Be Touched By the River~

8 He said to me, "This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to

the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water

 [of the sea] becomes fresh.

9 Every [kind of] living creature that swarms will live

wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this

water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the

 river goes.

 10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.

 These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will

 consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.

11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.

 12 All [kinds of] trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river.

 Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they

will bear fresh fruit because the water [comes] from the sanctuary.

Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves

 for medicine."

Ezekiel 47:8-12

Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty

We have had Thinking Putty in our home for about 5 years. It has been
used by all the children to help them with their fidgeting and now I have
found a new use for it.

As I use my hands a lot in playing music, I have been experiencing some
stiffness in my hands. When trying to build up speed in my mandolin picking
and remain accurate, I have come to realize that my hands are very weak.

While learning the chords and strength for finger placements, sometimes I have to
really stretch to make the chords or hit the notes.

A little history...

Crazy Aaron first created his putty back in the late 1990’s when he was building
websites in an office setting. He was inspired to develop the perfect desk toy, which
took off after he placed an order for 100 pounds of bouncing putty. He experimented
and did research for his product until he concocted a whole line of great colors and
textures. It was soon after that his co-workers began stopping by his cubicle to buy
their own tin of Thinking Putty.

When the demand for Thinking Putty outgrew what Aaron was able to make in his
mother’s basement, he moved the manufacturing to a vocational facility in suburban
Philadelphia. His company now provides jobs and teaches practical skills to
exceptional people with special needs.






When you order the putty you receive a card displaying and explaining a variety of
exercises that you can do to strengthen your hands.

I have personally made up my own exercises. You can personalize them to your
own needs. My hands have become stronger and most of the stiffness is gone
from them. Being consistent is a real key as with any exercise. I try to use it three times
a week.

It doesn't break apart much and it doesn't dry out. Though I have never experienced
a leftover mess, I did find a very small piece stuck to our living room carpet today...so it
isn't fully "mess proof." But mostly.


If you would like to order your own, visit Amazon  or go to Crazy Aaron's Putty World
to learn more and or to order.

Have fun!

Life is Rich... God is Good

God promises blessings in our lives. I must say that I am a blessed woman. These past two
weeks have been a whirlwind of blessings and challenges. Family... friends..truth revealed..
affirmation..special memories.. And God proving His faithfulness again and again.

I feel so behind on blogging, but I know that God has put this blog in the place where it
belongs as far as priorities and I am grateful that I don't have to fret about
the days when I just cannot get to it. He truly does order our time when we commit it
to Him.

I hope you all have been having as blessed a summer as I have. In the midst of the loss,
God has shown himself to be faithful and loving and ever-near.

One of the greatest blessings that Jeff and I have experienced together this summer,
is the reunion of our adult children. To see them walking in the ways of the Lord and
leading their families in God's truth and love is just so affirming, rewarding and healing.

To worship with them, discuss the bible and to be able to pray with them in unity has
brought a joy to us that cannot be expressed.

We also had a lot of fun singing together and target shooting. When it

wasn't raining, there were folks gathered around the horseshoe pit.

The little ones enjoyed the goats, chickens and watering whatever they

find! So precious.

God is so good to bring forth fruit from the things that we sow

in His name. Sometimes we are unsure of the progress and we toil over

and pine over our mistakes. It is in spite of us that He brings life.

As we walk in obedience to His Word..no perfection.. we can

rest in the fact that He is ever watching over His word to perform it.

Be blessed and encouraged. Walk in joy as He works His will and weaves His plan

and purposes in your life.



Keeper of the Home... A Relevant and Interesting Link~

A couple of weeks ago, I had shared about the treasure trove of blogs and websites
that I have found to be insightful, fun, inspiring as well as offering answers to questions.
Not that I am an expert on blogging or on what my friends are seeking answers to.

I would just like to recognize some of these wonderful places to visit and share some
of these with you.

Trove: A collection of valuable items discovered or found


Keeper of the Home is a wonderful site that offers information about homemaking,
health and nutrition. Organic gardening and recipes are a few other features that you
will find here. There are interesting articles about family, frugality and stewardship

"She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness
 (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat" -Proverbs 31:27 (AMP)

I hope you enjoy this site and find it as helpful and interesting as I have.

A Beginner's Herb Garden~

Summer is such a glorious time to be out. I look for every reason

possible to be in the fresh air.

One of my favorite past times is to work with herbs. I find it to be very

therapeutic. Using herbs as culinary flavorings is a very rewarding

way to utilize what I've grown. Nothing brings food to life or can

 substitute the flavor of fresh herbs.

Growing and maintaining herbs is not difficult. They are a wonderfully fun

and exciting way to introduce children to gardening or to encourage some

one who may need a little boost of confidence in growing things.

They really are very easy.

A few reasons why herbs make a perfect beginner's project are:

*they are easy to establish

* they are low maintenance

*they provide a quick yield

*they are pleasing to the eye

*they spark creativity

Our newly transplanted Basil plant. This pot is right outside our back door.

The children have always loved to go out and pull off the fresh leaves

for tomato sandwiches or a pasta salad in the making.

Thyme

  

This delicate looking plant is one of my favorites.

It's delicate appearance can fool a person though. Last winter, I brushed

the snow away to cut fresh pieces from it to add to a batch

of herbal vinegar that the girls and I were making. 

I also mix it in chicken salads and rub it all over my

turkeys before I roast them.

 OH! The aroma that comes from the oven~ 

 

Catmint or Catnip

Our cats crawl in the middle of this plant or lay on it.

Sometimes they break off entire branches! They can't resist it.

This can used for tea or dried and used to make cat toys.

It grows very quickly into a beautiful, bushy plant; it's been cut

back three times already this season.

Verigated Sage

I use this for stuffing and a homemade turkey sausage recipe that

our family enjoys. It smells so good drying in the kitchen.

Yarrow

This plant makes a lovely addition to a dried arrangement

or just used by itself.

Chives

We cut this fresh and chop it for our baked potatoes.

Oregano

Apple Mint

This is our second planting of Apple Mint.

Last year we lost it because it was in too hot of a spot.

Mint does prefer a bit of a cooler location. This year, I re-located the mint

so that is gets about half sun and half shade. It has

established well. I included a photo of the new shoots coming

only 5 days after transplanting. I was very surprised.

(Many herbs are draught tolerant. However, I have found in this

brutal AZ. climate where I live, even the hardiest of plants need

extra water and sometimes prefer part-shade.)

The Apple Mint with it's new shoots!

 Common Sage

Many herbs are perennials which means they come back

each year without re-planting. This is helpful to

the budget and also makes anticipating springtime even more fun.

The plants grow in size and can often be propagated each year.

Plants make wonderful gifts or if you are of the entrepreneurial

mindset, you can pot and sell them at a local farmer's

market or craft fair.

Herbs can be grown in ground or they make wonderful plants

for container gardens. I like to mix them up with flowers when I

plant in containers.

If you put them on pots, and have a nice south-facing window,

they can wintered inside very well.

Here is my pot of Rosemary that I moved inside last winter.

It wintered very nicely.

This south facing window is in my bedroom.

I was very glad to add some green to my sanctuary

for the winter. (I am VERY big on green things inside.)

Not only do I enjoy just looking at my herbs, touching them releases

the wonderful aroma into the room.

As you can see, herbs provide so much enjoyment and

are useful as well.  They can be used in foods, preserving, crafts and

medicinally. The possibilities are limited only by one's

creativity and desire.

If you enjoy herbs but aren't really

sure how to use them, here is a book that will help you get 

started. It is called The Pleasure of Herbs

and is available through Amazon Books.

It is not a new resource but it is my old favorite.

I have used it as a reference for twenty years.

 Just the fact that it is still available

today speaks of its relevant information.

Here is a description of the book.

This lively book is brimming with information about herbs and herb growing.

 There are 298,000 copies in print.

Whether it's creating an herbal wreath for Christmas, a circular herb garden in April,

a bridal bouquet in June, or a savory harvest feast, this lively book is brimming

with dozens of exciting things to do with herbs every month. You'll learn to plant

an indoor herb garden, make herb breads and jellies, grow and use everlastings,

create pomanders and herbal pet aids, and much more.

Each chaper presents a potpourri of projects appropriate to a different month.

 In February, for example, you plan your spring gardens -- a perennial fragrance

bed, an all-purple garden, and all-thyme garden, a knot garden. Meanwhile you

luxuriate in a lavender bath and sip a hot tisane (herbal tea) -- or perhaps concoct

an herbal valentine. November, on the other hand, features recipes for poultry stuffings,

directions for making gift baskets, potpourris, and Thanksgiving condiments,

and instructions on bedding down the garden for the winter.

An extensive "Gourmet Gardening" section begins each chapter, with advice

on seed-starting, soil preparation, companion planting, organic pest control,

harvesting, and garden wrap-up.

The book also includes:

* A culinary "herb-of-the-month"

* A chart of botanical names and families

* Harvesting and preserving tips

* A brief encyclopedia of herbs

* A list of herb suppliers

* A bibliography

I hope this information was helpful

and that you will be able to begin gardening soon!