long way but still have lots of room for improvement. It is amazing to me how much "stuff" we have acquired throughout the years. I have spent the last month going through things again. Our church youth group has an annual yard sale each year to support their mission trip. This year they will be traveling to Norfolk, VA where they will be helping military families. The garage sale is usually one of their biggest money making events.

As I have gone through the house, I try to really take a look at things. Do I really need this? Have I used it in the last year? Then if the answer is no then I get rid of it. It is surprising to me how much easier it is to keep the house clean as we get rid of things.

I would challenge you to go through your things. Do you really need it? If not, find another home for it. I may give it to another family who can use it or I give it to Goodwill or similar organization. Better yet, if there is a lot of stuff, hold a garage sale and donate the money made to a worthy organization. 

Chainsaw DOs

Here is the last list from Dave Leonard, Master Arborist-chainsaw DOs.

1) Front and rear guards protect hands from chain and branch.
2) Always use the throttle trigger interlock.
3) Keep safe footing, remove obstructions.
4) Carry the chainsaw with muffler away, bar behind, power off.
5) Use both hands-wrap your thumb around the top bar.
6) Inspect the saw for missing/loose screws.
7) Make sure the chain catcher is present.
8) Watch the saw nose-no contact.
9) Use a reduced kickback bar and chain.
10) Use proper safety gear: chaps, eye and ear protection, hard hat, boots, gloves.
11) Watch for hanging and dead branches-vibration.
12) Plan escape route 45 degrees-reverse.
13) Watch bystanders and pets.
14) Cut uphill side of log.

Hope these and the rest of the tips help you in pruning your trees this spring.

Spring Garden

Yesterday, we finally got our first things in the garden. This is about 2-3 weeks later than we usually do around here. I had surgery on Thursday and could not help but Mary and Mom did a great job getting things in the ground. They planted onions, spinach and beets. We are hoping to get potatoes, carrots and kohlrabi's in the ground in another week. I love when the first things go into the garden each spring.

The other things we did is I let Makenzie buy one set of Pansies. Pansies do not last around here very long because they are not really heat tolerant. Each year though, I just can't resist to buy just one small set of them so we can have a little color. The best news is the daffodils are getting close to blooming. Spring has truly sprung when those and the forsythia bush bloom.

What are your spring garden plans? Now is the time to be thinking about it if you live in zone 6. You can plant many of your cooler crops in March. 

Chainsaw Don'ts

The last two sections of the points that Dave Leonard, Master Arborist, shared with us were chainsaw safety. Sometimes the branches are too big and have to be taken off with a chainsaw. Here are his safety DON'TS with a chainsaw.

1) Never use a chainsaw alone.
2) Never use a chainsaw while on medication.
3) Don't smoke while fueling.
4) Don't overreach or cut above shoulder height.
5) Don't pinch the saw bar.
6) Don't work too closely to others.
7) Don't cut the ground,.
8) Don't saw from a ladder.

I have one more post to share from his pruning advice. It is chainsaw's DOs..

Japanese Earthquake

My heart grieves with the people of Japan today. I watched last night as the news reports came in and continue to happen. Please pray for the people of Japan today and the next several months as they recover from this devastation.

Tree Pruning-Don'ts

Here are the tree pruning don'ts according to master arborist, Dave Leonard. Items in parentheses are my comments either from notes or experience.

1) Don't prune trees like shrubs.
2) Don't leave ragged cuts or stubs.
3) Don't use hedge shears for general pruning.
4) Don't prune with sprung, dull or improper tools.
5) Don't prune more than 25%-33% of live wood in a season. (Leaves are the factories that create food for tree so it reduces its food potential which can overly stress tree if pruned too much.)
6) Don't make flush cuts. (make them at limb collar instead)
7) Don't expect pruning to compensate for defects caused by overcrowding, poor soil conditions, improper plant selection, etc. (in other words, do your research and pick the correct tree for the soil type and space that you have available)
8) Don't assume that every good gardener is a good pruner. Check out casual advice before you prune.
9) Don't climb trees! The hazards far outweigh the benefits. Call a Certified Arborist. (Being a do-it-yourselfer I would like to add to this by saying if you climb trees make sure you know what you are doing and use proper safety equipment and techniques.) 

Pruning Trees-Do's

I shared some basics of how I was taught to prune trees. Today, I was cleaning up a pile of papers. I came across a sheet of paper from a pruning class I took last year at the Fayette County Extension Agency. It was taught by Dave Leonard who is a Master Arborist. This a list of his "Pruning Do's" from that class.

1) Learn about the plant you are pruning and how to prune it.
2) Prune dead, broken and diseased portions of the plant at any time.
3) Keep your tools sharp and clean. Clean cuts seal quicker.
4) Make a cut only with a good reason and with an understanding of how your cut will affect the plant.
5) For safety and ease of pruning, use the correct tool for the job.
6) Always use proper safety equipment when pruning. (Safety goggles to prevent sawdust and wood chips from getting in your eyes are a must.)

I will share his pruning don'ts in the near future. 

Going Out to Eat

Confession time. I have to admit that one of my weaknesses in this journey to a more sustainable lifestyle is my addiction to restaurants especially fast food. When I am tired and don't want to cook, it is too easy to travel or stop by these places to get a quick meal. I am doing much better and continue to strive to overcome this problem but sometimes it is easy to slip back into it.

Yesterday, I was paging through a magazine that my parents had passed down to me called Countryside. It is a great magazine but one article hit me hard. It was titled Stop Eating Your Way Into Debt!. It took no hostages with our addiction to cheap fast food. Not only did it talk about fast food but also the sodas, snack and vending machine food that is also not usually counted. Here are some statistics fron the article to make you think.

1) The average American "consumer unit (2.5 people)" spent about $6300 (about $525 per month) on food in 2009.
2) Of this $2600 of that was spent on eating out which averaged about $216 per month.

Her suggestion was to take a week (or more) and write down the amount of anything that goes into you and your family's mouth. Take that and multiply it by 4 to get your average monthly expenditure on food. Next, total how much you spent on buying food out and impulse buys. Compare that to how much you spent on food prepared at home. The figures may surprise you. Remember not only is eating out hard on your budget but it is hard on the environment.

I continue to work on my "easy" food purchases and impulse buys. This article gave me extra motivation to work on this area even more.

Brush Pile

Yesterday, my husband and I finally finished getting rid of the brush pile we created a couple of weeks ago. We took down a diseased mature maple in our yard and have been working on the brush pile since. We cut up the larger pieces of wood and stacked them for firewood to be used in our firepit. We then had this huge leftover brush pile. We live within the city limits so burning it was out of the question. It was way too much for our composting area. We looked into renting a wood chipper for the day but it was too expensive. Finally, we risigned ourselves to having to get rid of it by hand.

In Lexington, the city will pick it up and take it to make mulch out of it. The problem is they have to be bundled in four foot long bundles and tied. This seemed like an overwhelming job at first. Then, my husband got a great idea. He took some scrap lumber he had laying around and made a base about 3 feet wide with 4 boards sticking up about 2 feet apart and about 3 feet high. We then put twine down on the ground, piled brush up between the boards, tied it and hauled it to the curb. 24 bundles  and 3 Lenny (what they call our lawn waste can here) loads later the brush is finally gone. It felt so good to take the last bundle to the curve last night.

I am glad that our city offers lawn waste removal and then they compost or mulch it. We do not use this service often because we have a large compost area in our yard. It feels good to finally have this big project almost completed.

Hiking

One of the things my husband and I have enjoyed doing since we were dating is hiking. Before we had children, we would hike several times a month. One of the reasons that we chose this area to live was the close availability of hiking opportunities. When our first daughter was born, we started hiking with her in the pack at 5 weeks old. When she started toddling, she would toddle for a bit and then we would pack her the rest of the way. As she got older, she would hike more and more of the trail with us until she could make the whole trip herself. We started the same routine with our second daughter but with her medical needs we have not been able to to do this with her as much. She does, however, enjoy a small jaunt in the woods.

I find hiking not only good exercise but very relaxing. I can walk in town and other places and get the benefit of the exercise but there is something that is mentally cleansing to me about hiking. I love the quiet. We tend to try to go on trails that are not heavily traveled. No matter the time of year, there is unique beauty in the season. We have not been able to go as much lately and I have really missed it. I look forward to the times when we are able to go though.

If you have not hiked before, try it sometime. It is great exercise and if done correctly should not have any impact on the environment except your footprints. Start on easier trails and work your way up. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it.   

Pinnacle Trails at Indian Fort Theater

Today is my husband and my 22nd wedding anniversary. Chuck took a half day off work and we decided to go hiking. Something we both enjoy doing. The weather cooperated and we had a nice hike. Today, we went to an area we have frequently heard about but have never hiked, Indian Fort Theater in Berea, Kentucky. The area is managed by Berea College and maintains about 8 nukes of hiking trails in the Pinnacle Area. The Forest helps protect the water source for the city of Berea.

We really enjoyed the hike. It was well worth the effort when we reached the East Pinnacle overlook. We passed a few other hikers along the way and they were friendly and helpful. We did not know whether to go to the East or West Pinnacle. Two people along the trail said they recommended the East Pinnacle as it had, in their opinion, the prettiest overlook. We had to agree with the pretty part. The pictures I have included don't give it justice. 

If you are ever in the Berea area, home of Appalachia folk crafts, take some time out for an afternoon hike to the pinnacles. You will find it well worth your time.

New Chickens

Monday, I ordered new Buff Orpington chickens for our house. I have spent quite a bit of time the last few weeks researching the type to buy. Our Rhode Island Reds are wonderful producers but a little more aggressive than I would like to see in a backyard chicken. I also wanted a variety of breeds as layers. In addition, we are sharing these with another family. We will be butchering some and keeping the rest as layers. Buff Orpintons seemed to fit the bill for both meat birds and layers.

The most important traits for me were how well they would lay eggs and their personalities. I wanted a breed that is known for not being overly aggressive, producing eggs regularly and was not prone to going "broody" on us. Broody is what they call a chicken who tries to sit on her eggs and won't produce more.

The next big decision was whether to have them vaccinated. After research I decided to have them vaccinated against the two most common diseases. I do not want to feed them medicated feed which inhibits one of the protozoa which is a common problem as chicks. This will keep us from having residual medication in the meat or eggs.

The first four weeks of their life our new chicks will spend inside our friends heated garage under a heat lamp. Last time, we had to keep them in the basement and I am just too allergic to them to try that again. When they are fully feathered, we will bring them here and move them outdoors. There they will eat a combination of commercial feed, bugs, seeds, table scraps and grass from our yard.

I will let you know how things are going as time goes on. Our chicks are due to ship the end of March. I will be sharing pictures at that point. I will try to post some each week the earlier part of their development so you can see how they grow. 

Pumpkin Muffins

Last night, we had butternut squash for supper. Had some left over so made pumpkin muffins for breakfast this morning. I have found that you can easily substitute in butternut as well as other squashes for pumpkin in most recipes. Found a new recipe that turned out really well. I made adaptations to the recipe to make it a little more healthier. I cut the sugar down from the original recipe. These are sweet enough that next time though I will cut the sugar down even more. Here is the recipe I used today.

Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups sugar)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or can use white flour for this also)
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce (can use oil for this also)
1/2 cup water
1 cup pumpkin (about half of a 15 oz can)

Mix dry ingredients together in medium size bowl. In smaller bowl, beat eggs with fork to combine, add oil, applesauce, water and pumpkin. Stir until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients just until combined. Put in muffin tins. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes for regular sized muffins and 20 minutes for mini-muffins.

Matthew 6:24-34

There are a group of Pastors who are graduates of Luther Seminary here in the USA that write and share devotions over the internet each weekday. Over the years, I have found them very helpful. Yesterday the devotion was over the sermon on the mount text about money and worrying. It was very moving for me and cuts to the chase about "affluenza". I would like to share it today in this post. Here it is:

God Pause

Reading: Matthew 6:24-34

I have too much stuff. My stuff needs storing, cleaning, repairing, protecting ... (Matt. 6:19). Yes, I serve my stuff. Therefore, the words, "You cannot serve God and wealth," (v. 24) convict me. The text further convicts me of my powerlessness to guarantee my life. Stuff is inadequate. Worry is ineffective. It is a matter of trusting God to provide for me.

Then, are people in poverty because they do not trust God? No! These verses are in context with the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-11), wherein Christ calls "blessed" the people who seem to be unfortunate. The passage also follows Christ's command to give discreetly out of love (Matt. 6:2-4). Today's text implores me to observe nature and recognize that God provides abundantly. There is enough for all if we justly distribute God's abundance. What stuff have I taken--stolen--that is more than I need and, therefore, not rightfully mine?

PRAYER: Merciful God, forgive me for serving material possessions! Please increase my trust in you. Impel me to share the abundance you have given me so that more of your children have enough. Amen.

Mary Simonson Clark
Minneapolis Area Synod Malaria Pilot Project Coordinator
Master of Arts/Master of Social Work, 2007

If you would like to read the text, here is a link to it. Matthew 6:24-34. This is from The Message. It is a modern day paraphrase of the Bible. Sometimes it gives me additional insight into the passage. Hope this devotion is inspiring also to you.