My Christmas Wreath

OK, so I made my new wreath for Christmas. I have always loved crafts but raising 4 kids has made it hard to find the time to do the things I love, not saying I didn't love raising my kids cause I did and still do. But finding a few minutes for me to do something that I like to do was near impossible.

My passions are reading, crafts and genealogy (family is a given). Once my kids are all living their own lives, with their own families, then I can spend my days attending to my passions, maybe.

Anyway, here is a snap shot of my new wreath. How do you like it?

If you like it, I have included the "how-to" so you can give it a try. It's inexpensive, I spent less than $10, and it could even be a gift for someone if you want to share. I hope you have as much fun as I did in making this cute and easy craft.

1 Styrofoam wreath (I used the green one and ended up with a lot of green stuff all over me, but it does wipe off)
1 skein of red yarn
1 skein of green yarn
1 skein of white yarn
1 flower of choice
3 jingle bells

I marked the wreath in two halves. I estimated and marked 3 -1/3 sections on the top half and started wrapping which ever color I wanted to start with, I started with white. Because the inside is smaller than the outside I had to space the yarn, wrapping it around until I came to the end of the 1/3 mark then I back tracked filling in the gaps by laying the yarn side by side. I have to admit it took me about 4 tries before I figured out how to get it started (could be why I had all the green stuff on me, lol).

After I finished that color, I went on to the next, and then the next, then repeated on the bottom half in the same color pattern. After I finish a color I tied it off in the back or you can connect it to the next color. I found a white poinsettia flower with a clip on it and just clipped it where I thought it would look nice. I tied on my bells at the bottom, when we open and close the door we can hear them ring, awww, the sounds of Christmas.

You can add what ever you like, I have added a few other designs that others have done to help with some ideas. .

 Use a bright wreath that won't dry out like needly pine. Wrap yarn in alternating hues around a Styrofoam wreath form, tying the ends when you switch colors. Add a cluster of jingle bells using silver craft wire. The bells will jingle when the door opens and shuts.

 You can make this the same way, just add you little items as you like or even choose a different size wreath.


 I also added a couple other wreaths that I thought were cute.

 Glue candy cane pairs together, back to back (with the curve facing outward). Tie a piece of ribbon to hold them together. Repeat 11 times.Lay out candy cane pieces & glue tips together creating a heart shape.To secure candy canes together, dab E6000 on all points. Let dry for a couple of hours or overnight.Use leftover ribbon to hang the wreath. E6000 is a strong adhesive.

http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/2011/12/framed-christmas-wreath.html
You can copy and paste this link and it will take you to the web page where she tells her story about making this wreath.

Well, I hope you like my wreath, if not, just say something like "oh, that's nice" and move on, lol. I think this part of the blog just might be fun. Good luck, and enjoy.

Basic Supply to Sustain Life

Here is my first post to help people get excited about food storage and emergency preparedness. I hope you like it, feel free to comment on the pros and cons of these posts.

Here is the plan per month;

wk 1 - Tips about food storage and financial preparedness
wk 2 - Challenge to get items for food storage
wk 3 - Recipes
wk 4 - Emergency Preparation tips

I hope those will be a good start. So every week, on Tuesdays, I will post something about food storage and preparedness according to the plan of the week.

I decided that I needed to start with the basics and give you the list of foods that are good to store and has a long shelf life. These foods will guarantee a healthy survival in times of crisis and not so costly to acquire. But remember, do not go into debt to get your food storage. If you plan carefully you can be successful in gathering what you need and staying in budget.

Basic Food Storage per person, per year -

400 lbs - Wheat/Grain = Wheat, Rice, Oats, Flour, Pasta

2.5 gallons - Oil = Vegetable Oil, Shortening, Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing (mayonnaise type only) 4 gallons = 24 lbs of oil, 1 quart mayo = 1.5 lbs of oil, 1 quart salad dressing = 1 lb of oil, and 1 lb peanut butter = .5 lb of oil

60 lbs - Beans/Legumes = Beans (dry, lima, soy), Peas (split), Lentils, Dry Soup Mix

16 lbs - Powdered Milk = Milk, Nonfat Dry, Evaporated ( 6 cans = 1lb)

60 lbs - Sugar = Sugar ; granulated, brown; Molasses, Honey, Jams, Preserves, Jellies, Corn Syrup, Fruit Drink (powdered), Flavored Gelatin

8 lbs - Salt (store in original containers)

14 gallons for 2 weeks - Water (just for drinking), more for other purposes such as cooking and cleaning

So these are the basics and will get you through tough times, which seem to be coming our way if you're not already there. It's better to be prepared before tough times hit and they always do, and you never know when that could be. As the Boy Scouts say, "Be Prepared."

It looks like a lot of stuff but the good thing is we can do this little by little and have a variety of items to choose from if we have to use it. Its never a waste of time or money to do this because if you are blessed enough to never have to use it then it can be used to help others which is what we are required to do per the scriptures. Jesus tells us several times that we are to take care of the poor and needy, this gives us the opportunity to do so, if we don't use it to sustain our own families.

It is recommended that these foods be rotated out every 2 years even though most have a 20 year shelf life, loss of vitamin and nutrients happen over time. The oil should be rotated every year.
These are just the basics, later we can talk about storing tasty stuff.

Well, that's my tips for today. Next week, I plan to start challenging you to buy your food storage, one item at a time.

New Ideas for Blog

Hello,

Well, I have been analyzing my blog. Since July, when I began this blog, I have had 1,880 views on my blog. Yeahhhhh!!! But my daughter started hers at the same time and she has over 130,000 views. So we started looking at reasons why there was such a big difference. Here is what we found.

She, my daughter, blogs about things that are of interest to several different people. Some like hair and make up, some like children stuff, and some like cooking stuff, etc. Point is, she gets views from people because she talks about a variety of things, where mine is mostly reaching out to one genre, those who like learning more about being righteous women.

Rantin' & Ravin' 

So...I have decided to add a couple of things to my blog that might draw more viewers. As of this Tuesday, Dec 4th, I will be talking about food storage ideas and giving challenges and recipes for food storage. I think there are a lot of people who like learning about this and always want new recipes to try out on their families and friends. You can also feel free to add some tips and recipes.

Also, on Thursdays, I would like to share some craft ideas or DIY's that I find interesting or have tried. I have recently made my first door wreath and love it, now I am ready to try one for the Christmas season. I will probably show that one next Thursday, after I make it and see how it looks first.

My purpose for this blog, in the first place, was to do my part in building up the Kingdom of God by reaching out to people who are looking for spiritual direction. I truly believe that women are the heart and soul of the home and we can inspire and direct our families for good. This is my way of being more helpful in that endeavor, however, its not enough, so I need to reach more people and it requires some changes to the blog.

Anyway, those are my ideas to increase views on my blog. I will still write my Sunday post of inspiration for righteous women. Hopefully, the combination of the 3 will draw more viewers and make it a more pleasant place to visit. Thank you for your support.

Wish me luck!!!