Dora Renee’ Wilkerson presents Funny Clips posted at Y-2K Hippie.. That tiny piece of peanut butter fudge looks inviting.

Patricia Twitchell presents The Adventures of Penny Pincher: Penny Pincher Goes To The Rodeo… Finally posted at Just Bears and Stuff. Tiny Penny Pincher at the rodeo…too cute.

Chris presents 3 Steps to the Perfect Vegetable Garden (Part Two) posted at Smith Family Garden. The teeny tiny garden can produce giant vegetables.

AdmirableIndia.com presents Trip to Ooty: Day 2: Part 1: Ooty Lake - Boat House and Thread garden, Ooty posted at AdmirableIndia.com. Check out the teeny tiny garden made of embroidery thread!

HowToMe presents How To Make a Custom Area Rug From Carpet Remnants posted at HowToMe. What a fabulous idea - turning tiny carpet pieces into a beautiful rug!

Alison presents Help! Tomato 911! posted at Green Me. This gal is going to have a teeny tiny tomato crop if she doesn’t get help fast!

Miss Amanda presents My Learning Experience - Black Forest Cake from Scratch posted at My Learning Experience -. That tiny boy was clearly thrilled with his birthday cake.

Miss Jocelyn presents Cowtown Boots posted at A Pondering Heart. There’s not much tiny about this huge store full of cowboy boots! Wait, there is tiny stitching on Jocelyn’s favorite boots!

Jacque presents Healthy Snacks for the (Large) Homeschooling Family posted at Walking Therein. Also great for tiny families.

Have a wonderful, teeny tiny day.

*****
Next week’s Homesteading Carnival will be hosted by The Sojourner. You may submit your post with this Blog Carnival Submission Form.

Today’s blog posts will be salted with Christian humor, and I do pray you come away with a smile on your face. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

A little boy was sitting in church next to his mother one evening. In the middle of a song, the mother thought her son was singing the song a little differently. She leaned over and heard him sing, “We bring the sacks of rice and beans.” The song was “We bring the Sacrifice of Praise.”

Keith Williams presents My NLT Odyssey: A Bible translation story posted at NLT Blog.

FMF presents Robert Kiyosaki on Tithing posted at Free Money Finance.

My daughter (now 19) was about 2 years old when we sat down at the dinner table to eat. When asked if she would like to say the blessing, she was excited to pray. With hands folded and heads bowed she began…God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food….. if he hollers, let him go…eeeenie……

Robert Minto presents Living In Heaven Today: A Meeting of Newman and Kline on the Subject of Holiness posted at The Veil Away.

Ali presents A sin with a lasting stain. posted at Kiwi and an Emu..

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother,” she asked “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”

Tiffany Partin presents I Want It My Way posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God.

Raffi Shahinian presents Incoherent Ramblings That Might or Might Not Have Something to Say About Jesus and Affirmative Action…You Decide posted at parables of a prodigal world.

A kindergarten teacher gave her class a “show and tell” assignment. Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion. The first student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David.” The second student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Mary. I’m a Catholic and this is a Rosary.” The third student got in up front of the class and said, “My name is Tommy. I am Methodist, and this is a casserole.”

simplyeddie presents Shadows of Christ~ The Death of Abel posted at Simple Life In Christ.

Erich Bridges presents The stars in their courses posted at CounterCulture.

The young couple invited their elderly preacher for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having. “Goat,” the little boy replied. “Goat?” replied the startled man of the cloth, “Are you sure about that?” “Yep,” said the youngster. “I heard Dad say to Mom, ‘Today is just as good as any to have the old goat for dinner.’”

Steve Mounts presents A Vision of God’s Power posted at Steve Mounts.

Allen Scott presents Passports posted at A View from the Nest.

Arris Charles presents Anyone Can Balance On Their Head posted at Spirited Ink.

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then she asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?” A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence with……”I think I’d throw up!”

Richard H. Anderson presents Priestly Blessing posted at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos.

Michael presents Encouragement posted at Chasing the Wind.

My son James is four. Whenever he hurts himself we lay hands on the injury and pray for healing. The other day he cut his left finger, took hold of it and prayed: “Jesus come out of my heart, go down my arm and fix my finger. Please Jesus, Amen.” Another time he said grace before our meal. “Dear God, bless our food and don’t let my sister’s head fall off”. His sister was 6 months old at the time; I couldn’t help wondering what James had planned to do with his sister.

Diane R presents Postmodern Philosophy for the Rest of Us–Part 1 posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet.

Fr. Joshua Wagner presents Miracle Grow! (Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A) posted at Total Possibility.

A Sunday School teacher asked her class, “what was Jesus’ mother’s name?“ A Child answered, “Mary.” The teacher then asked, “and what was her husband’s name?“ Another child answered, “The Verge.” Confused, the teacher asked, “where did you get that?“ The child replied: “You know, they are always talking about “the Verge ‘n Mary.“

Mark Olson presents A Bone To Pick (with my brethren in Christ) posted at Pseudo-Polymath.

e-Mom presents Bible Study: Jesus’ Use of Q & A posted at C h r y s a l i s.

A little child was looking through his grandmother’s Bible and found a crushed flower that was quite wilted. As it fell from the Bible He called to his Mother, “Come quick Mom, I think I found Adam’s suit.”

Drew Tatusko presents Making Pro-Life Plausible posted at Notes From Off Center.

Angela Williams Duea presents Cleaning my spirit house posted at angelawd.

My children began reciting the Lord’s Prayer at 2 1/2 years old and I remember my daughter very seriously praying, “Our father, whose art’s in Heaven, Howard is His name…”

David Porter presents A Boomer in the Pew: “Children of the Living God” - Sinclair Ferguson (Chapter 1c) posted at A Boomer in the Pew.

Ken Brown presents Islam, Christianity and the Freedom to Insult posted at C. Orthodoxy.

Stephen Hawkins presents Did Christ establish two kinds of churches? posted at Waters to Swim In.

A little boy got a new tie for his birthday. Sunday morning, he wore the new tie to church. He was so proud of his tie. He made sure everyone noticed it. Once the congregation settled down, the preacher approached the pulpit in preparation for the offering. The preacher said, “Now is the time we give back to the Lord. Please give your tithes(ties) and offerings to Christ.” The little boy looked at his father and said, “Daddy, he wants my tie!”

William Meisheid presents Knowing God Study Guide Now Complete posted at Beyond The Rim….

Weekend Fisher presents “Miracles violate the law of nature”–or do they? posted at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength.

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, “The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.” His son asked, “What happened to the flea?”

Jeremy Pierce presents Novel Interpretations and Confidence posted at Parableman.

Elementaryhistoryteacher presents Reverend: False Elevation or Grammatical Error? posted at Got Bible?.

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled, “Stop! Acts 2:38!”

(Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.)

The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, “Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you.” “Scripture?” replied the burglar. “She said she had an ax and two 38’s!”

John presents How to Be a God-Focused Encourager posted at Light Along the Journey.

Jot and Tittle presents Confessions of a techno geek… posted at Jot and Tittle.

Billy Graham tells of a time, during the early years of his preaching ministry, when he was due to lead a crusade meeting in a town in South Carolina, and he needed to mail a letter. He asked a little boy in the main street how he could get to the post office. After the boy had given him directions, Billy said, “If you come to the central Baptist church tonight, I’ll tell you how to get to heaven.” The boy replied, “No thanks, you don’t even know how to get to the post office!”

ChrisB presents The Bible and Capital Punishment posted at Homeward Bound.

Heath Countryman presents How Big Is Your Satan? posted at Esprit d’escalier.

Our little girl had just attended a baptismal service (by immersion). When she came home she ask her mother to fill the tub so she could baptize her dolls. Her mother listened carefully as she put them in the water…”I baptize you in the mane of the father, the son and in the hole you go!”

Rodney Olsen presents Pushing against the wind posted at RodneyOlsen.net.

Henry Michael Imler presents The Jobian Take on Righteousness posted at Theology for the Masses.

After the Christmas pageant, I asked my 6-year-old son if he remembered the gifts that the Magi brought to Jesus. He thought for a minute then said “gold, frankincense, and humor.” We could all use that!

Thank you for visiting this hilarious edition of the Christian Carnival! Next week it will be hosted by A True Believer’s Weblog. You may submit your blog post here by Tuesday, July 22, Midnight ET.

Technorati Tags: Christian Carnival, humor

I’m so sorry to post such a disgusting picture. My apologies in advance if you have nightmares about this enormous arthropod crawling in your bed tonight. The kids found this on our property, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it could be. I’ve looked in local field guides and can’t find it. Anyone know?

This was found in Central Oregon on our desert property; the kids accidentally dug it up or overturned it while shoveling dirt. Other habitation/features nearby include juniper trees, dry, volcanic soil, lava rocks, Western Fence Lizards, rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, jackrabbits, deer, field mice, owls, quail, lots of other birds of prey. And….this. ugly. thing.

I’m sure if I know the name of the creature my nightmares will stop. Thank you.

UPDATE: You all bloggers are so smart! Thank you for your input!! Drum roll, nightmares away, it’s a Jerusalem Cricket, commonly called a potato bug!

It’s neither from Jerusalem, nor a true cricket, nor does it prefer to eat potatoes. Most importantly, it is NOT venomous. But it is known to have a powerful bite, so do beware.

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The blog stuff:
Christian Carnival
Carnival of Family Life
Carnival of Homeschooling
The Carnival of Homesteading

Technorati Tags: insects, Central Oregon, country, desert creatures

The Carnival of Country Living has been posted. The Christian Carnival is up, The Carnival of Homeschooling is going strong, and The Carnival of Family Life continues as well.

Julie is hosting a fun giveaway, don’t forget about Heather’s art lessons, Laura was kind to mention my Father’s Day giveaway, and today is the last day to enter Debi’s hammer giveaway.

A local blogger is getting her own newspaper column, and also for you locals, check out the upcoming events at Camalli Book Store in Bend, like the “What to plant and when” talk this coming Tuesday evening by local gardeners/authors.

Thank you, and have a sunny day.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, blog contest, blogging

The Oregon Trail was a route to not only Oregon, but the only feasible pathway to the entire western United States. Travel to places like Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, and California was only possible because of this passage over the mountains. The 1843 wagon train, with about 1,000 pioneers making the journey, kicked off the big westward expansion, with over half a million travelers over the next 25 years braving the journey.

Carole DeJarnatt presents Build A Chicken Feeder Series posted at Fowl Visions.

Also commonly found slung on the sides of emigrant wagons were water barrels, a butter churn, a shovel and axe, a tar bucket, a feed trough for the livestock, and a chicken coop. A fully outfitted wagon on the Oregon Trail must have been quite a sight, particularly with a coop full of clucking chickens raising a ruckus every time the wagon hit a rock. From End of the Oregon Trail.

GP presents The Innside Scoop on Hosting House Guests posted at Innstyle Montana- Come on Inn.

Bush established a successful farm near present day Olympia on land that became known as Bush Prairie. He and his family were noted for their generosity to new arrivals and for their friendship with the Nisqually Indians who lived nearby. From HistoryLink.

Jennifer Bogart presents Planting Rhubarb posted at Measure Twice, Cut Once.

A typical day started before dawn with breakfast of coffee, bacon, and dry bread. The bedding was secured and wagon repacked in time to get underway by seven o’clock. At noon, they stopped for a cold meal of coffee, beans, and bacon or buffalo prepared that morning. Then back on the road again. Around five in the afternoon, after traveling an average of fifteen miles, they circled the wagons for the evening. The men secured the animals and made repairs while women cooked a hot meal of tea and boiled rice with dried beef or codfish. Evening activities included schooling the children, singing and dancing, and telling stories around the campfire. From End of the Oregon Trail.

Belle presents Did You Know……All Soaps Have Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)? posted at Born 100 Years to Soon.

One pound of Castile soap was recommended for the journey (for one man on a three month expedition).

Dora Renee’ Wilkerson presents Soap Creations review posted at Y-2K Hippie.

Minimal cooking utensils included a cast iron skillet or spider, Dutch oven, reflector oven, coffee pot or tea kettle, and tin plates, cups, and knives, forks, spoons, matches, and crocks, canteens, buckets or water bags for liquids. A rifle, pistols, powder, lead, and shot were recommended for hunting game along the way, and for self-defense. Candles were used for lighting, as they were far less expensive and lighter than transporting oil, and several pounds of soap was included. Only two or three sets of practical, sturdy, and warm clothing of wool and linen had to last the wear and tear of the journey, and a small sewing kit for repairs was important. Basic tools such as a shovel, ax or hatchet, and tools to repair wagon equipment were essential. Bedding and tents completed the list of necessities. From BLM Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

Jacque presents Summer Plans posted at Walking Therein.

June 3 Passed through St. Joseph on the Missouri River. Laid in our flour, cheese, crackers and medicine, for no one should travel this road without medicine, for they are almost sure to have the summer complaint. Each family should have a box of physicing pills, a quart of castor oil, a quart of the best rum and a large vial of peppermint essence. Elizabeth Dixon Smith. From End of the Oregon Trail.

Miss Jocelyn presents Making The Home: Washin’ The Laundry posted at Growing In Grace Magazine.

Resting on Sundays, in addition to giving the oxen and other animals a needed break, also gave the women of the wagon train a chance to tend to their domestic chores — particularly doing the laundry, as the dust on the Trail pervaded every article of clothing exposed to it. Occasionally, a wagon train’s arrival at a source of clean water was enough to prompt a special stopover for laundry day. From End of the Oregon Trail.

Lady Olivia presents Cherry Pie in a Cup posted at Growing In Grace Magazine.

In procuring supplies for this journey, the emigrant should provide himself with, at least, 200 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon; ten pounds of coffee; twenty pounds of sugar; and ten pounds of salt. From Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, 1845.

Thanks for visiting, this is the end of the trail! The next Homesteading Carnival will be hosted by The Daily Planet. You may submit your post HERE.

photo credits:
www.historyglobe.com
www.isu.edu
Diary of 1

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Homesteading Carnival, country, family life, gardening, Oregon Trail

The Homesteading blog carnival description reads:

A carnival full of homesteading articles… from your kitchen with yummy recipes, your sewing room with homemaking ideas to planting your garden, raising farm animals, and raising a family on the homestead. Please join us on the homestead and submit something from yours!

Now, if you don’t have a big ranch or farm with 12 children milking goats and collecting eggs every day, do not exclude yourself from this carnival! The Homestead Act (1863) provided the original homesteader with 160 acres if he could build a home on the property and inhabit the place for five years. But how many folks have 160 acres these days? And certainly not for free.

Homesteading has a broader interpretation these days. There are urban homesteaders who may not have a lot of real estate but sure have a lot of self-sufficiency. Maybe you have a balcony vegetable garden, maybe you have some good advice for living simply, being frugal yet generous, becoming debt free, or have figured out creative ways for how to make do with less. Please share your wisdom!!

My theme will be The Oregon Trail, so pack your wagons, and prepare for a long, bumpy ride, with paradise at the other end. [p.s. Your post isn’t supposed to be about the Oregon Trail, that’s just my fun way of organizing the articles.]

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, gardening, homesteading, Homesteading Carnival, recipes

Inside, we’ve been busy, busy. Drywall and texture is now complete, and tomorrow we begin painting. We spent the morning finalizing our interior colors (mostly earthy tones, some yellows, browns). We’re doing it ourselves, and the rest of today will find me and the kids pulling up paper from the floor and sweeping/vacuuming all the dust, in preparation for tomorrow. Here is my husband’s grand office last week (since been textured and primed):

It’s not all work and no play. The kids run around and find so many interesting things to do for a break. Like climbing trees:

….catching lizards….

….digging tunnels….

We hope to be moved in to our new place in a few months. It’s been about three years since we first embarked on this project, so you can imagine how ready we are to be done, how excited we are to be “home,” how exhausted we are. :-)
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Blog Carnival links:

Learning in the Great Outdoors
Carnival of Family Life
Carnival of Homeschooling
Make It From Scratch
Carnival of the Insanities

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Central Oregon, country, family life, building a house, outdoor play, outdoors

My Aloha Friday Question is this:

Did you have a childhood attachment, like a “security” blanket, a pacifier, a bottle, or a special bear you couldn’t part with?

From the loveable Linus eternally dragging his blanket to that maddening Maggie Simpson sucking on her pacifier with every breath, a child’s need for a comfort item seems to be universal. What sort of character were you? If you can’t remember or think you had no special comfort thing, what about your own children?

Me, I had a bottle. I actually have no memory of being attached to my bottle; I only know from old photographs showing in stark black and white my chubby little hands clutching what must have been my soothing object. Plus, my big sister says so.

Technorati Tags: aloha friday, baby bottle, blankie, childhood attachment, family life, Linus, pacifier, dog

Classical Education, Logical Fallacies, and Mushrooms
Ben Stein’ Expelled
Non-metric Measurements, and Poetry

2. I always find some interesting perspectives on the absurdities of our culture and world at the Carnival of the Insanities, including these:

Throwing Bashar a Lifeline
No use worrying about global warming…
Don’t Drink the Water!

3. Make it From Scratch - a carnival full of inspiring ideas, including:

Five-Minute Homemade Pancake Syrup
A little lovin’ relief from hay fever and colds
Anzac Biscuits

4. The Christian Carnival will be up tomorrow at Brain Cramps for God.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, blogging

By the eighteenth century tea had taken hold of Britain and one remarkable consequence was the rapid development of pottery and porcelain for tea wares. The original Chinese tea cups were tiny fragile things without handles or saucers. The Europeans modified accordingly to suit their grand tastes for tea, making a bigger cup, and giving the teacup a handle to make holding a hot cup an easier matter.

One ingenious tea cup variation of the late nineteenth century was the mustache cup. This cup was fitted with a bar across the inside for the drooping mustache to rest upon so the tea could be swallowed without first passing through a hairy filter. Which brings me to the first post about family pets (just thinking about hair):

Matt M presents Polluted Pets

EDUCATION

Josh Lien presents Free Rosetta Stone - Learn a Foreign Language

Elaine presents 2 - Two Little Dicky Birds

Rose presents Trendy, green, frugal, and homeschooling

Mark Montgomery presents Visiting College Campuses: Observations by a Professional Tour-Taker

Renae presents Muss-Makers
Before the end of the eighteenth century the firm of Twining was using tea wrappers, printed in the style of tradesmens’ cards of the period. Grocers also began to wrap their customers’ tea purchases in tin and lead foil, which was included in the gross weight of the tea. But the practice led to abuse, and unscrupulous grocers gave false weights. At the same time, some Chinese merchants began to colour their cheap teas with artificial powder so as to make them look like the best. G. Huxley, Talking of Tea

FAMILY FINANCE

iMagxz presents 22 uses for Toothpaste

tipsandtricks presents Getting More From The Tube

Neelakantha presents 101 Tips & Resources for the Upside-Down Homeowner

Matthew Paulson presents Lunchtime Lessons: Cheap Fixin’s and Good Ideas

Debbie presents Paying Attention to the “Fill Line” Will Save You Money

Debt Freedom Fighter presents 5 Ways To Save Money On Everyday Purchases

Ken Clark presents Mother’s Day: Shop for Mom and Save for College

Linda W. presents How To Talk About Money With Your Partner

Mark Butler presents Living With Less

Fathersez presents How I intend to help my daughters secure jobs they would like

Leaving The Folks presents Creating a Budget

Amy @ The Q Family presents Be a Hero. “Save the Cash, Save the World”

Stephanie presents Coupons and Deals

Matthew Paulson presents Cheap Vacation Idea: Don’t Leave Home

Debt Freedom Fighter presents Why God Doesn’t Always Answer Prayers About Money

K presents Meal Planning On Vacation

What should mightily recommend the use of Tea to Gentlemen of a sprightly Genius, who would preserve the Continuance of their lively and distinct Ideas, is its eminent and unequalled Power to take off, or prevent Drowsiness and Dulness, Damps and Clouds on the Brain, and intellectual Faculties. It begets a watchful Briskness, dispels Heaviness; it keeps the Eyes wakeful the Head clear, animates the intellectual Powers, maintains or raises lively Ideas, excites and sharpeneth the Thoughts, gives fresh Vigour and Force to Invention, awakens the Senses, and clears the Mind.
Dr. Short, 1750 Discourse on Tea, from Talking of Tea

FAMILY HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Theresa L. Twogood presents Big Picture Progressive Exposure

Amy Vernon presents Are plastic baby bottles really dangerous?

Aparna presents Correcting a gummy smile

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.
Sydney Smith (1771-1845)

FAMILY HUMOR

Robert Bach presents Daddy Daughter Day

Harrison presents Top 20 Wedding Dresses You Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead In

Jenny Rapson presents My Daughter, the Cover Girl

Tipper presents Lightning Strikes & Granny

Terri Mauro presents Our First Special Olympics

The maid led him through the darkness of the drawing room to the terrace in the patio, where he saw Fermina Daza sitting beside a small table set for two. She offered him tea, chocolate, or coffee. Florentino Ariza asked for coffee, very hot and very strong, and she told the maid: “The usual for me.” The usual was a strong infusion of different kinds of Oriental teas, which raised her spirits after her siesta.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Evan Pangburn presents Park Chapel Christian Church Baby Dedication

Erica presents Kids or Career? American Women Are Still Forced to Choose

BeThisWay presents Love Uncluttered

Jen presents Seasons Come and Seasons Go

Amy Dyck presents Raw Passion

Steven Chang presents Reconnecting With Your Spouse

Leslie Williams presents The Nature of the Beast, A Problem to be Addressed, or Failure as a Mother

“You can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here.”
“Oh, Marilla!” Anne clasped her hands. “How perfectly lovely! You are able to imagine things after all or else you’d never have understood how I’ve longed for that very thing. It will seem so nice and grown-uppish. No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?”
–L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

FAMILY ACTIVITIES AND TRAVEL

Christine presents The Earth Laughs in Flowers

FitBuff presents Nintendo Wii Fit Release Date

GP presents Mending Fences.. Not for the Sheepish

Riley presents A Plumm Summer

Kelsey presents Kids’ Face Painting

PARENTING TIPS AND ADVICE

Fred Black presents Have we Forgotten

Amanda presents Keeping up, the story of three journals

Abel Cheng presents What I Did When My Daughter said, “I Don’t Want to Go to School!”

Lori Jewett presents Baby Talk

Jessica Jones presents Winning at Parenting through Trust

Neena presents Parenting Tips: Naptime

Chief Family Officer presents Potty Training Tips

Melitsa presents Tip: Sound communication

This concludes the Carnival of Family Life: Tea Edition. Said Rev. Sydney Smith on tea and posts: “It is a place with only one post a day…In the country I always fear that creation will expire before tea-time. (from The Smith of Smiths).

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Family Life using the handy BlogCarnival Submission Form. Up next at All Rileyed Up.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Carnival of Family Life, tea party, tea time

I look forward to presenting your excellent family posts! Be sure to come back here to Diary of 1 to see the great variety of articles on Monday, April 28.

Oh, and the Christian Carnival is hosted this week at Everyday Liturgy.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Carnival of Family Life

Carnival of the Insanities
Carnival of Family Life
Festival of Frugality
Carnival of Homeschooling

Do you know of another fabulous blog carnival? Let me know!

The winner of my ziplock-bag-books (The Child’s Spring Book) is commenter #9, Shannon at Song of my heart!! These will be on the way shortly. Email me with an address, Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, blogging, giveaway

My current book giveaway is two homemade books from the Diary of 1 family, for those interested in native plant life. You may leave me a comment on The Child’s Spring Book by this Sunday to learn about these books and enter the drawing.This giveaway actually has a project attached to it - my kids are putting together an Oregon plant/nature book - a cute ziplock-bag-book - to pass on to a child who lives anywhere other than where we live. And I hope that child will then create a book highlighting his/her region to pass on to another child, and so on. It’s a very simple book, so don’t be intimidated to try it! -P.S., our Oregon book will have some child-intriguing extra odds and ends from our property, like these:

One more note about contests: I actually won something!! SmallWorld had a spring poetry contest, and my mom’s poem, Morning, was chosen, and I hear that I have a basket of spring goodies on the way to me, which of course I’ll share with my mom - can’t wait to show you!

And those blog carnivals: The Carnival of Homeschooling, the Carnival of Homesteading, the Carnival of Family Life, the Christian Carnival, the Make it From Scratch Carnival.

Technorati Tags: children, contest, garden, gardening with children, giveaway, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots

So here is a very SIMPLE carnival, which I suppose is in keeping with the theme of homesteading! There were just 12 submissions, which I’ve listed first, followed by some of my own Top 10 Editor’s Picks that I grabbed from around the blogosphere, which fit the homesteading motif. You’ll find my own small commentary following each post.

(Let me know if you find any errors, omissions, bad links, etc.)

Rose Denson presents Spearmint Hot Pepper Horseradish Spray posted at Grandma Rosie’s Texas Home.

This is for the bugs, not for you!

Dora Renee’ Wilkerson presents Making Cottage Cheese posted at Y-2K Hippie.

This looks yummy. There is also a recipe for hand milled soap here.

Belle presents My Diary of No Shampoo—-Day 4 and 5 posted at Born 100 Years to Soon.

Belle shares her egg shampoo experiment. Yes, the kind you crack open and out comes gooey stuff. Find out why in the world she’s putting this in her hair on purpose.

Valereee presents Foraging: hot new foodie trend, or the hottest new foodie trend? posted at Cincinnati Locavore.

Finding wild edible treasures - is this trend here to stay? Is it fueled by fears of a depression? Read more!

Dave Trenholm presents How to Make a Square Foot Garden posted at Alberta Home Gardening.

Learn how to plant in blocks and eliminate the 80% of your traditional garden that you just walk on.

Moobeema presents MooBee Farm: The Burn Barrel Incident posted at MooBee Farm.

What happens when WIFE wants a burn barrel to match the color of her house…MooBeeFarm delivers up some amusement for you.

Sister Brenda presents Da Yooper Pasties Recipe and Tutorial posted at haflinger.

Mmmm, meat pie!! Having lived in Michigan for many years, I knew right away what this was all about! “Da Yoopers” are those great folks who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Flossie presents Aunt Lizzie’s Pound Cake posted at The Funny Farm.

Oh, my, this isn’t just the aunt’s recipe…it’s the great, great aunt’s recipe! And Flossie knew her! This family must have started having babies young. I didn’t even know one single great aunt, let alone a great-great.

Stephanie presents So Much to Say! posted at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

We know about the guard dog, but a guard donkey? Oh, yes, read on!

GP presents How Green is Your Garden posted at Innstyle Montana- Come on Inn.

Just get a load of her greenhouse! I’m positively green with envy!

Miss Amanda presents Cake Baking Photo Essay posted at My Learning Experience.

What a sweet sister to make such a lovely cake for her brother!

Jacque Dixon presents From the Archives- Gardening 101 - You *Can* Teach Your Children!! posted at Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths.

There is something for every age in the garden, and Jacque gives some great tips on teaching children that incorporate science, math, art, biblical lessons and more.

And now for the 10 other goodies that I discovered in cyberspace:

At Tales from Creekistan, I found The Daffodil House. Just don’t look inside the house.

At Blind Pig & the Acorn, I enjoyed The Fields of Home. I love that field, and read her garden wisdom.

At Hidden Haven Homestead, this author is Counting Blessings. I’m just trying to count the goats.

Down On The Farm shares some “Tails” From the Farm. In search of the perfect Jersey cow - bringing Buttercup home to the Back Forty.

At Kentucky Hollers, Running Into the Neighbors can be a literal experience, and Catherine discovers that sometimes movie stars retire to the Appalachian foothills.

Adventures in Farming coins a new saying, Snug as pigs in straw. The cutest little things I’ve ever seen.

In My Kitchen Garden has an intriguing offer: Attention Homeless Organic Vegetable Lovers: Would You Like To Move To A Farm? Seriously. Pack your bags and go live with the enormous pot-bellied pig.

Old Red Barn Co. clarifies work: It’s the reason you have kids, afterall. It was planting time, and lucky for Dana, she has a few sprightly young’uns.

Yarnstorm muses about tulips and tempests.Wow, those colors.

CraftApple instructs us on Gathering. For the seamstress in you - simple, foolproof techniques for a perfect gather.

Happy homesteading, now get on with your baking, planting, stitching, haying, milking, crafting, canning, quilting life!

Stay tuned next week, when the Homesteading Carnival will be hosted by Jacque at Seeking Rest in Ancient Paths. Submit your Homesteading posts HERE.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, carnivals, farm, garden, gardening with children, homesteading

This week’s theme: Twist(ed)

About 1/4 mile down the road from me, this twisted barbed wire fence marks the boundary between one old farm and another. At times it held back cattle, at times perhaps a feud.

Technorati Tags: barbed wire fence, country, photo hunt, ranch, farm

This blog carnival description reads:

A carnival full of homesteading articles… from your kitchen with yummy recipes, your sewing room with homemaking ideas to planting your garden, raising farm animals, and raising a family on the homestead. Please join us on the homestead and submit something from yours!

Now, if you don’t have a big ranch or farm with 12 children milking goats and collecting eggs every day, do not exclude yourself from this carnival! The Homestead Act (1863) provided the original homesteader with 160 acres if he could build a home on the property and inhabit the place for five years. But how many folks have 160 acres these days? And certainly not for free.

Homesteading has a broader interpretation these days. There are urban homesteaders who may not have a lot of real estate but sure have a lot of self-sufficiency. Maybe you have a balcony vegetable garden, maybe you have some good advice for living simply, being frugal yet generous, becoming debt free, or have figured out creative ways for how to make do with less. Please share your wisdom!!

Here is an unfortunate thing for a Christian like myself: Christian perspectives about homesteading are lost among the ideas of earth/nature worshippers, pantheists, pagans, socialists, New Age thinkers, and other extremes of the “green” movement. I believe that the Bible has answers for a rightly balanced life, with God at the center, and that Christian homesteading can be a piece of this balance.

Once again, submit your homesteading blog post HERE, and I look forward to presenting an educational and inspiring collection of articles on Monday!

OH, and don’t forget to leave a comment on my Gardening With Children post if you’d like to win a copy of Roots, Shoots, Bucket & Boots: Gardening Together With Children. Closes on Sunday evening. (The author, Sharon Lovejoy, left me a sweet comment on that post! Not a paid post, just a kind author.)

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

I don’t blog anywhere near the level of the individuals discussed in the article, and I’m not paid for posts, but it’s still a warning to heed about technology in general and maybe I should be paying attention to how global media may be affecting my life in smaller ways.

So there’s your warning, before I list all the great blog carnivals to visit. Proceed with caution.

Carnival of Family Life, and also more here.
Marriage Monday
Christian Carnival, and next up on Wednesday at Chasing the Wind.
Make it from Scratch Blog Carnival, and up tomorrow at The So Called Me.
Carnival of Homeschooling, and up tomorrow at A Pondering Heart
Carnival of Homesteading - up later today
Carnival of Travel
Carnival of European Travel

While I was at the Europe Travel Blog, I came across What I See Out My Window - “bringing the world together, one window at a time…” Anthony is simply posting pictures from folks around the world, of what they see out their window. What a neat project! If you have a photo to submit, and a little story about what you see out your window, send it over there.

And I must tell you about a truly fun, different, and kickin’ Appalachian site I found!! If you remember, I wrote a post about my dad called The Appalachian Accent. There are many warmhearted comments on that post, as people shared their own bits of family history, and this is how I met Tipper, a brand new blogger from down in the hollar:

Blind Pig & the Acorn

I go there to reconnect with the mountain folk and just to listen to her family’s pickin’ and grinnin’ - you must go see what I mean. :-)

Well, dear readers, be safe today and NO heart attacks, okay?

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, blogging, carnivals

1. God is Accessible

Deuteronomy 4:7: What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Ephesians 3:12: In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Thom presents Postmodern Apologetics: Evidence that Demands a Kingdom posted at Everyday Liturgy. Thom discusses an apologetics that leads toward life in the kingdom instead of an intellectual decision.

Shamelle presents It Doesn’t Cost Much To Consult With God posted at Enhance Life.

2. God is Creator

Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Hebrews 3:4: Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

ChrisB presents What’s Wrong with This Maxim? posted at Homeward Bound. A little game of spot-the-theological-error.

3. God is Eternal

Isaiah 40:28: The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Revelation 4:8: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

John presents Restoring Eden posted at Light Along the Journey. John compares a children’s movie to our quest for the Kingdom.

4. God is Faithful

Genesis 28:15: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

1 Peter 4:19: Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

The Bloke presents “…today you will be with me in paradise!” posted at …in the outer…. Reflecting on one of the last sayings of Jesus on the cross reveals a not so common emphasis in the Scriptures that is often missed in the midst of theological debates about what happens after we die or where Jesus went after He died. The reflection, however points to a simpler truth that reaches down to us to comfort us as we deal with the tougher issues of life. It reminds us that even though we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” He is there to protect and comfort us.

Jeremy Pierce presents Trust Without Action posted at Parableman. This post looks at a translation of “faith without works is dead” (from Kenny Pearce) that’s much clearer and yet doesn’t sacrifice some of the things the more dynamic translations sometimes sacrifice.

Dana presents Fighting the sunset posted at Principled Discovery.

5. God is Good

Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Matthew 7:11: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Jody Neufeld presents First Monday in Easter posted at Jody’s Devotionals.

Doug presents Can an Atheist be a good person? posted at Bounded Irrationality. Atheists ask me “Do you believe an atheist be a good person?” I look at what it means to be good. If I’m good for self-centered reasons, am I really good? Can I ever be good without self-centered reasons?

6. God is our Guide

Psalm 23:2-3: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

John 16:13: When he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Renae presents What if…Homeschooling was Illegal posted at Life Nurturing Education, saying “which hill will you die on?”

Steve presents To be young, to serve truth… posted at faithdoubt. Explores a passage from “The Brothers Karamazov” that highlights the struggle between the desire to serve truth and the patience that serving truth may take.

Henry Neufeld presents On Being a True Believer posted at Threads from Henry’s Web. On trying to disbelieve and failing miserably.

7. God is Holy

Leviticus 19:2: Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

1 John 1:5: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, in him there is no darkness at all.

Diane R presents Christian Hindus?? posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet. The new missiology is allowing people from various religions to keep it and simply “add” Christianity. Is this right?

8. God is Impartial

Deuteronomy 10:17: The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Acts 10:34-35: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

Mark Olson presents He’s Wrong posted at Pseudo-Polymath. In which I disagree with someone of some authority. I’m not Catholic, and have been Protestant … and I think the anti-Catholic knee jerk reactions of some Protestants are misguided. Here’s one.

Richard H. Anderson presents The Importance of the Centurion posted at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos.

Jan presents a generous understanding posted at the view from her, saying “I read and reviewed Brian McLaren’s book “A Generous Orthodoxy.” I’m not trying to be contentious, but not finding any literal “heresy” in it, I genuinely am confused by other’s strong opposition to it.”

9. God is Immutable

Psalm 33:11: The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Romans 11:29: God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Barbara presents The Day After Easter posted at Tidbits and Treasures.

Martin presents Jesus lives; is Christianity a corpse? posted at Enigmania.

10. God is Jealous

Exodus 34:14: Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Ezekiel 39:25: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name.

Ray presents Easter Sunday Musings About the Rich Man, the Camel, and the Needle posted at Money Blue Book.

Ronnica presents Go, Go, Go and Do, Do, Do posted at Tale of a Kansas Girl. As a Christian, it’s so easy to buy into the ideal busyness of our culture. Taking the time to consider what is on God’s agenda for our day rather than our own is a struggle.

11. God is Just

Proverbs 17:3: The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Rodney Olsen presents Jesus on Trial posted at RodneyOlsen.net. Jesus was subjected to six trials and each one of them was a travesty of justice.

David A. Porter presents Growing as a Disciple of Jesus Christ posted at A Boomer in the Pew.

12. God is Love

Isaiah 38:17: Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Romans 5:8: God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Chad Dalton presents Do you love Jesus? posted at Living Stone Bible Church Blog.

13. God is Merciful

2 Samuel 14:14: Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.

1 Peter 5:10: The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Annette presents Would you do this? posted at Fish and Cans.

Ken Brown presents Holy Saturday - A Day For Death and Doubt posted at C.Orthodoxy.

14. God is Provider

Psalm 23:5-6: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Luke 22:35: Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

FMF presents Wealth is More than Money posted at Free Money Finance. True wealth is more than just money.

15. God is Savior

Deuteronomy 32:39: I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.

1 Corinthians 1:18: The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Ken (Wickle) presents Easter: One Rock Cries Out posted at A True Believer’s Weblog. Putting together Jesus’ statement that rocks would cry out, and thinking about the rock in front of the tomb.

:: Suzanne :: presents Friday Poetry: Goodly Fere on Good Friday posted at :: Adventures in Daily Living ::.

John presents “He is Risen . . .” posted at Brain Cramps for God. Just a simple Easter post.

16. God is Wise

Daniel 2:20-22: Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Ephesians 3:10: His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

Andrew Tatusko presents Where the Paschal Baptism Tradition Went posted at Notes From Off-Center. This is a reflection on the disappearance of the Paschal baptismal rite in response to the baptisms of both my sons on this past Easter morning.

e-Mom presents Secrets of the Parables posted at C h r y s a l i s. Were the Parables Meant to be Understood? Four Views.

Thank you for visiting this Christian Carnival! For a list of future hosts, please visit Parableman.

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Christian Carnival, Christianity, faith

This is a view of Mount Bachelor from Sparks Lake, from a hike we took last summer. Talk about The Perfect Day - we hiked and picnicked with dear family friends, and also our French exchange student. Of course, our French guest had to mention the Alps. Mount Bachelor is part of the Cascade Range, and is the youngest prominent volcano in the