My Neck of the Woods

In my neck of the woods we decided to get a coconut.
 
It was a very pretty coconut.
My two youngest wanted to open it. So G know just how to do that. Of course it involved power tools. He drilled a hole it in. We tried to drain the juice/milk. But it was all dried up.  Now we had a coconut with a hole it in. But we could not open it. So what do you think my family did next? They did what any right minded family would do. They took it outside to throw it at the patio.

It was Moldy on the inside. Yuck!
Did I mention that I had bought this coconut before Easter?
So what did my kids do with the coconut? They gave it to the dogs to play with. Coconut Shells make great chew toys- they last forever. Well much longer than any other toy we give the labs.
















For more great In My Neck of the Woods stories head on over to the great ladies at The Real House Wives of Oklahoma

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Ultimate Blog Swap -

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Open Eye Health  about Green Living , and I’m excited to welcome Jeri to Granola Catholic


I wasn't sure what to write for this guest post at first. After all, I am a non-Catholic, un-green mother of four who is more squishy than crunchy (and I had to look up the definition of frugal). But as women, mothers, world citizens and Christians, we are really much more alike than our About pages would suggest. With that realization in mind, I have decided to write about faith.
As a child, my family did not attend church; not religiously at least. So, I did not grow up hearing Bible stories. My parents did join a church and when I started going to youth activities with friends. While I am sure that faith is tricky for many life-long church goers, I wonder sometimes if faith would be easier for me if the concept had been introduced earlier. It doesn't really matter, because as it turns out, faith would find me and plant itself in my heart in a way that I could not ignore.
My first lesson in faith was a parting gift from an ex-boyfriend. I was a 21 year-old college student living in Florida. I was certain I had found the man I would marry in a Marine stationed in Hawaii, but youth and distance led to a break-up. I took my broken heart to church and I began to study the Bible. My tearful prayers were usually something like:
Dear God, please help me as I accept that marrying Marine is not part of your divine plan for my life. Help me, God, as I surrender to Your will. But, if you could re-consider, because I can't believe that there is anyone on the planet better suited for me. Please, please have Marine call me and fix this.

Sigh. I had sympathetic ears at church, but none more so than Rodney, who often filled in as my Sunday school teacher. Rodney listened patiently for over a year as I mourned the death of this relationship. One day, on his way home from work, Rodney stopped by. I launched into my typical song of heart break and torture, but Rodney was no longer sympathetic. He said to me, “Wow. If you can't move past this, you are going to be an old lady who lives with 15 cats and scares the kids in the neighborhood.” Move past this. Not get over it or stop hurting. Accept and move on.
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

I was stuck in the past because I didn't have faith that God had a future planned for me. Soon after that chat with Rodney (who is now a pastor), I saw the man who would be my husband. At church. I still had a couple of bad relationships to learn from and he was dating someone else at the time. But eventually, we would marry in the church God led me to when I was wounded and needed comfort. And faith.
Today, I am so often amazed that God loves me enough to pick James for me. He isn't perfect (he is a man, after all), but he loves me perfectly. James softens my rough edges and fortifies my weaknesses. James believes in me; when James looks at me, he sees the very best of who I am. Just as God intended. This is the love God planned for me. Knowing that brings me to my knees. Knowing that James was chosen for me is the only proof of God's love for me that I will ever need.
Faith is not constant. Faith, for me, ebbs and flows. But I never have to look far to find evidence that God has a plan for me, and it is so much better than anything I could wish for myself.
Jeri Nowlin Shaffer lives in Pensacola, Florida with her husband and their four children. With a B.S. in Elementary Education, Jeri is currently a stay-at-home mother and freelace writer. Learn more from her blog, www.mothering4.com

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When Bad Things Happen - Joplin Tornado

Edited 5/24 by Lisa - The Granola Catholic - The weather in this part of the country flared up again tonight.  Tornado warnings from west of Oklahoma City through my neck of the woods. The news is still covering the storms. So many lives are being affected by this same weather system. Please keep everyone in your prayers


As I sit here tonight in my safe house typing this, I am watching the local news coverage of the tornado that hit Joplin. Joplin is a quick (in this neck of the woods) 1 hour drive from us. Yesterday I went with my children to downtown Tulsa. While enjoying ourselves at several Art festivals. Pi grabbed my camera and snapped these pictures. Little did we know that These dramatic clouds would grow to be fearsome storms

























and leave damage
 that looks like this.
One third of Joplin Mo, is gone. Over 100 are dead.  Recovery has been made difficult by the ongoing bad weather.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected. Right now the best way to help is with donations.



If you are interested in helping you can do can send donations to

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri Office:
CCSM/ 601 S. Jefferson Ave. / Springfield, MO 65806. Please note on the donation “Joplin”. 

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Wood Cutting Boards–Why I use them

The other day I mentioned that wooden cutting boards are better than plastic. Why do I use  wood cutting boards. I have always used them. but I have also used other types of cutting boards too. Over the years, I have used glass, plastic, silicon and wood. But  these days I prefer my wood cutting board. Not only is it pretty and not likely to wear out or never need replacing it is a better product. My current favorite wood cutting board is older than my oldest child.. 
Why did I decide that wood was best?
Several factors went into my decision.

• Wood  repels the pathogens. Researchers at UC Davis discovered in a recent study that  hard woods repelled microbes. They were concerned that the wood would be harder to clean than the plastic. What they found was the opposite. Wooden cutting boards that had many cuts continued to act as new wood. Whereas plastic cutting boards that were knife scarred were impossible to clean hard to disinfect. More bacteria was recovered from a used plastic cutting board than a wood surface.
• Professional chefs prefer wood cutting boards.
• Over time wood pays for itself. It may cost more to begin with but. because it is durable and can be resurfaced it will last a long time. I have several wooden cutting boards that are over 10 yeas old.
• Wooden Cutting boards are better for your knives. Plastic boards are somewhat harder than wooden boards, your knives will most likely dull more quickly when cutting on a plastic cutting board

Some points to Remember

• You really should have at least two separate cutting boards. One reserved for just for meat. I keep two cutting boards for this reason. One is the meat board the other is the fruit and vegetable board. I never mix the two. If you mix you run the risk of cross contamination.
• Clean your board and make sure it dries thoroughly. This will help keep the bacteria off of it.  I have found that vinegar works really well for this  To disinfect and clean my wood cutting boards I wipe them with full-strength white vinegar after each use. I keep a spray bottle of undiluted vinegar handy in my kitchen for cleaning counter tops too.
• To preserve the life of your cutting board it is important to take care of it. It will need to be oiled periodically, Food grade mineral oil is recommended.

I

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Confirmation

Today I will be sponsoring a young lady from the Parish as she is confirmed. Today my husband will be assisting the Bishop on the altar. Confirmation means a lot of things but to a Catholic it primarily means that you have received the gifts of the holy spirit
What is Confirmation?
When you  confirm something means it means you establish the truth or correctness of (something previously believed, suspected, or feared to be the case). It also means that you state  with assurance that a report or fact is true. So if that is what the word means in plain English what does that have to do with being Catholic?
For Catholics, Confirmation is one of the Seven Sacraments, and one of the Sacraments of Initiation. During Confirmation the candidates are confirming their belief in God and Jesus and reaffirming the baptism vows made on their behalf by their parents and Godparents.  During Confirmation the candidate receives the Holy Spirit and the gifts that it brings.
Why do Catholic Confirm?
Catholics find their foundation for Conformation in scripture  Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17:

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation is typically performed by the local Bishop. That is because the bishop through has received his authority from the Pope, who can trace his authority back to the first Bishop of Rome – Peter the Apostle. It is though the laying on of hands that have that Confirmation is passed on to the Candidate. No candidate stands alone however, since no of us are alone in Christ. Each candidate has a sponsor to help guide them on their way to the full richness that faith can deliver.

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Perfect Pairings

 

 

 

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord …

(Psalm 37:23) 

 

I am pairing up with the Perfect Pairings

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Conserving Water for your Garden–Ten Tested Ways to Save Water

I have always been a survival of the fittest sort of gardener. Meaning that if plants to do thrive I do not plant it again.  Now here in Oklahoma we have some brutal summers. HOT and dry. We often go from rainy and cold to 100 degrees in what seems like a week.   So what is a frugal gardener to do? Several years ago we were in the midst of a drought and  I got sticker shock from my water bill. Off the library I went, looking for answers to my water woes. I stumbled upon this book The Complete Guide to Water Storage: How to Use Tanks, Ponds, and Other Water Storage for Household and Emergency Use (Back-To-Basics Conserving) I know a long tittle,but what an enlightening book it was. It led me to investigate and try new ways of saving water. 
I was already doing the usual things to save on water. Like water in the cool part of the day, Planting climate appropriate plants. But now I add these water conservation tricks to my arsenal.

1. I started collecting Rain Water – You can get rain barrels if you want but any container will work in a pinch.
2. I started saving our grey water. Grey water consists of any water used to wash. That is dishwasher, washing machine, showers, tubs. My dream house will have a grey water system. Before we fixed our shower faucet it leaked. I put a 5 gallon bucket under the shower head to collect the dripping water
3. I put  an old horse trough that I put next to the garden. I have it set up with a soaker hose so that I can use the collected rainwater to water the vegetable garden
4. I plant drought hardy native plants and grasses  in my flower beds.
5. I water less frequently but for a longer period of time. This encourages a deeper root system
6. I use mulch and compost. These help the soil retain moisture
7. I save kitchen water. That is the water from rinsing vegetables from the garden, any cooking water and any leftover water from our water bottles. I put this water into a bucket outside my kitchen door to use for watering my plants in containers.
8. I collect the water that drains when I water my hanging baskets and reuse it.
9. I found out just how much water my garden plants needed. Most vegetables need 1” a week. I track the actual rainfall and adjust my water schedule accordingly.
10. I make sure the water is going where it is needed, not on the driveway or sidewalk.

What are some of you ways you save money in the garden?

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