Global Food Shortages-Starvation Has Begun...

Bible Gateway sent me this email. Please consider helping. The situation is dire. I have been reading about the starvation that is happening all around the world. The parents must be so desperate too.  I would hope that if you or I were in this situation that someone would help us...

https://worldconcern.org/donate/campaigns/bg

Dear friend, This is hard. But I need to share it with you: Our country director just shared a heartbreaking story — In the span of just three days, in one remote village of Somalia — 5 children died of starvation. Catastrophic drought and a global food shortage have collided to create a life-or-death hunger crisis in this African nation and throughout the Horn of Africa. Children are the hardest hit, as they are the most vulnerable to malnutrition. The first to suffer, the first to die. Today, as 1.5 million children in Somalia fight to survive, we are so thankful you’re here to save lives by rushing emergency nutrition and proven-powerful Nutripackets to rapidly restore a malnourished child to health. Normally, it costs just $12 to feed a child with Nutripackets for an entire month, but right now — thanks to special grants, your gift to feed hungry children will be doubled in impact — so your gift of just $12 will feed TWO children for an entire month. Give Now Nutripackets are a gift from God sent through friends like you — a fast-acting miracle for hungry and malnourished children ... Like 19-month-old Ali, whose upper arm measured just 12.5 centimeters — dangerously malnourished. But after a few months of Nutripackets, his arm measured 15 centimeters — healthy! And 6-month-old Nimco who weighed just 4.6 pounds — smaller than most newborns! After being stabilized in the hospital, she began eating Nutripackets ... and nearly DOUBLED her weight within a few weeks! ... but they must receive the Nutripackets in time. Thank God, you can help them. You can feed these hungry little ones today and save their lives. Just $12 is all it takes to provide food for TWO children — like Ali and Nimco — for a whole month. Your gift of $36 will feed six little ones! Please, pray about how generous you can be ... about how many children you can feed in Jesus’ name ... about how many lives you can save. And give as God leads. Give Now Thank you in advance. God bless you, Nick Archer President Thank you for your consideration, Mrs. Smith

The Heath Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea...

Hibiscus herbal tea is made from the dried sepals of the roselle flower, otherwise known as Hibiscus sabdariffa. Sepals enclose and protect the flower’s petals before they appear. They also provide support for the petals after the flower blooms.

Sepals of the roselle flower.

Dried sepals of the roselle flower.

I purchased a pound of dried Hibiscus flowers online for around $12

 

This dried Hibiscus is ready to be made into hot or cold tea.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Please seek guidance from your doctor or pharmacist for any interactions with medications.  

Benefits:

Rich in antioxidants

High in vitamin C

High in Iron

Fights inflammation

Lowers cholesterol

Lowers blood pressure

Fights bacteria

Promotes weight loss

Supports liver health

 

7 Benefits of Hibiscus Tea by The Cleveland Clinic 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-hibiscus/  

Enjoy!

Hibiscus is tart and fruity flavored and makes a wonderful tea. Add about a tablespoon of dried Hibiscus flowers to a cup of boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. If you prefer cold tea, let cool to room temperature before adding ice cubes. Sweeten with a healthy sweetener if desired.

Things To Be Happy About:

Warm winter days

Dachshunds

Hibiscus tea

Winter boots, gloves, hats and scarfs 

Trying something new

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

 

I Slept Through The Storm...

 

I slept through the storm last night. I must have been exhausted after many nights of restless sleep. Number One says that "It roared" all night long. We only have a couple of inches of snow, but it was the wind that was so fierce.  

Wouldn't it be nice to sleep through all of the storms of life? That was my first thought this morning when I found out that I had slept through the storm. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up and find out that everything is as it should be? 

Scripture speaks about such a time when all things will be as they should be. Here are a few Scriptures that I cling to when I am struggling with the things of this decaying world.

Adonai is near those with broken hearts; he saves those whose spirit is crushed. 

Psalm 34:19

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 

Psalm 147:3

In my distress my comfort is this: that Your promise gives me life.

Psalm 119:50

It is blowing up a ground blizzard right now.

Things To Be Happy About:

Having a warm place to ride out the storm

Scriptures to cling to

Truth

Staple removers

Binoculars

Flocked wallpaper

Old dogs

Music

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

Extreme Weather - Hazardous Weather Watch...

...WIND CHILL WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING...

* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills possible. Wind chills as low
  as 50 below zero.

* WHERE...Somewhere in Colorado.

* WHEN...From Wednesday evening through Friday morning.

* IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite
  on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

The combination of wind and cold temperatures will create
dangerously low wind chill values. Avoid outside activities if
possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a
hat, and gloves.

Wednesday
Night
Snow and
Patchy
Blowing Snow
Low: -5 °F
Thursday

Blustery.
Slight Chance
Snow then
Sunny
High: 14 °F
Thursday
Night
Mostly Clear
and Blustery
then Mostly
Clear
Low: -8 °F
Friday

Mostly Sunny
High: 28 °F

• Things To Be Happy About:

Homemade Pizza

Raw sugar

Peppermint plant

Flags

Unusual Key chains

Wool socks

Extreme weather clothing

Homemade fun

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

• 
  

Remote Living In A Small House: Storage Challenges

Living in a small home has its challenges. One challenge is storage. There are different needs for different seasons, so we have different gear for each season. During the winter months, we need even more gear on hand to help us thrive in this cold climate. As the cold starts to move in, we start bringing in things like winter clothing and boots into the house from our storage. By late spring, it gets plenty crowded in here. 

We also have to bring in the items that shouldn't be stored in freezing temperatures like touch up paint and similar items. The guest room in the winter becomes a climate-controlled storage unit for us. Luckily, our winter visitors like to stay the night closer to the ski slopes. 

I'm wearing a "Couch Potato". It's basically a sleeping bag with sleeves and holes for feet. This was a gift from my in-laws about 30 years ago. This thing is warm. It's these types of things that stay in storage until we need them.

Boot row... We have winter boots, snow boots, summer boots, hiking boots, dress boots, casual boots and cowboy boots. They all have to be stored somewhere.

We also work from home. Wherever we are, our business goes with us. Our entire home is living and office space at the same time. Everything has to have its own place, or it would be utter chaos. I try to put everything back in its place before I start my next task. 

I must tell you that organized storage is necessary on a homestead. If you are just starting out, you have to have a place to store your tools and materials. If I were just starting out, I would put some sort of storage in first thing. We have done this a couple of times and storage is always an issue. 

We added this building after purchasing the property. You can do a lot with a building like this. 

Our small kitchen...

We have an incredible amount of kitchen tools for such a small kitchen. Most of our kitchen tools are stored. We keep our everyday kitchen items tucked neatly in our kitchen. 

The building

I have over 1200 books, and I enjoy them all. 

These are just a few examples of things that we store. We made a conscious decision many years ago to only purchase items that we could use. We did not need any more doodads sitting around collecting dust. 

Tools are an investment. A homestead requires a variety of tools, and they have to be stored correctly and secured somewhere safe. 

Storage needs differ. Do your homework before purchasing a storage building. We had our building built by a company out of Oklahoma. In Colorado, everything is more expensive by double, triple or more. Number One saved us over $30K by doing a little research. He also found a concrete finisher here in Colorado for a reasonable price. We provided all the materials for the job, paid him in cash, and he provided all the labor. 

We have lived in a big house, a medium house, a small house and in a townhouse. In the woods, on the lake, on a river, in the city and in the mountains. No place is perfect. Some places have more of one thing but lack other things. We get what we think that we need, then find out it's really not what we needed but what we wanted. Making better choices takes planning. We have to learn the value of good decisions. 

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

There's Nothing New Under The Sun...

What has been is what will be,
what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new
under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9

I woke up around 1 Am this morning and could not get back to sleep. I tossed and turned until I actually braved the cold morning and got out of bed. I put on all my cold weather PJs over the PJs that I actually wore to bed, and I immediately turned up the heat, that never went off last night. 

I do not like sleepless nights. Number One was also awake for some reason. We conversed on and off until almost daylight. Our conversations were groggy at best. Even the dog was restless. 

It could have been the wind that triggered all this sleeplessness. It started blowing about the time we woke up and it is still blowing with 30 + mph gusts. It was also cold with wind chills nearing -40. We are sitting at 21* degrees right now and a wind chill around -18*. We have exceeded our high today by 3* degrees.

Sunrise this morning...

It was chilly on the wall. It was not that cold in the house. The bedroom is a lot warmer at night because of the double-sided fireplace, so we keep it cool when we sleep.

My mom sent me these wonderful boots as a gift for my birthday. Super warm. Thank you, momma! 

Things To Be Happy About In Pictures:

Can you see our new buck?

There he is.

Another day, another visit. He is impressive.

It snowed about four inches a few weeks ago. 

We haven't had any more snow accumulate on the ground this year.

This is all the snow that is left. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Beans, An Affordable Source of Protein?

 

As news broke last week that meat is going to continue to rise in 2023 up to 30% more, I decided to take another look at the different proteins available at a reasonable price. Beans are a healthy alternative, although they have not been protected from inflation, they are still an affordable substitution for meat. They always have been. During the Great Depression, beans were a staple in most pantries. Beans alone are not a complete protein source, but if you serve a whole grain such as rice alongside your beans, you have a complete protein source and a filling meal at an affordable price.

Eggs are no longer an affordable protein due to the bird flu outbreak and shortages that we are currently experiencing. They are about .40 each now. Even if you purchase them in a 60-count carton, you are saving less than a penny an egg and will have to lay down about $23 bucks or more at the register. Colorado has a new law going into effect that only cage free eggs can be sold in the state. That is going to make the cost of eggs even higher as other states adopt this law. While I certainly support the humane treatment of animals, I also believe that humans also need to be able to eat and feed their children. This is a terrible time for this law to go into effect, while inflation and shortages run rampant through the food chain. 

White bean chicken chili, jalapeño cheddar cornbread served with a side of homemade fries. Number One added the homemade fries. Seemed like an odd combination, but he enjoyed the meal. 

We were able to find split chicken breasts at the store last week, but it is hit and miss at best. Number One decided to weigh some of our groceries to see if we were getting robbed. We are getting robbed. The chicken weight included the of all of the packaging in the price per pound. There is something wrong with this practice. The 10-pound bag of potatoes was also underweighted. I usually weigh bulk bags of potatoes and onions, but they have changed out the scales at this particular store. The scales are smaller. I don't know what you would even use them for. Looks, I guess.

What else can corporations possibly do to consumers to make more and more profits? As if Shrinkflation, price gouging and charging for the weight of packaging like it is meat isn't bad enough. What's next? Shame on you greedy corporations and whoever is politically responsible for allowing this kind of back door stealing to happen. I digress...

I have been keeping up with the situation in Europe concerning shortages, food inflation and energy costs. It is really bad over there. They (communities) have created warming centers in various types of businesses to warm those in need who do not have electricity. Some places serve hot tea and bread. 

We should not be too confident to think something like this could not happen here in the US, because it is already happening. 20 million households are behind on their utilities in the US. That is 1 out of six of your neighbors that can't pay their utility bills. 6 million households are behind on their rent. 

A meal made with beans a couple times a week can reduce your grocery bill by a sizable amount. There are so many ways to prepare beans. They are easily seasoned to replace meat in casseroles and soups. If the news is true about the shortages and price increases, beans are a great heathy way to consume less expensive proteins.

I make a big pot of beans and rice once or twice a month. I freeze the extras, so when I need to make a meal, they are already cooked and just need to be thawed. They both freeze well. Add beans and whole grains slowly to your diet, if you are not used to eating high fiber foods. I love to eat a bowl of brown beans with a side of fried potatoes, greens, cornbread, relish and sliced onions. That's the "Country Gal" inside of me, I guess.

The time to make changes is before a crisis happens. We have been warned that inflation on groceries is going to continue to rise. Slowly introduce changes to your family's diet for the best results, especially if you have picky eaters. 

Finding affordable meats and proteins are not the only challenge that we are facing today. I had to go to three stores last week to find whole milk. I have had to buy nasty bagged lettuce that rots in just a couple of days for ridiculous prices for a month now. 

But there are "Things To Be Happy About"

Cameo Rings

Antique Brooches 

Angel Winged Begonias 

Levi's 501 Jeans

Anticipation 

Knitted Afghans

Carnival Glass

Curly Ringlet Hair

Long Summer Floral Print Dress or Skirt

An Impending Snowstorm 

Wearing A White T-Shirt, Jeans and Tennis Shoes

Pony Tennis Shoes

Coxcomb Flowers

Reading Bumper Stickers

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

English Muffin Toasting Bread - Recipe

 

This bread recipe makes the best toast. Number One is a big fan of bread, and he likes it with almost every meal. We discovered English Muffin Toasting Bread many years ago, but it was hard to find a continuous source and the price kept going up, so I found a recipe for the bread on the King Author website. 

This is an easy to make yeasted bread that only requires one rising. It also has baking soda in it that produces the nooks and crannies to hold toppings like butter and preserves. It has a coarse crumb that toasts up very well in the toaster or in a pan.  

Just look at those nooks and crannies. 

Ingredients:

3 C all-purpose flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 1/2 Tsp salt

1/4 Tsp baking soda

1 Tbs yeast

1 C milk

1/4 C water

2 Tbs oil

Oil to grease the loaf pan

Cornmeal to dust the loaf pan

In a large bowl, add and mix all the dry ingredients together. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat milk, water and oil to 120 to 130 degrees. Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients and mix by hand for two minutes or beat on high for one minute. The dough will be very soft.

Check out the drip proof rim on my new Tramontina saucepan.

Lightly grease a bread/loaf pan. Dust the bottom and sides of the pan with cornmeal. Place dough in bread pan and level the dough in the pan as much as possible. 

Cover the pan and let rise until the dough crowns about 1/4 inch above the edge of the pan. This could take 45 to 60 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is. Place risen dough in a preheated 400-degree oven. Bake the for 22 to 27 minutes until bread is a deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped. 

Remove the baked bread from the oven. Wait five minutes, then remove from the pan and let the bread cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing. 

My house is very cool, so I warm up water in a pan and invert the lid, then place the bread pan on top of the lid to help the dough rise. This is my old cookware that did not last a lifetime. You can see why we do not want to use the set anymore. 

Side of the bread.

Bottom of the bread.

Things to be happy about:

Bedtime

A bowl made of Aspen

Leather shoestrings 

Snowflakes falling

Sorel Caribou boots

Wrought iron 

Eagles

Amazing feats

Sloppy hair buns

Enjoy,

Mrs. Smith