Your Inner Super Hero? Or Your Inner Wimp?

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... The joy of the Lord is my strength."   ... Philippians 4:13, Nehemiah 8:10

(These days are designed to snatch our joy and thus replace that strength with fear. Please don't let this happen to you.)


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This weekend Tom and I Netflixed a movie, The Core, and boy, was that world scenario frightening! Made this current pandemic seem the size of, say, a traffic jam.

Then we watched Captain America where brave folks galore fought enemies lest they be conquered by them.

Seriously, I recommend movies of this type if you need some courage swirled-up. By Monday Tom and I were all, we-can-do-this! And Life-isn't-so-bad!-ish again. Plus, good gracious, we've got almighty God so hey, we can do anything He asks of us.

Anything.
With joy, even.

And think about it. Haven't we all had whole decades of 'Life Boot Camp' so to prepare for hard, uncomfortable weeks? Seriously, consider all those--


tragedies,
challenges,
illnesses,
self-sacrifices,
pains,
struggles,
Life lessons


-- you've faced, learned from and burst through with God's help! Each past experience provides lessons, stamina and stick-to-itiveness. The knowledge that if we quit early someone will suffer, we or those who count on us.

What I'm doing these stay-home-or-else days? 


I'm revisiting Clara for Depression Era cooking. Discovering other women (like her) who make cooking appear fun (Gee, I need those.)  シ

Preparing my gardens, turning compost and repotting cold-weather plants. Ordering new sets of green onions from Aldi and browsing online articles, videos , about 'replanting things from the supermarket'.

Brushing up on prepper skills/videos. (Boy, are those years-old videos suddenly popular!) Inventorying what's on our shelves and listing what we need (this is my part-time job now).

Finding happiness in creating something from nothing. From making supplies last longer than normal.

Watching Great Depression videos to learn how they survived. 

Taking notes from that Proverbs 31 lady. 

Consulting my Master Task List daily so the house won't crumble.

Learning new information. Finding new recipes, helpful hacks and movies, tv shows and videos.

Giving items away to our neighbor.

Sharing encouraging and humorous stories at Facebook. 

Holding myself responsible for praying, listening and locating inspiration and Grace-- 


--and frankly? Marveling that folks are saying they're bored at home(?!?)


Afterward. I'm so considering the afterward of all this. 

Why? Because someday I'll gaze backward at The Big Covid-19 Shut-Down of 2020 and ask--

Did my inner super hero burst through?
Or did my inner wimp crawl out to whine a lot?


Normally I'm not huge on looking ahead, preferring to consider Today, instead. But then, these are not normal times.

Determination: never lose it. It matters more now than ever.

And as I alluded to, above, often we must fight lest we be conquered by our enemy.

"But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the lifter of my head." ... Psalm 3:3

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Oh my! Remember those Jimmy Fallon hashtag videos I've shared? Well, I'd wondered why he wore a wedding ring in the older videos, but not the newer ones. I even did research and found he's still married to the same woman.

But uh-oh! Now I get it. Ouch!!!

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I shared this at Facebook--

They're baaaaack. Victory Gardens! Love this and am thankful that gardening long ago became a habit. My perennial plants are already greening and growing and seedtime is soon, also.

Go here.

P.S. Today I loved using fresh-from-my-garden chives and green onions (the greens) in our pan-style enchiladas. Yum and don't you just love Springtime?

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Some Self Quarantine Fun, Hints, Help and ?

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." ... Psalm 18:2

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1.) Have you created new patterns and soothing rituals yet for these new-to-us days? Tom and I have and we're reaping the good from them. And mind rest. You're doing lots of mind rest breaks, right? We all need those.

2.) Go outside, ok? Even if it's just in your yard. I don't care who says it's not safe to do so--do it anyway. We all need the air, sun, breezes, sky, the scent of soil and birdsong. We do.

3.) Those Jiffy mixes I sent for? They arrived in just 2 days! Wow. How sweet to experience some bygone normalcy.


4.) Speaking of Jiffy mixes: here's a so-easy dessert-or-breakfast recipe I've made a hundred times. (You can also use less than a whole cake mix.)

Grease a pie dish. 
Cover the bottom with frozen blueberries or canned pineapple (leave in maybe half the juice) or canned or fresh peaches sliced thin.
Sprinkle a dry Jiffy cake or muffin mix (half a mix works, also) evenly over top. Shake some cinnamon over all.
Pour 3 tbl. melted butter and 3 tbl. oil, blended, over all (perhaps more if you're using frozen blueberries or fresh peaches).
Place in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove. Stir a tad to moisten any still-dry cake mix. Serve warm or cold.

5.) These tasks annoy me, but for safety's sake I wipe down (read: wash) all our delivered groceries. Cans, bottles, boxes, etc. Also I place our mail in a box for a week or longer so germs will have time to fade.


6.)  I shared this at Facebook--

Oh good! My former town's Facebook page reminded me that many folks everywhere are placing teddy bears, hearts, Easter eggs or rainbows in their windows so families can walk/drive by and count how many they spy. In our whole house we have just one bear, so there he went into our front window.  

Don't you just love how creative people become in hard times?

7.) The current principal of my old high school shared this in a letter to his students: 

"This situation we find ourselves in will reveal your true character." --Terry Hernandez

Exactly! (And perhaps that's what is actually scaring some folks?)

8.) Now, this was one excellent, sentimental, funny, take-me-away movie. We watched via Disney Plus. Highly recommended.

9.)  I also shared this over at Facebook--

Spied this over at my old hometown's group and loved it! Then immediately felt sad about that certain 1 item per order limit. That they must uphold that these days. sigh. (Just being real here...)

"Called to check on my folks today see if they needed anything. They went to the only store in town and just needed a couple things. When checking out they were told they could only get 1 bread item. So they kept the sandwich bread and put back the hamburger buns, paid and were leaving when a store employee they know called out to them and ran over and put the buns back into the cart. She had purchased a bottle of water and the buns so she could give them the bread they needed!! Thank you for looking out for our seniors!! So proud of the small town I grew up in! Still raising people that care!"❤❤❤

10.) Oh! And yesterday we watched Togo (also via Disney Plus) and Tom insisted it was the best dog movie he's ever seen, high praise from a guy who's watched them all. シ

11.) Oh and I recently added 24 mg's of zinc to my daily vitamin regimen. Naomi recommended it (she's, like, our health nurse) to boost our immunity and I've seen it touted elsewhere, also.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Remember: Now's a great time to do some of those things you always wished you had time for!  

Though yeah, there's this, below.  ツ   

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

And these days? Color me grateful that we have stairs in our house and that I'm climbing up and down them all day long--heh:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                             **  Here's what else I take on a regular basis.(I've been sick only twice in 9 years whereas I used to catch everything.)  


5,000 units of Vitamin D3 
2,000) units of Vitamin C (divided doses)
1 acidolphilus capsule
2,000 units of krill oil (divided doses)
500 units of magnesium
And lately? 24 mg.'s of zinc
Lots of forgiveness toward others
And much godly, peaceful contentment

I would tell you I exercise and eat right, but that would make me a Big Fat Liar.   ツ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Just Tryin' To Help (But You Might Get Mad)

"They are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance... the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things  ... Psalm 37:19, John 14:26


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Warning: This post will irritate some of you. Read at your own risk.


Yesterday I gave our neighbor some extra food, hand sanitizer and 20-30 face masks. She knows where to take them. I do not.

These items were on our shelves. For months. 

Six years ago I became a prepper, (never a hoarder), over months, years, buying stuff a little at a time and as finances allowed. Rotated it by date (or tried). In my shopping, never snatched from anyone what they needed.

Preppers plan ahead, then thrive in hard times. It's kinda like this:

                   (Thanks, Dolores, for sharing this at Facebook.)


Over years, the Holy Spirit kept hinting that someday all my new prepping skills would pay off big time. 

He was right. He always is.

And personally? I'm determined not to visit a single supermarket during these wild corona virus days. Not one. I refuse to needlessly subject myself to creepy virus germs, empty shelves and frayed tempers.

Long ago I learned to shop for groceries online, fresh ones also, and have them delivered to my home. 

Basically I check these places, in this order:

Aldi (You don't have one? Check your area for stores which offer Instacart.)
Walmart
Target
Amazon


I noticed this week that when we have a 2 months' supply of everything, I feel most comfortable.

Yet lately as I try to keep that supply? Buy cat food or 3 cans of diced tomatoes, etc.? The words 'Out Of Stock' or 'in-store purchase only' bombard my eyes at my Go To places. Or the prices shot up. Or delivery will require 2+ weeks now, not 2 days. And I confess--sometimes I've muttered, "You people who laughed at us preppers! You who did not prepare ahead! You make me tired."

And you remind me of this---


"For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut."   ... From Matthew 25



Ok. Calm down. 

Today's lesson? You've got a second chance. You're most likely at home and have some extra time to learn prepping skills. Some you'll be able to implement today, others, well, you'll have to wait on. Yet at least you can take notes now. Make lists.

But what I feel the Holy Spirit is saying to me this time? Since our Country has been shut down once, that'll make it all the easier to do it again.

Take it or leave it, it's up to you. Always it is, for Prince I'llSaveTheDay stopped making house calls eons ago.

"And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”   ... From Genesis 41



"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."    ... Proverbs 21:5

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Go here for an easy crock pot meals video. Her many cheap meal videos are wonderful.

There are also lots of cooking from your pantry articles and videos out there from frugal folks as well.



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Here's an article on gardening as therapy. Hooray! It's that time of year again. 




For fun, Tom and I opened this last week. Had been in our basement for years. The chocolate pudding was awesome!  ツ

Oh, and plug in 'prepper', 'prepping' etc., into my search box for my older posts on prepping. If you wish.  (This one has a ton of helpful links, although I can't guarantee each link still works.)

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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15