Teaching Good Things

Here is a little of what we've done today.

Tomatoes are probably the sloppiest thing to can.  

I have been wondering what are the pros and cons for canning and freezing.

I froze our blueberries. I picked some pears from my MIL's tree and am freezing them.

I was considering canning but not sure what is better. I am new to all of this and if

there is a book you suggest or a website to read I would appreciate it! I am in awed

that you picked 5 gallons! It took 1.5 hrs to pick 2 gallons!

 

Letisha

!!! 

There is an orchard about a mile from us that will let us pick the apples that are on the ground for free. :o) Jeff and the girls spent Saturday morning doing that with another neighbor. Only down side was that Jeff hurt his back.

Applesauce Great to put in apple cake or apple bread. The girls have also spent a couple days making apple cider with an elderly neighbor. I'll post those pictures tomorrow!

 

Taking a little time and a few scrap supplies you probably already have you can save money by making your own cards.

If you buy 20 greeting cards a year, at an average $3.00 per card, you are spending $60 per year.

You could make a 500 cards from one pack of cardstock for under $6.00 (you cut your card stock in half). You can buy 60 nice envelopes for under $5.

Using a little glue, ribbons, pressed flowers and leaves, colored paper, rubber stamps, markers, etc… you can make your own personalized cards that really touch people's hearts.

Just set aside one day and make up a bunch of them. The internet is full of ideas. You can also see my post from yesterday.

HERE are some Family Heritage cards I made a few months ago.

If you don't have time to make them, make it into an 'art' day for the kids!

For more frugal tips, hop on over to Biblical Womanhood. 

When I was a child, yes, way before email and text messaging, I had an aunt whose husband was in the military so our relationship was a long distance one. She was so good about writing letters and even sending an occasional handmade card; I was always intrigued with her cards. She made her own cards ‘when card making wasn’t cool’. I also had an elderly aunt, that I rarely saw, for some reason she took up writing with me, she was amazing! She once wrote me a letter all in rhyme, it was beautiful!

Don’t get me wrong, I love email, but I also find it sad that there are so few hand written cards and letters mailed anymore.

Today everything is fast and disposable, including relationships. Relationships take time and energy; writing letters or sending cards can help to develop a relationship. There are times that things can be said in a letter so much better than verbally.

A hand written card or letter can be treasured literally for a lifetime and beyond. Letters and cards are a way of documenting family history. I love going to my grandmother’s home and reading letters that were written when she was a teenager. I wonder how much of our history is going into the Trash folder on our hard drives and forever gone? I wonder how much of our journal keeping is being poured into blogs, only to be deleted one day?

There is an element of dying to self and serving others when you set time aside to write a letter or hand make something for someone. It is a beautiful way to love your neighbor. It is a giving of your time and heart. Hand written cards and letters can be an incredible ministry of encouragement for anyone, but especially for girls. Girls that are at home and want to serve God by encouraging others can use their time in such a productive way while they sow seeds of kindness with each written greeting.

Some Things to Consider:

v     Keep your words positive and upbeat.

v     Usually your goal is to encourage others. No one will enjoy a letter or card that has a negative overtone.

v     Share how God has provided for you or done something special.

v     Have a balance of reference about yourself and other people/things. You don’t want it to be all about YOU!

v     When sending out greeting cards, it is important that you know enough about the recipient to avoid accidentally being offensive.

v     Stay away from cards that poke fun, the stores are full of those. You want to be encouraging, perhaps humorous!

v     Consider the person’s interest and style, make the card relate to them.

v     Think of holidays or seasons that give special opportunity to share the goodness of God. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are times when people are more open to hear/read Scripture.

v     Address the Envelope Properly- You should send your card to the home of the recipient, not their place of business. Unless it is something personal like a birthday, get well, etc… it should be addressed to the spouse also, using Mr. and Mrs.  Children are usually impressed when they receive an envelope with Miss or Mr. before their name. 

Have a Plan!

v     Make a list or calendar of people you would like to minister to with your cards. Note birthdays and/or holidays.

v     Set aside one or two days a year and make cards in bulk.  Be sure to make some extras.

v     Organize and store your cards and supplies.

v     Buy stamps ahead of time and put them on the envelope. This is half the battle.

v     The difference is not how artistic you are, but it is making it personal. Don’t fret about your card being fancy, just be yourself.

v     As much as possible write out all the parts, the greeting, the signature and the address.

v     Develop legible or even beautiful handwriting. Anyone can write nicely it is just a matter of self discipline (practice). Don’t you enjoy getting an envelope with pretty handwriting on it?

v     Be flexible and don’t give up. If you have a time when you can’t get any cards out, just pick up where you left off. Sometimes life is crazy!

Opportunities:

v     Birthdays

v     Sympathy

v     Elderly

v     Missionaries

v     Distant Family

v     Nursing Homes

v     Sick Children

v     Church Members

v     Bereaved

v     Sick

v     Struggling

v     Thank You

v     For no reason at all! 

Sympathy Card Etiquette

v     Mail your sympathy card as soon as possible after the death.

v     Always include your last name, even if you know the family well.

v     Send the sympathy card to the closest relative of the deceased, usually the widow/widower or oldest child.

v     Keep it short and simple, unless you have a special memory you would like to share.

Think of Christmas Cards, don’t we love getting them?  

v     Do we really take time to read the pre-printed greeting?

v     Do the ones with the pre-printed signature make a big impact on you?

v     Do you respond differently (emotionally) when there is a handwritten note inside?

v     Don’t you love it when there is a picture included?

Christmas cards are a big part of Christmas tradition. This is an ideal time to share the Gospel during such a commercialized, God mocking season. Consider setting aside some time to put serious effort into your Christmas cards. It takes planning and some money, but you’ll be amazed at how Christmas cards touch hearts. Make them personal, let people know they are not just another name on your list, but that you really want to communicate with them. Make them feel special! Remember it is about relationships.

Thanksgiving is another time to send cards or letters to people expressing your gratitude for them.

Not only is card making a way to show love to people, but it can also save your family money! A card from the store can range from $1 to $5. Plan ahead, make your own and save money!

  Here are some moms and daughters as they work on their stockpile of cards during our

 Domestic Day Camp

Card Making 

  Give her of the fruit of her hands;

and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:31

Kimberly said:

"…In a real-life, practical, down-to-earth way, Kathy Brodock takes you by the hand and shows you how to do it, making no assumptions that you already know things like how to fill a pastry bag with icing, or how to even make your own icing for that matter. For the record, I found out while watching the video that I had been doing both wrong all along. I felt like I had a girlfriend over, showing me how it's done.

I wasn't the only one watching the cake decorating DVD, though. Each of my children were soon digging through the pantry to see if we had some Crisco and powdered sugar so they could whip up some icing to practice with."

Here are a few pictures from our Jewelry Making Class during our Domestic Day Camp last week.

This week we are doing Card Making!

Today was our first Herb Class. One of our teachers was not feeling well so Olivia had the class to teach for herself. In my humble opinion as her mother (OK, hear a little pride puffing up), I must say I think she did a great job. She has had plenty of experience with public speaking, giving 5-8 minute speeches, but not necessarily 'teaching' a room full of people for 3 hours.

I guess it helps that she has studied herbs for 2-3 years and has a prosperous herb garden of her own. I know this is a bad picture…I'll hear about it later. ;o)

 For lunch she made an herb vinaigrette, salad, roasted tortilla chips, chicken kabobs, choc cheesecake garnished with mint. We also had herb butter with wheat rolls and crackers.

Each family had a set of herbs on their table to see, smell and identify. Although this was a Domestics class we let boys come to this one since herb gardening is a pretty neutral skill. 

We also played an identification game…be careful about playing with that Ferrill family, they are serious competitors! 

Each family went home with a pot of five different herbs. What a smart bunch! ;o)

THANK YOU to everyone that came and we look forward to hearing about your herb gardens and what you are making with them.