I tried a couple of new things today. I cooked a Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot and made Peach Cobbler, both for the first time.
The Peach Cobbler turned out fabulous! I served it hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I didn't get a picture of it, but if Hubby or I eat any of it tomorrow I'll try to get one then.
The Whole Chicken was pretty good, but I'd like to try it again sometime. There are a few things I'd like to do differently. First, I would clean the giblets and such out, I don't like them!!! Yuck! Secondly, I would cook it less. I called and asked a relative how long it would take to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot on low. The answer I got was 8-10 hours. Well, I let it cook for eight. Way too long. When I went to pick the chicken up out of the pot it all broke apart, I didn't even have to cut it. And the giblets and liver came out and were floating in the pot, it was gross. So, I'm definitely gonna clean it out next time. We had potato salad on the side.
I saved this chicken for soup tomorrow.
And I added 3 cups of water to the drippings and carcass, to make chicken stock for tomorrow's soup .
I thought it was time to try something new and I got the recipes for the Whole Chicken and The Chicken Soup (that we will have tomorrow) from Candy, over at Keeping the Home. She is doing a wonderful series called A Week in My Kitchen. I have learned so much from her videos. I didn't go exactly by her recipes, but I used what I had available.
It seems like I have been blogging less and less here lately. I have just been very sad the past week and a half and haven't felt up to blogging. Bunny passed away Monday April 27, 2009. :(
Yesterday made two weeks that I have been doing weight watchers, and so far I have lost a total of 10.4 pounds. You usually lose more weight in the beginning and then it starts slowing down. And today makes 4 weeks that I have been exercising, I'm so glad that I'm sticking to it.
I didn't plan on taking a break from blogging, it just happened. And it has been a God send! I've had so much time for other things!
Within the first two weeks of my blogging break I read two books and started implementing changes to my exercise and eating habits. These two books were Take 'Control of Your Health' and 'Healthy Recipes For Your Nutritional Type,' both by Dr. Joseph Mercola. I'm doing pretty good with the exercising side of things, tomorrow will make two weeks that I have exercised everyday in a row. But I'm not doing so well with Mercola's Nutrition Plan. So I have decided to take a break from his nutrition plan for a while, (until I get it more figured out or if anyone out there is knowledgeable about this and wants to email me) and start back on Weight Watchers for a while. I had some success on weight watchers about a year and a half ago. I think I need to stick with something that I really know how to do right now, cause I really need to lose some weight. This time last year I weighed 160 pounds, I weighed myself yesterday and I was 190!!! When I got married I weighed 106 pounds and wore a size 2! The numbers on the scale just keep going up and up, but now I'm finally determined to turn that around!
I have also been focusing on my house a lot more while on my break! I've been doing my morning and evening routines, having everything tidy and my sink shinning before I lay down to bed! My house has been chaos free thanks to Fly lady!
And there was also a three day festival that I enjoyed over the weekend. Lots of Crafts and lots of walking!!! I love crafts and I got plenty of Exercise! Too bad I forgot to take my camera!
My Best Friend Brittney wrote me a Beautiful poem and message, she was also my Maid of Honor at my wedding. I just thought I'd share it with you all, it is so sweet!
A True Best Friend
A true best friend is The girl in class that for some reason you just want to get to know A true best friend is Someone that you just want to share your darkest secret with because you know she’ll keep it a secret A true best friend is The person that you tell all your hopes and dreams to because you know she’ll support you in every way A true best friend is The one that you tell your biggest fear to, because you know she won’t laugh, and she’ll try to help you overcome it A true best friend is Someone that is always there for you A true best friend is Someone that is so much like you, you can’t understand why God didn’t make you sisters A true best friend is Someone who always thinks about you even though you haven’t spoken in three years A true best friend is That friend that you’ve finally found again and you talk on the phone just like you have never been apart A true best friend is YOU
SaChay I wrote this for you as my only true best friend Even though we just recently got back in touch with each other there was never a day that went by that you didn’t cross my mind Thanks for everything Love Always Brittney
Evidently I haven't been out in the world in a long time. My Husband and I went out tonight to Applebee's, and we got our bellies and eyes full! It seemed like every where I looked someone was half naked, shirts so low cut that nothing was left to the imagination (you didn't even need an imagination, everything was in plain view) and bare shoulders and backs everywhere. I'm so used to my Christian Blogs, Websites and the only people I ever see are family and Christian Friends, that when we went out tonight it was a big culture shock! I wanted to scream, "Put some clothes on!!! Didn't your parents teach you any better?!" Has anyone had a similar experience?
DAY 57 of Captivity for Gao Zhisheng -- Chinese Government Responds with Deafening Silence
The silence from the highest levels of the Chinese government regarding Gao Zhisheng's kidnapping is deafening. Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng has now been missing 57 days. When one brave reporter asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson about Gao, "the official paled and was visibly shaken," according to a Western journalist who was an eyewitness.
Gao Zhisheng was last seen being hauled away from his home in Shaanxi province by more than a dozen police officers on February 4. According to ChinaAid sources, Gao is being severely tortured. Because Gao fearlessly cried out to the free world, revealing the abuses of the Chinese government against house church Christians and others persecuted in China, Chinese authorities want to silence his voice. Now, you can speak out on his behalf.
Gao Zhisheng's wife and children, who have also been abused and tormented by Chinese authorities, escaped to the U.S. three weeks ago. They are grateful for the more than 36,000 who are speaking out by signing the petition and sending e-mails, but more help is needed. Will you partner with us to obtain 100,000 signatures and continue to bombard Chinese government, businesses and media with e-mails calling for Gao's release? Please forward this e-mail to friends and family and encourage them to sign the petition.
Lend your voice to sustain the outcry for Gao Zhisheng's release. Go to www.FreeGao.com to: continue to send e-mails to officials - new e-mails are posted regularly. Make a contribution online. Help us continue to press for Gao's release -- by sustaining this cry for justice.
This article was taken directly from www.keepingthehome.com, written by Candy, with her permission.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - BAD NEWS
Apparently, it's no longer enough for Uncle Sam to try to force us into taking care of our children Old Sam's way. Now the U.N. is stepping in, on an international scale, and what they are planning to force on families is insane, and MUST BE STOPPED.
If you have never been politically active, then YOU are part of the problem! Stand up, and look around you! We are no longer fighting for our rights, and they are being taken away. I am NOT exaggerating, and YES I'm mad. You should be too.
Take a look at this seemingly "innocent" commercial for children, about the The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
'All children will go to "nice" schools.' Do you know what the UN Convention defines a "nice school" as? It's not private schools, and it's not homeschool. It's public school, but with MORE secularism than ever. If Americans allow themselves to be enslaved under The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, then homeschool will be ILLEGAL in all 50 states, regardless of state laws - they will be overrode with federal and international laws. Christian private schools will no longer be allowed to teach Christianity, without equally teaching all other religions - this means there would be no more CHRISTIAN schools. Perhaps there will be in name, but not in content, subject matter or sanctification.
Did you do something to upset your child lately? Maybe when your child wanted to eat a box of chocolates right before bedtime, and you said "no." Look out! Under The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the child could decide to take you to court and claim that you are not feeding them enough. One child took his parents to court (and won!) because he thought it was cruel of his parents to take him to church three times a week - Sunday morning and evening, and Wednesday nights. We need an amendment that stands up for PARENTAL RIGHTS. Take a look at this:
The above video states "if we all stand together and raise our voices, Congress will respond." That's right! Let's stand together for parental rights. The U.N. should not have a say in which school our children go to, or if we homeschool them. Nor is it any of the UN's business if our child does something wrong, and is therefore grounded for it.
If The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is ratified, then each child will have a list of rights, of which they will be taught to know by heart in the public schools that they will be attending by the choice of the UN and our government. Here are a few of those "rights:"
The right to privacy - Yep. If you suspect your teenager has pot stashed in his room, you would not be allowed to go in there and find out. Your child could end up dying from a drug problem, but you couldn't interfere, or it would have violated their "right to privacy."
Freedom of expression - If your toddler throws a temper tantrum, you are not allowed to do anything. If your teen starts yelling the 'f' word out the widow of the car while you are driving to the grocery store, you are not allowed to do anything. The parent would have no right to interfere with the child's "freedom of expression."
If your child decides to take home another child and go to their room and close the door and have sex, you cannot stop them, else you'd be violating their "freedom of expression" and "freedom of privacy." Do you think I'm exaggerating? I'm not...
Here are a few excerpts from HSLDA:
"Under Article 13, any attempts to prevent their children from interacting with material parents deem unacceptable is forbidden. Children are vested with a "freedom of expression" right, which is virtually absolute. No allowance is made for parental guidance. Section 1 declares a child's right to "seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice."
In Article 14, children are guaranteed "freedom of thought, conscience and religion." Children have a legal right to object to all religious training. Alternatively, children may assert their right against parental objection to participate in the occult.
Article 15 declares "the right of the child to freedom of association." Parents could be prevented from forbidding their child to associate with people deemed to be objectionable companions. Under Article 15, children could claim a "fundamental" right to join gangs, cults, and racist organizations over parental objection.
Under Article 16, the "right to privacy" is granted to children. This UN sanctioned "privacy" would seemingly establish as the child's right to obtain an abortion without parental notice, the right to purchase and use contraceptives, and the right to pornography in the home.
Article 19 mandates the creation of an intensive bureaucracy for the purpose of "identification, reporting, referral, investigation, treatment, and follow-up" of parents who, in violation of the child's rights, treat their children negligently.
To insure State and U.N. control over their development, Article 7 requires all children must be immediately registered at birth."
Next, please read this .pdf file called "THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD - The Most Dangerous Attack on Parental Rights in the History of the United States." The information contained in this .pdf document is something that everyone needs to know.
As Americans, we need to take steps to make sure America does NOT ratify this treaty. 192 nations have already ratified this treaty. The "Holy See" Roman Catholic Vatican was one of the first ones to ratify it. I make specific mention of this, because I know a lot of Catholics who will NOT support CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child). Therefore, devout Catholics must be made aware, that if they stand with Bible believing Christians in rising up against the CRC, then they are going against the Vatican's wishes. BENEDICT XVI supports the CRC. Roman Catholics, I pray you DO stand with us on this issue. America must not ratify the CRC! Regardless of what religion you are, please stand with me to preserve parental rights.
To date, the only nations who have not ratified CRC, are Somalia and the United States. U.S. citizens, we must NOT allow this treaty to be ratified!
Please take the time to read The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for yourself. You can read it here.
From what I've read, it looks like Canada and the UK have signed onto this treaty, but have not agreed to every stipulation yet. I know homeschool is still being allowed in Canada and the UK, but I don't know how regulated it is, etc. Obama is pushing for the full ratification of the entire Convention for the U.S, which could make homeschool in the U.S. instantly outlawed. "Primary Education" in article 28 could be defined as government (public) school education only.
Please listen to this video, in which the woman explains this stuff so much better than my feeble attempt:
STEP TWO: Contact your state Representatives and Senators. If this is something you have little to no experience in, then consider joining the 10 in 2 program with ParentalRights.org . Here is a quote from their site, summing up the program:
"We need 10-and 2 volunteers who can enlist 10 people to do the following: sign the petition for the Amendment, sign 3 postcards to their Representative and Senators, and donate $1. Then, we need those volunteers to recruit 2 more people to do the same thing."
I'm volunteering. Are you? Please join me; it'll only take a few minutes of your time, and it could make a BIG difference.
STEP THREE: If you have a website or blog, then please put up an article about the CRC and its atrocities hidden within. The media is not going to get the word out, so it's up to us. If you want to, you can just copy this article I've written and put it on your site - just get the word out! Email and call people as well. Let's do this.
This is a project I've been wanting to do all month! But I've been busy with errands to run. We have too many errands during the months of February and March. To name a few there are Income Tax, deadlines for college paperwork, and Property Taxes to be paid, I feel like I just run, run, run these two months. I even ran a few errands today concerning paperwork for our Home Owners Insurance Claim, we still haven't got that completely taken care of yet. Its drug out for 10 months now! Hopefully it will all be taken care of soon. But I finally managed in some time for making me some homemade indoor plant starters, sort of like the Jiffy things, but the frugal way! lol
Seeds, Tray, Bucket, and Water.
Toilet Paper Rolls
Cut them in half.
I labeled all of them, so I wouldn't forget what I planted.
This was left over from my last project.
Pouring the soild into the water.
Stirring with a stick.
Now it gets messy!
All filled up!I poked holes in them all with my finger.
I put about three seeds in each, only two in the ones with larger seeds.
Covered them over.
Here they are! Now they are resting in my window seat in the kitchen. I got this idea from Nancy Today! I love watching her videos! You can learn so much from her!
Today I have seen God work through me. I have seen the Fruits of the Spirit. Sometimes I get discouraged, and wonder if I ever bare any fruit at all. Today I saw love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God provided me all of these in place of the person I used to be. I am a New Creature in Him! In the past I would have lost all control in the situation in which I was placed today. But through Christ who strengthens me, I have overcome the flesh. If you are discouraged or having a hard time, just stay close to God and he will help you through.
I just wanted to share this in case any of you ever feel the same way. Your not ALONE! Keep seeking God's Will! And you shall bare the Fruits of the Spirit.
Get together Husband's Laptop and all Work Materials, place them in his book bag and place close to the door.
On Mondays and Thursdays, Gather and Take Out Trash
Some people say I do too much for my Husband, that I spoil him, but I know these are things I'm commanded to do by God. My Husband goes out and works hard to support me, and I was created to be His Help Meet. So I don't think it would hurt me to get his things ready, so he can peacefully leave for work, without being rushed. What do you all do for your Husbands, to help them out?
Titus Chapter 2:4-5 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Grow New Plants from Cuttings : Remember my post on my Roses and Take Root? My Roses are looking pretty droopy, but there are some little bright green buds popping out on the stems. I sure hope they take root and live. Have any of you ever used Take Root before?
Container Gardening
Square Foot Gardening
Commit to Exercising
Learn more and Practice Herbal Remedies : Right now if we get sick or something, we usually just try to ride it out until it passes. I do use Coconut Oil on cuts and scratches. I've took Cranberry extract and drunk plenty of water for Bladder infections. And I've tried equal parts of water, alcohol, and white vinegar dropped into the ear for earaches, but this one didn't work for me. If anyone would like to share any herbal remedies with me, they would gladly be accepted.
My Husband and I went and filled out college papers.
I finally think I have talked my Mom into going to college, she went and filled out papers also!
I went walking for two hours today, thanks to watching Nancy Today taking a walk. She really got me motivated.
I really need to exercise more.
I read about 6 or 7 chapters in my Bible today.
I worked in my Sunday School Book.
I cleaned off the back deck.
I cleaned Bunny's cage.
I got all the trash took out.
Walking today made me feel so good! It made me really happy, I've always heard it does something in your brain to lift your mood. I believe its true, I felt wonderful and all the other people walking and biking were so nice, smiling, and greeting me. I don't think I've ever seen so many nice and happy people before!
I'd like to make walking a daily habit.
Now, I think I'll go read some. I haven't done any reading today, other than my Bible.
The name is SaChay. I am 24 years old and I am trying to learn everything I can about the Lord Jesus Christ. A Joyous Housewife to my Dear Husband of six years and a Loving Mother to five wonderful furry blessings Jake, Bunny (now in heaven), Puppy, Cocoa, and Mischa (now in heaven)! And now expecting November 4th! I created this Blog to record the daily reflections of my life as a Housewife.
The silence from the highest levels of the Chinese government regarding Gao Zhisheng's kidnapping is deafening. Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng has now been missing 57 days. When one brave reporter asked the Chinese 
