Seasons of Life

There are many ups in downs in this giant thing we call life. The entire month of April and most of the month of May have definitely been on the down side for me~ as you can probably figure out due to the fact that my last post was March 31st.

Sometimes things happen and you can choose whether or not to become embroiled in them and sometimes things happen where you end up smack in the middle. I have been placed smack in the middle. I have lost some friends and I am sure that I don't care. My true friends have been right by my side. Checking in daily or weekly to ask how I am holding up, how my son is faring and if there is anything they can do to alleviate some of the pressure.

Well, my pressure will be alleviated in a few more days as soon as a verdict is reached and we figure out where life will take us next. Hopefully in June I can start writing again as my heart may be back in the game. I enjoy writing this blog for myself. It allows me to house ideas, memories and, well, life. The fact that some of you read it is just an added bonus. I'm not trying to be a know it all and I certainly don't think that my ideas are original....in case you haven't noticed,  there are not many original ideas left in this world!

Just as winter turns to spring, this life will shift into a new one. My chrysalis will split and I will emerge again from what I once was to what I am to become next.

Peace and God Bless~

Easter...

He is risen...

Noodles-

A fun recipe I found years ago. I have been trying to figure out ways to use up my eggs and I think this is a good use!

                                                           


                                                            Noodles

Ingredients:

8 cups all purpose flour
1 dozen eggs


Measure flour into a large bowl

Break eggs into another bowl and whisk, just enough to mix yolks and whites together

Using a fork to combine, add the eggs to the flour

If the flour seems too dry, add another egg

Knead until smooth.  If sticky, add more flour

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll into a thin circle.

Let air dry for several hours. Cut dough into 1 inch strips.

Spread a single layer of cut noodles onto wax paper and let air dry until all of the moisture is gone.

Store in an air tight container.


I have a couple of recipes using these noodles that I will post in the next few days.

Enjoy~

Good Friday

It is Good Friday.

Praise the Lord...

Maundy Thursday

If your life has been anything like mine, you have run into a few Judases. Luckily, the other disciples who fill our moments outnumber any Judas that may stumble into our lives. Holy Week has always weighed heavy on my heart. The love, the betrayal, the grace and the abounding comfort that is found in the arms of the Lord humbles me completely.

Maundy Thursday is also about service-the washing of the feet, the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine. I am focusing on Judas this year because I am dealing with a Judas right now. Still pretending to be a solid friend, yet betraying me at every opportunity they can. I don't think any silver is  changing hands- they are doing it for free~for fun...

                                     Matthew 26:19-30


And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I?

And he answered and said He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 

The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 

Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.


(You can absorb more details of the Last Supper and the betrayal of Judas in other areas of scripture (Luke 22:47-53, John 13: 21-30, Mark 14: 18-21) and others? I am not a scholar of scripture.)

I wish you a blessed Holy Week. May your life be free of the Judases of the world and overflowing with those disciples who love and care for you and will never betray you- no matter how much silver is promised to them...

More Comfrey...

So yesterday, I kind of teased you with eating comfrey and that it tastes like a vegetable that you already eat and enjoy...have you figured it out yet? YES, you are right! It is spinach. It is said that the first leaves in spring can be cooked and eaten just like spinach. The leaves are hairy, but the hair disappears after cooking.

As the season goes on, you can cook the older leaves in the same manner, but you have to cook them in many changes of water because they are bitter and the boiling off in many changes of water takes most of the bitterness away. I am going to be trying both the new leaves and the older leaves this spring and summer. I am SO looking forward to it!

As far as medicinal uses for comfrey, there are a few. The part that has the most properties for healing is the root of the plant, but you can do some things with the leaves in the area of medicinal uses. Using the root, a powder is made. There are several steps to this process and I would rather show you than tell you. Basically, it is this powder that you rub on wounds that won't stop bleeding (not deep or gaping wounds)-this process leaves no scars and heals faster than left without the comfrey powder.

There is also a use for the powder in simmering it in water and ingesting it. This is said to help digestive problems, diarrhea, ulcers, coughs, abscesses, bleeding gums, body wash, a poultice for bruises, boils, bee stings, poison ivy, sprains, pains and arthritis.

You could also mix the powder with the dried leaves to make tea. There is so much to experiment with this summer!

If you have any other information or knowledge on this all around power plant, please let me know!

Best~

Do You Comfrey?

As we took down the fencing and scoured the fresh earth that had been covered by years of debris, we found a beautiful little bunch of leaves. I mean beautiful. They were growing next to an ancient bittersweet bush. We managed to save them both. The question always rattled around in my head- "What kind of plant is this AND is it helpful to humans?" I certainly didn't want any poisonous plants around the farm. Between the children and the animals, that was out of the question. I asked my mom. She relayed a story about my grandparents planting Jerusalem artichokes or Jerusalem sage there. She could not remember anything else, other than Otis Dow had brought the plant to them.

Flash forward eight years. This past fall, there was a stunning picture of a plant on a blog I was reading. I got so excited to FINALLY figure out my secret plant! COMFREY! I started researching it's uses and found benefits  when taking comfrey internally and also using it externally.

The first thing I will be doing with my comfrey this year is making tea with the leaves. I am planning on harvesting both new and old leaves from the plant, putting them in my dehydrator and dehy-ing them. Then I will break up the dried leaves and store them in an airtight container until I am ready to use. Two things I have learned in the making of teas. The newer leaves make a weaker tea and the older leaves make a stronger tea. I am going to try them both and I will get back to you on that point!

Tomorrow we will talk about comfrey's medicinal values and which kind of vegetable you already eat that tastes like cooked comfrey. Exciting!

Until Then~