Akathist for the Repose of the Departed

Kontakion 1

O Thou Who by Thine inscrutable providence didst prepare the world for eternal beatitude, Who appointest to all the time and manner of their end: Forgive, O Lord, the sins of those who have died in past ages, and receive them into habitations of light and rejoicing, and open Thy fatherly embrace to them in mercy, and hearken unto us who celebrate their memory and sing:

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Ekos 1

O Thou Who savest fallen Adam and the whole human race from eternal perdition, O Good One, Thou didst send Thy Son into the world, by Whose Cross and Resurrection life eternal hath dawned upon us. Trusting in Thien infinite compassion, we look for the incorruptible kingdom of Thy glory, we implore Thee to grant it to our departed ones, and we pray Thee: O Lord, gladden souls wearied by the storms of life, that they may forget earthly sorrows and sighings; do Thou harken unto them in Thy bosom, as a mother heareth her children, and say to them: Your sins are forgiven you. O Lord, receive them into Thy blessed, calm haven, open to them the palaces of angels and saints, that they may rejoice in Thy divine glory.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 2

Enlightened by the illumination of the All-highest, Saint Macarius heard a voice from a pagan skull: When you pray for those suffering in hades, then there is comfort for the heathen. O wondrous power of Christian prayer, by which even the nether regions are illumined! Both believers and unbelievers receive consolation when we cry for the whole world: Alleluia!

Ekos 2

The words of Isaac the Syrian are recalled: The heart of the merciful offereth prayers with tears every hour for people and animals and all creation, that they may be preserved and purified. Wherefore, we also boldly ask of the Lord hep for all the dead from the ages, crying: O Lord, send down to us the gift of flaming prayer for the dead; O Lord, remember all who have charged us, the unworthy, to pray for them, and disregard the sins they have forgotten; O Lord, have mercy on all who have been buried without prayer; O Lord, receive into Thy tabernacles all who in sorrow or joy have suddenly finished their course.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 3

We are to blame for the calamities in the world, for the sufferings of dumb creatures and for the diseases and torments of blameless children, for through the fall of man the beatitude and beauty of all creation have been marred. O Christ our God, greatest of innocent sufferers, Thou alone hast power to forgive all. Forgive, then, all and everything, return to the world its former prosperity, that both the living and the dead may find peace, crying: Alleluia!

Ekos 3

O Gentle Light, Redeemer of the world, Thou Who dost embrace the whole world with Thy love: behold, Thy cry from the Cross for Thine enemies is heard: Father, forgive them! And in the name of Thine all-forgiveness we dare to pray to our heavenly Father for the eternal repose of Thine enemies and ours: O Lord, forgive those who have shed innocent blood, those who have sown our path of life with sorrows, those who have built their success on the tears of their near and dear ones: O Lord, condemn not those who persecute us with slander and malice, repay with mercy those whom we have wronged or offended through ignorance, and let our prayer for them be holy through the sacrament of reconciliation.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 4

Save, O Lord, those who have died in severe sufferings, those who were murdered, those buried alive, those who were drowned or burned, those who were torn by wild beasts, those who died of famine, cold or storms, or by falling from heights, and grant them Thine eternal joy for the sorrow of their end, that they may bless the time of their suffering as a day of redemption, singing: Alleluia!

Ekos 4

All who have been taken by the grave in the brightness of youth, who have been pierced on earth with the thorny crown of suffering, all who never saw earthly happiness, do Thou recompense, O Lord, through the compassion of Thine infinite love; O Lord, reward those who died under the heavey burden of labor; O Lord, receive into the mansions of Paradise youths and maidens who have departed, and vouchsafe them rejoicing at the supper of Thy Son; O Lord, soften the grief of parents over the loss of children; O Lord, give rest to all who have no family, those who are alone, who have no one to pray from them, that their sins may vanish in the rays of Thine all-forgiveness.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 5

As a last means to bring us to understanding and repentance, Thou, O Lord, hast given us death. In its threatening light earthly vanity is exposed, carnal passions and sufferings become subdued, unruly reason is humbled, eternal righteousness is revealed; wherefore, inveterate sinners and atheists on their deathbed confess Thine eternal being and cry to Thy loving-kindness: Alleluia!

Ekos 5

O Father of all consolation, Thou brightenest with the sun, delightest with fruits, and gladdenest with the beauty of the world both Thy friends and enemies. We believe that even beyond the grave Thy loving-kindness, which is merciful even to all rejected sinners, doth not fail. We grieve for hardened and lawless blasphemers of holiness; O Lord, may Thy saving and gracious will be over them. Have compassion upon those wounded by pernicious unbelief, and who have not known Thee here on earth, that they may know and love Thee in heaven; O Lord, forgive those who have died without repentance, save those who have committed suicide in darkness of mind, that the flame of their impiety may be extinguished in the sea of Thy Grace.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 6

Terrible is the darkness of a soul separated from God, the torments of conscience, the gnashing of teeth, the unquenchable fire and the undying worm. I tremble at such a fate and, as for myself, I pray: O ye that suffer in hades, may our song descend upon you as a refreshing dew: Alleluia!

Ekos 6

Thy light, O Christ our God, hath shone upon those that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and those in hades, who are not mindful of Thee; having descended into the nethermost parts of the earth, do Thou bring out into joy those who have been separated from Thee by sin, but who have not renounced Thee; O Lord, Thy children suffer, forgive them; for they have sinned against Heaven and before Thee, immeasurably serious are their sins, but also infinite is Thy mercy. Visit the bitter destitution of souls far removed from Thee; O Lord, have mercy on those who hated the truth out of ignorance, let Thy love be to them not a burning fire, but the cool delight of Paradise.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 7

Desiring to give a helping hand to the repose, O Lord, do Thou open Thyself to the living, appearing to them in mysterious visions, and inspiring them to prayer, that they who remember the departed may do good works and labors of faith for them, crying aloud: Alleluia!

Ekos 7

The universal Church of Christ offereth prayers every day for the reposed; every hour the sins of the world are washed away by the Most-pure Blood of the Divine Lamb; from death to life, and from earth to Heaven the souls of the departed ascend through the power of prayers for them before God's altars. O Lord, may the intercession of the Church for these dead be a ladder to Heaven; O Lord, have mercy on them through the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God and all the saints. Pardon them for the sake of the faithful who cry unto Thee day and night; O Lord, for the sake of innocent children have mercy on their parents, and by the mothers' tears redeem the sins of their children. O Lord, for the sake of the prayers of innocent sufferers, by the blood of martyrs, spare and have mercy on sinners. O Lord, receive our prayers and alms as a memorial of their virtues.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 8

The whole world is a common sacred cemetery, in every place is the dust of our fathers and brethren. O Christ our God Who alone lovest us unchangeably, forgive all that have died from the beginning until now, that they may sing with boundless love: Alleluia!

Ekos 8

Behold the day cometh as a fiery furnace, the great and terrible day of the Last Judgement, when the secrets of men will be laid bare, the books of conscience will be opened. Be ye reconciled to God! crieth the Apostle Paul: Be ye reconciled before that terrible day. Help us, O Lord, to fill up with the tears of the living that which was lacking in the dead. O Lord, let the sound of the angel's trumpet be to them the good tidings of salvation, and vouchsafe unto them joyful forgiveness at the hour of Thy judgement. O Lord, crown with glory those who suffered for Thee and cover the sins of the weak with Thy goodness. O Lord, Who knowest all by name, remember those who have been saved in the monastic order; remember blessed pastors with their spiritual children.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 9

Bless swiftly passing time: every hour, every moment bringeth eternity nearer to us. A new sorrow, a new gray hair are heralds of the world to come, they are witnesses of earthly corruption, they proclaim that all passeth away, that the eternal kingdom draweth nigh, where there are neither tears, nor sighing, but the joyful song: Alleluia!

Ekos 9

As a tree loseth its leaves little by little, so also our days with each year, decline into weakness. The festival of youth fadeth. The lamp of rejoicing is extinguished, the isolation of old age approacheth, friends and family die. Where are the young merrymakers, joyful and happy? Silent are their tombs, but their souls are in Thy hand; their glances are felt from the world beyond the grave. O Lord, Thou art the Brightest Sun: do Thou illumine and warm the abodes of those who have fallen asleep. O Lord, let the time of our bitter farewell pass for ever, vouchsafe us a joyful reunion in Heaven. O Lord, cause that all may be one with Thee. O Lord, restore to the departed the purity of childhood and the genial spirit of youth, and let eternal life be to them a Paschal Festival.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 10

Shedding silent tears at the graves of our kindred, we pray with hope, and with expectation we cry aloud: Tell us, O Lord, that Thou hast forgiven their sins! Give our spirit a secret revelation concering this, that we may sing: Alleluia!

Ekos 10

Looking back, our eyes behold afar the whole path of life: from the first day until now, already have died a multitude of people who did good things for me. Rendering unto them a debt of love, I cry: O Lord, vouchsafe heavenly glory to my parents and those nearest and dearest to me, who watched over my childhood cradle, who nurtured and brought me up; O Lord, glorify in the presence of the holy angels those who proclaimed the word of salvation to me, who taught me right and truth by the holy example of their lives; O Lord, delight with hidden manna those who ministered to me in difficult days. Reward and save all my helpers and benefactors.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 11

O death, where is thy sting, where is thy former darkness and terror? Henceforth thou art welcome, for thou dost unite us inseparably with God. Great peace, thou art the mystical sabbath. The Apostle crieth: I have a desire to die and to be with Christ. Wherefore, gazing upon death as on a gateway to life eternal, we cry: Alleluia!

Ekos 11

The dead shall rise and those in the graves shall stand up, and those who are alive on earth shall be joyful, for they shall arise with spiritual bodies, radiantly glorified, incorrupt. Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord: I will bring upon you a spirit of life, I will cover you with skin; rise out of the ancient past, ye who are redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God, restored to life by His death. Over you is the light of the Resurrection. O Lord, open now to them the depths of Thy perfections. Thou hast shone upon them the light of the sun and moon, that they may see also the glory of the radiant choirs of angels. Thou hast delighted them with the majesty of the rising and setting of the light of Heaven; may they also see the unwaning light of Thy Divinity.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 12

Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God; however long we live in the flesh we are separated from Christ, but if we die we live for eternity. Our corruptible body must put on incorruption, so that in the light of the unwaning day we may sing: Alleluia!

Ekos 12

We await the meeting with the Lord, we await the bright dawn of the Resurrection, we expect the raising of our near and dear ones from the tombs and the restoration of the dead to the most reverent beauty of life. We triumph in the coming transfiguration of all creation and cry to our Creator: O Lord, Who didst create the world for the triumph of joy and goodness, Who hast raised us up to holiness out of the depths of sin, grant the dead to reign in the midst of the new creation, that they may shine in Heaven on the day of their glory. O Lord, let the Divine Lamb be to them the unwaning light. O Lord, grant us also to celebrate with them a Pasch incorruptible; unite the dead and the living in unending joy.

O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!

Kontakion 13

O most-compassionate and unoriginate Father, Who desirest that all be saved, Who didst send down Thy Son to the perishing and didst pour out Thy life-creating Spirit! Have mercy, forgive, and save our kindred and near and dear ones, (NAMES), who have fallen asleep, and all from the ages who have finished their course, and through their intercession visit us, that together with them we may shout to Thee, O Saviour God, the triumphal hymn: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
(Thrice)

(And again Ekos 1 and Kontakion 1)

Closing Prayer

O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death, and overthrown the devil, and given life to Thy world! Do Thou Thyself, O Lord, give rest to the souls of Thy departed servants: patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons, and monks and nuns, and all those who have served Thee in Thy Church; the founders of all churches and monastaries, and all Orthodox forefathers, fathers, brothers and sisters, here and everywhere laid to rest; officers and soldiers who have laid down their lives for faith and country, the faithful slain in civil wars, those who were drowned, burned, frozen to death, torn by wild beasts, those who finished the course of their lives without repentance and had no opportunity to be reconciled with the Church and with their enemies; those who took their own lives in a moment of mental unbalance; for all who asked us to pray for them; those who were not vouchsafed Christian burial; and for the servants of God (NAMES), in a place of light, in a place of refreshment, in a place of repose, whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing are fled away. Forgive every sin committed by them in word, deed, or thought, in that Thou art the good God, the Lover of mankind; for there is no man that liveth and sinneth not; Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy word is truth.

For Thou art the resurrection and the life, and the repose of Thy departed servants, (NAMES), O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with Thine unoriginate Father, and Thy most holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Menu Monday

Wednesday begins the Nativity Fast :)  I look forward to the change in menus!

All meals begin with a Salad Bar Salad and are Gluten- & Dairy- Free.

Monday: Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday: Pork Roast, Potatoes, Corn, Onions, Peas
Wednesday: eat out after the funeral
Thursday: Fish sticks, Broccoli, Carrots
Friday: Spaghetti w/ Marinara Sauce
Saturday: Grilled Trout, Grilled Zucchini, Glazed Maple & Mustard Carrots
Sunday: Blackened Catfish, Steamed Veggies, Green Beans

The Passing of my Uncle

I found out a little while ago that my aunt's husband passed away this morning.  I pray for my aunt and his children, that their sorrows be comforted, and that my aunt not to have difficulty as a widow.  May God have mercy on the widows and the orphans!



O Holy, wondrous Martyr Varus, who, burning with zeal for the Heavenly King, didst confess Him before thy torturers and didst greatly suffer for Him! Now the Church doth venerate thee, as one glorified with the glory of heaven by Christ the Lord, Who granted thee the abundant grace to approach Him boldly. And now, standing before Him together with the Angels, rejoicing on high, beholding the Most Holy Trinity clearly, and enjoying the Uncreated Light, remember the suffering of our relatives who have died outside the Faith, and accept our pleas, and as thou didst intercede for the unbelieving ancestors of Cleopatra and didst free them from eternal suffering, remember those who have died unbaptized and have been buried in an ungodly manner, and pray earnestly that they may be delivered from eternal darkness, that we may all, with one mouth and one heart, praise the Most Merciful Creator unto the ages of ages. Amen.

I taught my baby to ....

shoot this weekend on a .40!  There are only two more to teach now before they will all be proficient with a firearm.  They all know gun safety and they all started out with bb guns.

I have to say Bean6 did wonderfully!!  I was more than surprised by her aim accuracy - both right- and left- handed.  In fact she did better with her non-dominant hand than she did her dominant hand. (Same side dominant hand and eye.)

Anyway, we went to a friend's house who has a perfect little gully/valley - surrounded on three sides with 2 story berms - shoot not even berms as it is all flat land at the top - and fenced.  There were a plethora of weapons to choose from but Bean6 only wanted to try the .40 - which was just fine seeing as it was her first time to hold a "real" gun and shoot with "real" ammunition.

 

 

There were a bunch of milk jugs with bullseyes on them and a Mountain Dew box.  She actually shot 2 of them 4 times her first cartridge!  I'm really proud of how she did.

 

Thank you mrbrooks for arranging this!

Thanksgiving

 

Prayers of Thanksgiving

O Lord my Savior and my Master, I, Thine unprofitable servant, with fear and trembling give thanks unto Thy loving goodness for all Thy benefits which Thou hast poured so abundantly upon me, Thy servant. I fall down in adoration before Thee and offer Thee, O god, my praises; with fervor I cry to Thee: O God, deliver me henceforth from all adversities and mercifully fulfill in me such of my desires as may be expedient for me. Hear me, I entreat Thee, and have mercy, for Thou art the Hope of all the ends of the earth, and unto Thee, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be ascribed glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

I praise Thee, O God of our Fathers, I hymn Thee, I bless Thee, I give thanks unto thee for Thy great and tender mercy. To Thee I flee, O merciful and mighty God. Shine into my heart with the True Sun of Thy righteousness. Enlighten my mind and keep all my senses, that henceforth I may walk uprightly and keep Thy commandments, and may finally attain unto eternal life, even to Thee, Who art the source of life, and be admitted to the glorious fruition of Thy inaccessible Light. For Thou art my
God, and unto Thee, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be ascribed glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

 

 

Lord Jesus Christ our God, God of every merciful kindness and compassion: Your mercy is without measure, and Your love for the human race is an unfathomable depth! Bowing down before Your Greatness, with fear and trembling as unworthy servants, and now humbly rendering thanksgiving to Your loving-kindness for Your benefits bestowed upon us, we glorify, praise, hymn and magnify You as Lord, Master, and Benefactor; and bowing down again we offer thanksgiving. We implore Your boundless and ineffable merciful kindness, humbly praying, in that You have now graciously deigned to accept and to fulfill the supplications of Your servants, so also grant that from this time forward we might increase in true love for You, of our neighbors, and in all of the virtues. And enable us to always thank and praise You together with Your Beginningless Father, and Your All-Holy, Good and Co-Essential Spirit. Amen.

 

 

We bless Thee, O most high God and Lord of mercy, Who art ever doing numberless great and inscrutable things for us––glorious and wonderful; Who grantest to us sleep for rest from our infirmities, and repose from the burdens of or much toiling flesh. We thank Thee that Thou hast not destroyed us with our sins, but hast loved us forever; and though we are sunk in despair, Thou hast raised us up to glorify thy power. Therefore, we implore Thine incomparable goodness: enlighten the eyes of our understanding and raise up our mid from the heavy sleep of indolence; open our mouth and fill it with Thy praise, that we may be able––without distraction––to sing and confess Thee, Who are God glorified in all and by all, the eternal Father, with Thine Only-begotten Son, and thine All-Holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen

New York, New York

Bean5 is traveling to New York today - in fact, they should be checking in and heading toward security right about now.  She'll be back Sunday.  I know she'll have lots of fun and that she's well chaperoned but I'm still a mother and human - so worries do crop up.  For everything there is a prayer.  For the moment, I'm praying Prayers for Travel.

This one for the flight there and back ....

Orthodox Prayer for Pilots, Sailors, and Those who Travel by Air or Sea

O Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who didst walk upon the waters as upon dry land, and didst deign to have Thy holy disciples and apostles as Thy fellow voyagers in the ship; and didst rebuke the stormy wind, and command the waves of the sea to be still: Be pleased now also, we humbly pray Thee, O Savior, to sail with [name] in his/her ship/plane, allaying every unfavorable wind and tempest: And raise up special and timely winds for a successful voyage, being Thyself even unto him/her a pilot, and a saving; an untempestuous and tranquil haven unto him/her and his/her ship/plane. And as Thou didst save Peter from drowning, so also in sovereign wise, deliver Thou [name] from all assaults of enemies, both visible and invisible, and from calamity, and distress, and fear, by Thy Right Hand omnipotent: And graciously vouchsafe that he/she may return to his/her home in peace, health, and happiness; having accomplished his/her purpose and enterprise. Do Thou richly bestow Thine inexhaustible grace upon his/her deeds, and preserve the ship/plane whole and unharmed. For thou art the Savior, and the Deliverer, and the rich Giver of all good things, both spiritual and temporal, and unto Thee we ascribe glory: To the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This one for her time around New York ....

Lord Jesus Christ my God, be [her] Companion, guide and protector during [her] journey. Keep [her] from all danger, misfortune and temptation. By Your divine power grant [her] a peaceful and successful journey and safe arrival. In You I place my hope and trust and You I praise, honor and glorify, together with Your Father and Holy Spirit now and forever and ever. Amen.

Laundry Soap

Last Tuesday I had to make some more laundry soap as we finally used up the last batch.

Most of what you'll need ... the only thing missing is a medium pot & grater (shown in next picture), a 5-gallon bucket, and hot water ---- optional is storage containers for your finished detergent rather than storing in the 5-gallon bucket

1) Grate half of a bar of soap (I used Castille soap ... Fels Naptha and Ivory can also be used) into a pot of water - heat on medium until it is completely dissolved

 

 

2) Fill a 5-gallon bucket half way with hot water and add 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and 1/4 cup of Borax ---- Dissolve and add the Castille water solution ---- Finish filling the bucket with hot water

 

3) Divide among your varied containers (mine are old detergent and vinegar bottles)

 

4) I also use a drink dispenser to actually dispense the detergent - this makes it easier for the younger ones who can't pour a Tablespoon of detergent into the little measuring cups - I got the idea off pintrest ;-)

 

A) Inside the detergent dispenser was an area where ice would normally be kept to keep the drink cool - so I put in a few cut up old towels and some vinegar with essential oils to use in the dryer - they are similar to dryer sheets but I can't quite call them that.  They do help with static cling but they do not give off a thick smell since the vinegar and the oils "evaporate" off in the heat of the dryer.

B) My fabric softener is vinegar - I soak orange peels in vinegar (see my next batch in the mason jar on #3) and I fill the fabric softener portion of my washer with the vinegar solution rather than petroleum-based chemical-laden fabric softeners sold in stores.  I also use this same mixture for various cleaning around the house.  I started using the orange vinegar because it makes it appealing to the kids.

C) The smaller container over on the dryer is Disinfecting Wipes --- cut up old towels and wash cloths soaking in a solution of water, castille soap, and tea tree (melaleuca) oil.  I do have to say I can't wait to finish this batch up cause there is too much soap in it for my liking as they get too soapy in use.  I'm sure I'll live though.

D) The yellow bucket is the 5-gallon bucket I use to make the detergent in - while not in use for making detergent it is used to put all of the dryer lint into. I empty it every six months or so when I make a new batch of detergent.  With that I make little fire starters using toilet paper/paper towel rolls and wax.

E) The bottle of green liquid is an experiment that I'm not fond of.  It is a vinegar, Dawn dishwashing liquid, and baking soda mixture to clean bath tubs and showers.  While it certainly does that! - the rinsing is *I~n*S~a*N~e*.  I am going to try this mixture again but with a little tweaking - or maybe a lot tweaking - using less Dawn or no Dawn.

F) The other two containers are a homemade orange vinegar and water solution for general all-purpose cleaning and the other is actually Bac-Out.

 



Winterizing the chicken coop

Really simple changes - nothing big ....

We just added a couple of brown tarps to blend in with the lattice and not stand out to the neighbors (silver shows on the inside of the coop).  This is mostly for wind and rain protection.

New laying boxes which I think might actually be a little bigger than they prefer ... if we find this to be true we'll fix the issue.  Also it is only this bright in there for an hour or so - from the moment the sun breeches the trees of the pond (directly in front of the coop) until it hits the edge of the roof of the coop.

New corrogated roofing - here soon there will be a gutter added along the edge to make a rain catchment system - we've already got the 55 gallon drums - they will have to be painted so as not to stand out as well.

The biddies attacked the feeder and bent it - it is now on the ground until one of us can get it fixed.

Raising the doves wasn't working out so well so we slaughtered them the other night and gifted our neighbor with them since he grew up eating them as a boy in his home country.  This left a second coop for the chickens.  They must feel like they have moved into a mansion!

Menu Monday

What's on your plate for the week?

All meals start with a salad (these are full-blown salads with a myriad of toppings - grapes, olives, oranges, peppers, tomatoes, seeds, sea weed, etc, not wimpy iceburg lettuce smothered in ranch dressing ;) ).
All meals are gluten-free and dairy-free - no matter what the title makes it appear to be!

Monday - Philly Cheese Steaks
Tuesday - Hawaiian Slow-Cooker Ribs & Broiled, Skewered Veggies
Wednesday - Veggie Soup & Cornbread
Thursday - Ropa Vieja
Friday - Stir-Fry Veggies & Rice
Saturday - Meat Loaf, Corn on the Cob, Green Beans
Sunday - Prayerfully Thanksgiving Dinner with the in-laws ... If not, Albondigas Soup

We are possibly going to serve the homeless on Thanksgiving rather than go to a traditional Thanksgiving meal - hence the non-traditional meal :)  My side of the family always gathers the Sunday prior.  My father-in-law is in the hospital but mother-in-law has some hope of having everyone over the Sunday after Thanksgiving, if not, then we'll see them for Christmas.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Yes, I'm a day late but yesterday kicked me every which way but up.

 

To all the veterans in my life - thank you for your service.

 

My Daddy, US Army, Vietnam

My Papa, US Army, Korea

My (late) Uncle, US Navy, Korea
My (late) Uncle, US Navy

My Uncle, US Army, Vietnam

My (late) Cousin, US Air Force

My Brother-in-law, US Navy

My Friends, US Marine Corps, US Air Force, US Navy, US Army

 

To those currently serving:

My son, Bean3, US Air Force

My cousin's husband, US Navy

My brother-in-arms, US Marine Corps

My high school friend, US Army as a Chaplain

My neighbor's son & my children's close friend, US Army

My brother-in-Christ, US Army as a Ranger & Chaplain

Thank you for what you are doing now.

 

Proud United States Marine Corps Veteran

 

What do you do when...

you wake up to your throat hurting so bad, head feeling like it is gonna explode, aches and pains alllll over your body, swollen lymph nodes right below your ear, ears hurting so bad you can't put in your hearing aids, a fever, and sinus drainage out the wazoo?

I probably do things a lot different than most folks. First I got a hot cuppa tea to ease the pain in my throat. I was already feeling pretty bad but it kept getting worse.  I finally got up and chopped me some garlic and swallowed it with some honey.  After a nap I had two asthma attacks so I first sat back and opened up my chest and breathed slowly until they passed.  So I made some more respiratory support tea to drink.

A couple of hours later I was sitting there almost in a state of panic about herbal medicine not working.... I had to have been delusional, after all I had a fever.  When out of nowhere I was reminded of my very words I'd just lectured MrBeans with .... "Garlic and other herbs are just like modern medicines.  You can't take them once and expect to be better immediately.  You have to take them three times a day or more just like modern medicines.  Otherwise you aren't going to get better."  So I got up and chopped some more garlic to take with honey.

Later that evening, I felt a small pain in my chest like another asthma attack coming on so I grabbed a peppermint tea bag and started breathing it in for a few minutes (because I still haven't gotten any peppermint essential oil) until I dunked it in water to drink a cup of peppermint tea.  That felt so good!  Then I made a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and honey and followed that with some more garlic and honey a little later.  Followed by rinsing with a neti pot after my shower.

Around 4 am I woke up with my chest hurting and decided to go grab another peppermint tea bag to breath in for awhile.  I cannot even begin to describe the relief that brings.

I initially started feeling better a couple hours after my second dose of garlic.  I'm still sick but boy do I feel much better than I did yesterday!!!  I volunteered to read names of fallen soldiers today at the college for the Veteran's Day observance and I have a test to take at 9.  I really thought I was going to have to cancel on them.  That's how bad I felt yesterday - barely able to get up for feeling so weak, taking several naps and still going to bed at regular time.  The only thing I did was knit a little.

(March 18, 2014 - just saw this link is broken - will attempt to fix as soon as I can)

Happy 237th Birthday, Marines!

Born at Tun Tavern, Phildelphia, Pennsylvania, November 10, 1775

Semper Fi to all my brother and sister Marines

Ooh-rah!

 

 

Proud to have been Molly Marine and a part of the Women Marines Association

Ooh-rah Lady Leathernecks

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely Doves and Asparagus plants

Some of our sweet doves ...

My haul of eggs today - 9!

I also got the asparagus bedded down - mostly - for the winter.  It just got too dark for me to be able to see what I was doing.  I'm also allergic to the wheat straw so I have to be really careful not to get it on me.  That's hard to do when you can't see it very well.  So tomorrow I'll finish up the job but at least tonight they have a bit of a blanket on them.  I also pulled up the rest of the tomato plants and broke them up to put around the asparagus plants to help hold the straw around the plants.

Baked Potato Soup

The other night, I made some Baked Potato Soup from one of my favorite crock pot blogs - 365 Days of Slow Cooking.  It doesn't look like much - but with a helping of Dairy-free Cheddar Cheese, some Fakin' Bac'n Bits, and a dollap of Dairy-free Sour Cream it was delish!  The only thing better would have been some chives and green onions to sprinkle on top.  :-D

According to the family - this one is a keeper!

PS: I also used plain almond milk and Gluten-free flour :)

A little dehydration goes a long way

So today, I chopped up some peppers from the garden and put them on the dehydrating trays.  I still had some room plus a half of an onion left from last night, so I sliced it up and put it on the trays as well.  I *still* had room so I grabbed a zucchini and sliced it up and put it on the trays.  At that point the trays were almost completely filled so I salted the zucchini and put the trays on dehydrate. :-)  I'm experimenting with dehydrating julienned slices of zucchini.  If that works as well as I hope then I'll start deyhdrating them that way.
In a few days I'll take some photos of the finished product ... for now, here is the fresh produce ...

 

Typical Class Day...

or not.

I was so tired today so I've hardly gotten anything done.  Thankfully, only one child, Bean5, has something today besides school.
I did *not* do my morning routine other than to awaken the children, say morning prayers with them, and get myself ready for school.

After I finished with classes, I was a *little* more awake and managed to eek out a little bit of usefulness today.  I'm keeping my expectations low for tonight!

I made it outside finally after figuring I was so cold inside the house that it couldn't be too much worse outside.  I love the view from my back deck!  If you know what you're looking at, you can see three of the garden plots in this photo, the coops, the new fire pit, and the deer target.  The pond is in the middle of all that brush and trees :)

 

 

 So I finally got to the coops to feed and water the chickens and doves and let the chickens out to the grass pen to chow down a little bit on a smorgasborg of different bugs.  Here are a few of the girls.

I gathered eggs and managed to drop one :-/  only 5 made it to the fridge ....

Then I harvested some stevia seeds ....

 

 

I still need to "de-fluff" them and let the seeds dry (or vise versa) before storing them in a small mason jar with a paper lid versus a metal lid (for breathability).  I personally have to store them this way in our second refridgerator otherwise, my darling family somehow finds a way to lose or spill the paper packets *sigh*

So now, I need to post this so I can get on supper.... baked potato soup *yum* - gluten-free/dairy-free!  Oh and I need to finish getting the peppers from the garden chopped and in the dehydrator!  Next thing I know it'll be time for baths, prayers, and bed for the kids.  I'm supposed to have book club tonight but that'll simply depend on how I feel - I might not be able to handle staying awake for it!

Apple Cider & Two Eggs

Making apple butter yesterday made me crave warm apple cider ... not hard apple cider. So I cheated a bit and bought regular apple juice last night. Today I poured it in a glass pot and heated on low while I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice. It turned out really good.

Today, when I went out to the chicken coop there were only 2 eggs :(



Unfortunately, a combination of the time change making it darker sooner and me having to leave the house, I didn't go back out to see if more had been laid nor did I send someone else out there.

Of course, I don't know that any of the children could handle an escaped chicken like I dealt with this afternoon! Those silly girls act like the only grass they ever see is the grass right outside the door when I open the door. Well, one slipped out while I was shooing them back - one hand on the door and the other holding the two eggs. So I had to find a safe place to set the eggs while I chased Henrietta. I finally just let her get to chomping on the long grass then just scooped her up and put her back with the other girls.

Whew! Crisis averted lol

And can someone tell me why chickens scatter their feed all over the ground but then won't eat it? That's the million dollar question around here!

Apple Butter

WoooHooo I canned my first batch of Apple Butter!  At first I was going to simply make applesauce BUT I had such a hankering for apple butter that I decided to do that instead :-)

What a process!  I read all the instructions and it seemed fairly straight forward - and it was, don't get me wrong.  It was just pushing the apples through the sieve took fooorrrreevveeerrrr.  Of course, I could have cooked them a little longer than the instructions say to - but I always follow the instructions the way they are written FIRST - then make changes from there.  Change numero uno is to cook the batch of apples longer while in the vinegar and water solution so as to make them mushier to go through the sieve easier.

If I had a food mill it wouldn't be an issue, but I don't, so it is.

It all started with me home sick from church and MrBeans prepping dinner (he grills most Sunday evenings) and Bean2 was doing dishes (amazingly without being asked!).  When MrBeans casually says, "You got some apples about to go bad over here."  So, me in all my infinite wisdom (not) decided to say, "Okay, I'll just go grab my applesauce recipe and make some applesauce."  Because that's what you do when you're hacking up a lung, right? (insert eye rolling here)

Figuring out how many apples made 4 pounds was a tiny bit tricky but I figured it out, chopped them into quarters, added the vinegar and water (after a trip to the garage to get the apple cider vinegar that I use for the animals' water bowls), covered and turned on the heat and set the timer.  Wah-lah!  That was simple enough and didn't take very long.  But then, I was suppose to push through a sieve if I didn't have a food mill.  Umm, that took hours!  Since you have to leave on the peels and leave the cores in - because that's where most of the pectin and flavor is located - it just seemed to take forever.... oh wait, it did!

As a side thought, maybe I'll peel and core the apples, put it all in the pot to boil and then the peels and cores can just come right out .... maybe ...

I finally got 8 cups of pulp squished out, added the sugar and spices and put it all on to boil down to a nice thick apple butter!  I must have done a bang-up job of squishing those apples through the sieve because the recipe was suppose to make just over 3 pints - so I prepared 3 pint jars and 1 half pint jar.  As it turns out, by the time my apple butter was nice and smooth and thick, I had a little over 4 pints.  So I have 3 pint jars, 2 half-pint jars, and one 3/4 full half-pint jar (which is in the fridge to be eaten immediately rather than canned like the others).

So with starting at around 1 pm, I finally finished at around 9 pm!  ... With a break for dinner in there, too.  Though I have to say, I felt rather accomplished!  Oh, on top of making/canning the apple butter, MrBeans and I went through and cartoned all the eggs we've gotten so far (that we haven't eaten or given away yet, that is)... 2 1/2 flats worth.

Here are a couple of photos.... (March 18, 2014 - just saw that the link has been broken - will attempt to remedy this soon)

Bronchitis

Friday I began to feel something going on in my chest and I had an asthma attack (something I don't do unless I have an upper respiratory infection).  By that evening during Bean6's birthday party I realized I had bronchitis.  I haven't had that in a long time and it is usually pretty nasty when it hits me.  So I went straight inside and started drinking some Nettle Leaf and Licorice Root tea.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take some garlic before bed.


Saturday, the gunk in my chest was already starting to break up and I was coughing pretty bad.  I had three asthma attacks throughout the day.  Luckily they weren't bad and I was able to control them with slow, easy breathing and loosening my clothing.  During one I inhaled Sweet Orange Essential Oil and Melaluca Essential Oil (otherwise known as Tea Tree), then I followed that with a warm bath with Lavender Essential Oil when I realized I couldn't find the Peppermint Essential Oil (which should be the first essential oil used).  I also continued to drink Nettle Leaf and Licorice Root Tea but then changed to Marshmallow Root and Licorice Root Tea that night and all day Sunday.



I also made sure to take chopped garlic in local, unpasteurized honey all day Saturday.  It probably would have done me good to take it Sunday as well but I was a bit nauseous from the gunk and I get more nauseous when I take garlic on a nauseated stomach.  So instead I mixed cinnamon and honey together and ate that while canning apple butter.  Unfortunately, I had to miss church Sunday which was a bummer :(  Thankfully, someone was able to take over the class I was teaching for me so it turned out alright.


Here it is Monday and the bronchitis is almost completely gone!  There's still a bit of a small cough here and there but not the constant hacking that has been my friend for two days and I've had no more asthma attacks since Saturday night - oops, no, one small one Sunday afternoon.  I'll continue to drink Marshmallow Root and Licorice Root Tea for a full day after there is no more coughing.  Then I'll know I'm all better :-D

Birthday Bonfires

I mentioned that we built a fire pit in my first post.  Two of the girls wanted bonfires for their birthday parties so our little pit became the center of attention :)  Both parties (for 17-year-old Bean5 and 14-year-old Bean6) turned out wonderfully - with very little preparation needed.  Just some chairs around a blazing fire, a table with some goodies to snack on, a cooler full of drinks, and a little music to round out the night.  Of course, inside the house there were candles burning so whenever someone had to use the loo everything was softly glowing and smelled fresh & delicious!  We lit the candles inside and began singing Happy Birthday down the steps and across the lawn. (It appeared all formal, stepping down each step in time to the song --- all because I was blind!!  The candles didn't allow me to see in front of me so I was having to feel for each step LOL)

As a side benefit to their little parties, I now have hardwood ash to make lye without making a special fire just for that purpose!

I'll try to remember pictures for further posts ;)

Welcome!

Welcome to Tailgates & Picnics ~ a simple, little blog about our life & homesteading journey :)  Currently, we are a cross between "urban homesteaders" and "off-the-grid homesteaders" with the dream of being completely self-sufficient one day!
We live on 2 acres in the middle of an HOA subdivision.  This is a temporary port before we buy our permanent homestead.  On this 2 acres we have gardens, chickens, doves, and we can't forget the cats.  I've been canning for over a year now which has been a lot of fun and I keep adding to my knowledge base and expanding my repertoire.  I make the household laundry soap and am working on consistently making the dishwashing soap.
This week should be adventurous as I learn to make my own lye and tallow to make my own bar soaps.  I have made soap in the past but I purchased everything rather than make it on my own.  We just added a fire pit in the yard so I have our ashes contained.  But more on that later when I get to do some hands-on experimentation!

Our family consists of Myself - 8GreenBeans, My Honey - MrBeans, and our 8 children Bean1 (1988), Bean2 (1991), Bean3 (1992), Bean4 (1994), Bean5 (1995), Bean6 (1998), Bean7 (2000), and Bean8 (2003). Easy enough, right??