Curtains

Can you call it "sewing" if you didn't really "sew" anything?  I mean, I MADE these curtains.  I went to Wal-Mart and bought the fabric -- two yards thank you.

 I measured.  I cut.  And out came these curtains.  Well, I guess I should mention that I didn't buy any thread.  No reason to -- I don't own a sewing machine.  But I do have an iron.  So I bought this really cool stuff called HeatnBond.

 Amazing.  You just heat it and it sticks.  All I did is measure my fabric and then iron the HeatnBond tape to the fabric like so.

And voila!!!  It really took me about 15 minutes to cut the fabric, apply the HeatnBond, put the curtains on a rod and this . . . .

Turned into THIS!!!!!!!!!

What a difference.  I think it looks great.  And it's only taken me twelve years of living on our farm to get it done.  If I can do it, I know you can do it!  Go ahead, make some curtains!

Honesty

I would like to come to you today as I usually do, with words of encouragement and cheer, or at least something funny to share.  But if I am honest with you, my friends, today I need your prayers.

Do you ever feel like the devil has you in his sights?  I mean, feel like you have a big target on your back?  Well, that is how I feel today.  Over the past couple of weeks I have been dealing with some health issues.  It appears anything serious has been ruled out, thank you Father, but, I am waiting on final test results.  I am believing God for complete healing.  My mother-in-law had surgery earlier this week, and my husband and I had to take her to the ER last night to check out some complications.  Again, thank God, the doctors didn't feel it was serious and we were able to take her home.  And just this morning, my husband had to take our son to the doctor.  Evidently, while he was in weight class, the weight lifting bar slipped from his hand and hit him in the mouth.  Needless to say that in the collission of the bar and his teeth and his lip, the teeth and bar won.  The doctor didn't put stitches in his lip because he said it would heal better without them, no teeth were broken and he is at home with an ice pack on his mouth.   I praise God that he wasn't more seriously injured.  Hallelujah.

Ladies, I would ask you that you lift me and my family in prayer today.  It seems the enemy is on the attack but I know that greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world (I John 4:4).  I stand upon every promise God gave me.  That I am more than a conqueror thru Him (Romans 8:37).  That while in the world I will have trouble, I can be of good cheer because MY SAVIOR has overcome the world (John 16:33).

I know that these are not words on a page.  They are promises.  Heavenly promises that we have because we belong to Him.  I love Him so, and I know that He will strengthen me through this time of attack.

So today I come to you honestly in need of your prayers.  Please lift my family before the throne as I stand on II Corinthians 4:8-9 which says "troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."

The Bible tells us to pray one for another, to bear each others burdens.  Well, today I have shared my burden with you.  I know that God is in control, and that He will make something good out of every circumstance in my life if I will only put it all at His feet.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers.

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY

I am so excited.  In honor of my 20th FOLLOWER, I am having my first giveaway.  Oh, I know that lots of blogs have WAY more than 20 followers.  But my "followers" are awesome!!!  I want each one of you who "follow" my blog, and those who don't follow but come over to read and comment, to know that you are each so special to me.  I love reading your comments.  I learn from you.  You encourage me.  And I hope in some small way you take something away from reading Down On The Farm.  I blog about my everyday life, our farm, my kids, my husband, and my Lord.  Above all, I want to honor HIM in everything I say or do.  I want to be an encourager.  I want people to see Jesus in me.  I don't think I'm particularly talented or creative, just an ordinary girl, striving to be a woman of God.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I try to walk everyday living for Him.

Now, back to the giveaway.  I am giving away the Beth Moore Living Beyond Yourself 11 CD set!  This audio study focuses on the fruits of the Spirit.  You know, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  Come on, admit it, you're singing that song in your head . . . I AM!  If you haven't had the opportunity to experience a Beth Moore study you are in for a real treat. I have participated in several Beth Moore studies and I can tell you that, in my opinion, she is truly an anointed teacher and speaker.  You will laugh, you will cry, but most of all you will come away from this study with a fuller understanding of the Holy Spirit.  I promise you will be blessed.  (UPDATE!  When I say I have "participated in several Beth Moore studies" I mean that we have done the DVD study series at my church.  I have never BEEN to a Beth Moore study or met her in person, although I would LOVE too.  Just wanted to clarify that.)

So, if you want to enter, just leave a comment, and you're entered.  If you are a follower of Down On The Farm, or become a follower, leave a comment indicating that and you have another chance to win.  If you post on your blog about my giveaway and have a link back to Down On The Farm, again, leave a comment indicating that and you will have another chance to win.  Hey, that's THREE CHANCES!!!

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced on Monday morning, March 1, 2010!  Good luck everybody!!!!!

Prayer

This past Sunday morning our pastor spoke on prayer.  The Bible has much to say about prayer.  Prayer is conversation with God.  God is concerned with every aspect of our lives.  The good, the bad, everything.  One thing our pastor said that really touched my heart was "our prayer life defines our character, not our circumstances."  That is really true.

How many times do we pray frantically when something is wrong, but forget to say "thank you" when things go our way?  How many times have I sought God to HELP ME in my troubles, but forgotten to thank Him for sending His Son to die for me?  Many times I've let the day go by and missed so many little things He tried to show me, but you let something bad happen and I'm calling out His name every second.

So what does that say about my character?  I don't want to be a person who only prays in the bad times, and I don't think I am.  But I will admit that my prayer life is more "active" in a crisis than in the good times. 

I am striving to do as I Thessalonians 5:17-18 says "Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  That is my desire.  To continually talk to Him, and to be still so that He can talk to me.  Have you talked to Him today?

Homemade Hand Soap

Over the last year, I have been experimenting with making my own cleaning products.  It may sound strange, but I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from making something for myself.  Maybe that's why we can all summer long -- because it feels good to know that you did something with your own two hands.  I started off by making homemade laundry soap.  I used the recipe from the Duggar Family and I am still using it today.  Matter of fact, I made 5 gallon of laundry soap this afternoon.  I have under $3.00 in that 5 gallon of soap.  Right next to the sense of accomplishment I feel is the fact that I am saving a TON of money making my own cleaning products.  A few months ago I used the recipe from Carrie at http://farmingonfaith.blogspot.com/ and made my own fabric softener and my own spray & wash.  I must say I love them.  If I didn't I wouldn't use them.  As much as I love saving money, I want to know that my clothes are clean and smell fresh.  My homemade cleaning products work just as well as what I was buying.

Well, today, I added one more homemade cleaning product to my pantry -- homemade hand soap.  Once again, I used a recipe from Carrie at FarmingOnFaith (THANKS CARRIE!). 

I grated 1/2 bar of ivory soap into 4 cups of hot water.  I used a whisk and stirred it on low heat until it was completely melted.  Do NOT boil the water.  When the soap is completely melted, add 1/4 cup borax, 1/4 cup washing soda and a few drops of essential oil.  Stir well to combine and pour into a clean gallon jug (I used a milk jug).  Then fill the jug to the top with water and shake well.  I am going to let the soap sit overnight to thicken, and then try it tomorrow.  I am nearly out of liquid soap, so I am anxious to fill my Bath & Body dispensers (think $3.00 a piece on sale for 8 ounces) with my homemade soap. I know I have less than $0.50 in this gallon of soap.  I'll let you know what I think but since every other recipe from my blogging friend Carrie has been GREAT, I am certain I will love this too!

It's been cold and rainy here at Down On The Farm, but I've had a great day saving money and working with my hands.  What a GREAT DAY!

Easy "Homemade" Cinnamon Rolls

I love homemade cinnamon rolls.  They smell so good coming out of the oven.  And the icing, oh the icing.  Makes my mouth water just THINKING about them.  Problem is, homemade cinnamon rolls take a lot of time to make.  You have to mix the dough, and then KNEAD it.  I really hate kneading dough.  Then it has to rise, then you make the actual cinnamon rolls and it has to rise again.  Then you have to bake them, and let them cool just a tiny bit before you ice them.  And let's face it -- all that is really hard to do when you have to be at work at 8:00 a.m. and you have a 30 minute drive. 

Enter my blogging friend Christy at Southern Plate (http://www.southernplate.com/).  Christy has a TERRIFIC food blog.  And one of her posts is for homemade cinnamon rolls using frozen bread dough. 

Now, I know I heard some of you gasp.  "Homemade cinnamon rolls from frozen bread dough?"  Well, let me tell you I made them and they are absolutely delicious.  I took a loaf of frozen bread dough, and ladies, I bought Always Save, the cheapest brand the store carried, and set the loaf out to thaw on my kitchen counter.  When it had thawed, I put down waxed paper and floured it.  I rolled the dough out to a fairly good sized rectangle.  I melted 1/2 stick of butter (yes, real butter) and then spread that over the dough.  I took 1 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon, mixed those together and spread that over the butter.  Then beginning on the widest side, roll up the dough, cut the cinnamon rolls, and place them in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Now, I did this the night before I wanted to bake the cinnamon rolls.  So I covered the 9 x 13 pan with plastic wrap and left them sitting out on the counter until just before bedtime, then I put them in the refrigerator.  The next morning when I went into town to the gym I set them out on the counter to warm up a bit.   When I got back an hour later, I baked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then set them on a rack to cool.  I mixed up a little powdered sugar and milk for icing and let me tell you they were some of the BEST cinnamon rolls I have EVER EATEN! 

Seriously, don't they just LOOK delicious????

Do I feel bad that I didn't make the dough from scratch ? ? ? NOT ONE BIT!  Did my husband and kids complain, NOT AT ALL!  Were there any left over?  NOPE!!

So come on!!!!!  You really can have homemade cinnamon rolls with just a tiny bit of effort, and the miracle of frozen bread dough!  Check out Southern Plate for complete details of this cinnamon roll recipe.  You'll be glad you did!

Blueing Update

Regular readers will remember that a couple of weeks ago, I bought a bottle of Mrs. Stewart's Blueing.  You know, for people who finally admit that their clothes aren't as white as they used to be.  Well, I used it and I must say that I really didn't notice a difference.  Maybe a tiny, tiny bit whiter, but no OH MY GOODNESS, LOOK HOW WHITE OUR SOCKS ARE moment.  I was a little disappointed.  Our clothes need some brightness!!

So, I have taken to adding the blueing to every load of whites.  I put some cold water in a quart jar, add a few drops of blueing, add more cold water to fill the jar about half full, then add the blueing to my washer.  I have a front loading washer, so I add some to the fabric softener dispenser, some to the bleach dispenser, and the rest I put in the soap dispenser. 

I'll let you know how it goes.

Alexandra Dawn Griffith

There are 365 days in a year (well, 366 in a leap year).  And most of those days just roll on by.  I mean, really, how many days can you truly remember?  Well there are a few days I remember oh, so well.  And one of those days was February 15, 1996.  That was the day God blessed me with the most awesome daughter in the whole world.  Alex was born at 8:23 a.m.  She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20" long and she was beautiful.  She still is.

I am so very proud of my daughter, and proud to be her mother.  I pray every day that God will bless her, and keep her safe, and keep her close to Him.  I love you, Alex.  Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Farming On Faith is having a GIVEAWAY!

My sweet friend Carrie, at Farming On Faith, is having an awesome giveaway.  Carrie is very talented and is giving away some gorgeous spring necklaces that she made herself!

So, head on over to http://farmingonfaith.blogspot.com/ and enter this giveaway.

Somebody's gonna win and it might be YOU!!!

Chocolate Giveaway

I guess February is giveaway month.  The blogger over at http://seasonsofmymind.blogspot.com/ is giving away chocolate for Valentine's Day!  Hurry on over and enter.  Ya gotta love chocolate!! 

A $50 Giveaway!!!

One of my blogging friends http://www.mylittlepatchofsunshine.com/, is giving away a $50 coupon to Safeway.  So, click on over to the blog and enter.  The contest ends February 13th, with the winner being announced on Valentine's Day!  Don't you just love free stuff ? ? ?

Bluing ? ? ?

I went to the store yesterday to pick up a couple bars of Fels Naphtha soap.  I use Fels Naphtha soap in my homemade laundry detergent (yes, I made 5 gallon last night!).  While I was looking for the bars of soap, my eyes locked on this . . Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing. 

As I stood there in the grocery store I admitted to myself that my whites are no longer whites, they're grey.  My socks are grey, our under clothes are grey, it's a grey world I live in.  I want my white clothing back!

Have you ever used Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing?  If you have, I'd appreciate any advice you can give me before I "blue" every white item in my house.

I'm going to keep one sock out of the bluing and post before and after pictures.  Wish me luck!

Striving for Contentment

If you know me, you know that I don't like hot summertime.  I love spring, and I really love fall, my most favorite season, but when the temperature tops oh, say 85 degrees, I don't like it. It is so humid in Missouri in the summertime that once you get over 85 or 90 degrees it is just miserable.  Problem is, I don't like winter much either.  I like snow if I can stay home and watch it fall while eating a bowl of hot soup but I am rarely home so that doesn't happen much.  And I don't like really cold weather and in Missouri wintertime is C-O-L-D and L-O-N-G.  Today is February 1st and I am already tired of winter and spring is a long way away.  And, to make matters worse, for the last few years our spring and fall have gotten shorter and shorter and winter and summer have gotten longer and longer. 

So, I find myself complaining, a LOT, about the weather.  It's too hot, or it's too cold, or it's too windy, or its too wet and muddy.  But lately I truly feel led to STOP COMPLAINING.  God made each and every season.  He made the wind.  He made the snow.  And here I am complaining about them ? ? ?   Shame on me.

The Apostle Paul says in Phillippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." 

Hebrews 13:5 says "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."


I have to admit that this is not something that comes easily to me.  I have been guilty many, many times of looking at what I DON'T have, instead of what I DO have.  I have to admit that, but it is true.  I wish my house were newer, nicer, bigger. I wish I had more money.  I wish I could do this or that or go here or there.  But you know what, I have absolutely NOTHING to complain about.  I gave my heart to Jesus many years ago, and He has promised that I will spend eternity with Him!  My parents are alive and healthy and still married after nearly 47 years.  I have two amazing sisters, two beautiful nieces and two handsome nephews.  I have been married for 24 years to the love of my life.  I have the most wonderful son and daughter that God ever sent to this earth.  I have a roof over my head, I have my health, I have a job.  I AM A BLESSED WOMAN. 
 
So, today, I am going to renew my commitment to BE CONTENT.  Happiness doesn't come from what we have or don't have.  Happiness comes from inside ourselves, from  being at peace with Jesus and trusting Him in all things.  Happiness comes from knowing that no matter what, He will never leave us or forsake us. 
 
So today, I will not complain that the weather outside isn't exactly what I would have ordered.  I will praise God that I have a roof over my head.  I will not complain that I have to work today.  I will praise Him that I am not unemployed.  I will not complain that my house isn't the latest style.  I will thank God that it is a house filled with love. 
 
Won't you join me in thanking God for all His blessings?  He is so worthy of our praise!