Holiday Goodies

Photo By: Kakisky


Upon pondering Christmas time
I like to think of cheese and wine
but this year I could not yield my mind
from thinking of the sugary food we wield.
We chew and gorge on dainty delights
as our waistbands grow and pants get tight.

There is one Holiday icon who fits the bill
eating cookies til' he gets his fill.
We endear our children to his jolly girth,
his 'belly full of jelly', his laugh 'full of mirth'
See how we use such 'cute' phrases when describing
a fat man on a road to health malaise's.

Why don't we say, "Here comes the man with junk in his trunk."
or ask rhetorical questions about the chimney size and his ba-dunk-a-dunk?
Maybe it's a ploy of the politically correct,
full of hypocrisy and word dialect.

Ahh!

It doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the long run.
Just enjoy all the goodies until the Holiday is done,
and revel in the spirit of Christmas fun!

Now go grab a cookie!

Doggerel provided by: Chandra Brown

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Coyote

Let me tell you about young Emily Robbs, Emily Robbs was 10 years old  and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robbs who owned a ranch in Colorado. One thing that the Robbs were not pleased to see, was a coyote. That is exactly what this story is about. One day, young Emily saw a beautiful fright; out side her window was a gleaming white coyote clothed in a scarf and booties. Poor little Emily thought she was loosing her mind. She pinched her thigh, she slapped her cheeks and put ice down her shirt to see if she was dreaming and finally she came to realize the coyote was really there starring at her right in the eyes. She backed away in fear, the coyote cocked its head then prowled away. Of course young Emily never told her parents about such things or they would think she was messing with coyotes. Then something caught her eye, she had noticed that her advent calender was at the 24th. "It's getting late," she said, "I better get to sleep, Santa comes tonight."
 
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!!! she awoke to her alarm clock in a flash and gasped, "Santa came!!!!!!"  She found a letter in her stocking along with all the toys it read:

Dear sweet Emily, I know you want to be a Veterinarian when you grow up so I am assigning you to help one of the most special animals in all the land, the Christmas coyote, she will lead you to her problem.
Thank You!
From, Santa Claus

Christmas Coyote With Her Pup
Photo By: Alex Brown

Straight then she knew that the coyote she saw that day was the special Christmas coyote. Emily dashed to the window and there it was. Legend has it that every year the Christmas coyote would go around and decorate the peoples yards and  it would choose one child to give a special gift to. Immediately, she grabbed her vet kit and trudged outside in wonderment even though she hadn't had her breakfast yet. She followed the coyote into the deep forest covered in snow.

Nervously she spoke, "I'm sorry but Mrs.coyote its been an hour already and I'm awfully hungry."
She turned and shot her a look, that said, 'We're almost there, so please don't argue.' Finally, Emily arrived at a bloody trap and inside it was an adorable, pudgy coyote pup. "Awe, it's so cute," Emily said, "Is he yours?" The coyote nodded with a painful yes, then whapped Emily on her thigh with its tail. Emily huffily asked,"Ow, what was that for?" The coyote looked at Emily then at the injured pup. "Right," she exclaimed, then she pryed open the trap and gently pulled the pup out and wrapped its wounded leg and gave it to the Christmas coyote. She picked it up as fast as lightning and trotted away, as Emily shouted, "Don't I get a thank you?" to the coyote who was about 30 meters away. It just went on plodding off into the woods. Emily turned to head back home with a happy heart that she was able to help.

After getting away from worried parents she slipped into bed and went to sleep. The next morning Emily awoke to a scratch at her door, she opened it and found a little coyote plush identical to the pup she had saved. It was from the Christmas coyote and this year Emily was that special someone.

Emily Finds the Christmas Coyotes Gift

THE END

This Christmas tale was written by: Alex Brown

Hook, Line and Sinker

Photo by: Chandra Brown
 

I took this picture over the Summer while fishing on Town Lake with my daughter. It struck me as funny but also a little sad. I imagined the scene vividly; happy angler on the shore balancing his rod gently tilting it backwards getting ready to cast, then suddenly the pole tugs on his arm as the line gets stuck in the branch just out of eyesight above his head. Realizing his dilemma the smile on his face turns to concern. His arm starts to tire wrestling with the tangled mess. Finally, he succumbs to defeat, flips his hat on the ground in disgust and pulls his knife from his pocket to cut the line. He didn't even get his bait in the water. Not exactly a relaxing day fishing.

I sat on this picture and post for months. I took the photo knowing there was a post behind it but I wasn't ready to write it until last night when I was pillow talking with my daughter. We were discussing Luke 5:1-11. We read the account from her new Pre-teen Bible she specifically asked for so she could know Jesus better.

Jesus uses Simon's boat to teach a lesson from the shore, after He was done speaking he tells Simon to go out into the deep and cast his net. Simon is skeptical because they fished all night and caught nothing but is obedient. The boat overflows and he calls James and John over to help with the bountiful catch because the nets were splitting and the boat was sinking. Simon repents of his unbelief and Jesus uses this event to invite Simon to become His disciple. Simon, James and John were smart, it says, "they left everything and followed."

After we read the account, I asked Alex what did Jesus mean when He said, "..from now on you will fish for people."

Her answer was spot on, she said, "I can explain it in kid terms, Jesus is going to teach them the truth so they can go out and tell others."

I asked her, "What 'truth' would Jesus teach them?"

And this is where I get excited about her answer...she said, "Jesus is going to teach them about Himself."

A parent has never been so proud. I couldn't stop kissing her forehead. That is IT! Jesus wants us all to know the truth about who HE is, why HE came and then tell others. Sadly, this simple truth is lost in this day and age because people don't know who He is. They go fishing in their own way and end up a tangled mess, they are so encumbered with the world they can't even get the bait in the water. They are caught up in the world just like the branch catches the line in the picture.

I like to contemplate what kind of fisher woman I am? Am I caught hook, line and sinker into the world's philosophies or swallowed up in the truth of Jesus and able to share the bounty with others?

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Photo By: Chandra Brown
Ingredients for Dry Laundry Detergent
 

Who knew laundry detergent could be so cheap?

Borax                    64 oz. (approximately 9 cups)     $2.99
Ivory Soap            10 count   (3.1 oz.)                       $4.25
Washing Soda      55 oz. (approximately 7 Cups)     $7.35

*Baking Soda       64 oz. (approximately 9 Cups)     $4.67

Ingredients: Makes approximately 36 loads (1/4 cup per load)
3 cups Borax
3 cups finely grated soap  (1 bar) (Ivory, or other natural soap)
3 cups washing soda

Mix together, Voila!

I spent about $3.03 for 36 load homemade, allergy-free detergent. Compare that to All Free and Clear 36 load detergent for $7.25.

When I first started the ingredients seemed out of reach at local chain stores but with some gumption I was able to find everything needed.  Washing soda seems to be the hardest ingredient to find locally but there's a trade secret with a simple chemistry twist that makes this task simple as pie.

*How to Make Washing Soda:
Pour 3 cups Baking Soda into a large glass dish. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, stirring frequently until powder turns to crystal form. Three cups takes approximately 1 hour baking time. Store in a tightly sealed jar. Label it. Baking the soda changes the chemical composition; for explanation of how this change happens, click here.

Tips:
Many users of homemade detergent say they achieve best results with warm water.

You MUST finely grate the soap. Larger flakes tend to clump in the washer. Fine grating assures dissolution.

It is also recommended to start your washer, let it fill with some water then add detergent and give
the water a swirl before adding clothes, this helps the soap flakes dissolve better. Or for those with more modern machines that add the detergent in the cycle; do not overload the bin with clothes for best results.

If you have hard water, add more washing soda. This will help soften the water. (1/2- 1 cup extra washing soda, you may have to adjust amount higher or lower)

If you want to have a scent, you can add a few drops essential oils of your choice to the soap flakes before mixing with powders.

Make sure you click on the highlighted words throughout the post. They give you other uses for these ingredients as well as what the ingredients are made of. One of the uses I was drawn to and plan to try is the dishwashing detergent. The recipe is simple 50/50 of borax and baking soda. Can you imagine the savings on this product?

Let me know how you end up using Borax and Baking Soda. I think we'll be surprised at the simple brilliance of these natural products.

Happy wash day! I have never been so excited to do a load of wash.

If you want some inspiration and motivation for making household changes. Watch Chemerical, a documentary about your average families journey to rid toxic products from their house.