Harvest Mullein Stalks and Make a Torch

This is the time of year you can harvest the dried standing stalks of mullein. I found these as seen in the photos in a local park growing happily in a mound of dirt that has been naturalizing for the past few years.

I once watched a youtube video by a lady who makes her own torches in this manner. By the way, she does seem to favour the ¨witchy¨ side of belief systems... so I apologize if the link causes offense. I am not aligned with witch type of stuff, but I thought it only right to give the proper credit to the lady who showed me how to make this in her youtube video)

(https://youtu.be/DEKv9YUwfa4?si=q16eHYbEEvsr2rbv)

For the record...I subscribe to the Christian teachings of the holy bible, with faith in Jesus as Lord.

I am a maker. I love to make things. So ...learning how to recognize local herbs and where and how they grow is a passion of mine. 

So far this year, I am growing the following:

kale, wild raspberries, chives, green beans, marigolds, and parsley. The irises grew extravagantly well this year and I transplanted some lilies that someone else didn´t want in their garden any more. Not sure if the lily will bloom this year, as it is taking some time to acclimate to our yard.

So my adventure will be to melt some candle wax and pour it onto the dry mullein stalks and then let the wax dry and see how they work as a summer night torch. I hope the flame will not be too high!

Hope you are having a good summer so far, if it is summer where you live. And if it is another type of weather season where you live, I pray that you are warm and well fed and protected from the elements.

Peace and joy,

Carla.

P.S. New Update. I tried this ...and it worked wonderfully.

Yes the flames were quite high, so it is not something to do willy nilly and also the flaming piece broke off and fell onto the ground. But I did learn this wee tidbit of info....namely that dried mullein soaked with plain old white candle wax works great as a fire started. Perhaps if I don´t find a good spot to store these I might just break them up into pieces and seal them in mason jars or zip lok bags and keep them for the next time I try to start a fire in the chiminea.

I have watched prepper channels for years and rarely get to learn something new to add to my ¨preps¨....so here today I officially learned a new way to start a fire with low cost items.

By the way, for those of you who want to know...I did keep a bottle of water near by when I tried this experiment to make sure that the flaming pieces did not start random fires where they did not belong.

It´s always a good idea to have some water handy when you are starting a backyard fire, just in case a random spark or blowing piece of paper spreads your fire.

Peace,

Carla.

Eating Gluten Free...Simple Simple Simple

I try to observe a gluten free lifestyle....sometimes more than other times.

Thankfully I am not a Celiac, so the times when I do indulge in gluten-ish foods does not turn into a life threatening emergency.

Anywho, the reason for my post today is simply to talk about things that can be really simple, when you feel overwhelmed with seeking out gluten free foods.

There are some basics that work pretty well....and they are not expensive here in Ontario Canada. 

And so, permit me to share them here.

Basic fruits, such as bananas and apples and carrots and potatoes. All of these are pretty low cost, except perhaps for apples, which can be cheap or expensive depending on the season and the type of apples you prefer. 

Getting into a habit of keeping simple things on hand, can really help you out in a jam....especially when you don´t have time to prepare some kind of ¨elaborate lengthy meal¨. 

I tend to gravitate to things that I can make in less than an hour, even less than 30 minutes if I can.

Just boiling potatoes and serving them with butter and pepper and salt is a grand treat in my gluten free world. Putting a ripe banana in my duffel bag is helpful when I am on the go....and even if I don´t consume it, It´s not going to be a hugely expensive loss if it winds up in my compost bin.

Carrots are good both raw and boiled. Raw and dipped in sour cream or boiled with whatever else I happen to be throwing in a stir fry. Ontario is quite carrot friendly, as our climate is actually good for growing carrots. So the local carrots harvest helps to keep the carrot pricing nice and low in our province.

Other simple gluten free foods that often are a ¨go-to" quick and easy gluten free food are small tins of tuna with the oil and/or seasonings already included in the tin. They have these wee ones which have a pull up tab that are  very convenient and don´t require a can opener. These kind of tuna tins are smaller size portions and work well on the go, as long as you can handle having tuna breath for a wee time out in public.

Eggs Eggs Eggs Oh My! Yes, the humble egg is a good friend of the gluten free crowds. Scrambled  with some salt and bit of cooking oil or butter or gluten free margarine, or prepped in fried form ....sunny side up or over-easy.....yum! A dozen eggs are under 5$ in my part of Ontario and we try to keep them stocked up in our home. Remember how I talked about liking things I can make in 30 minutes or less? Well eggs are perfect for quick gluten free meals at home. You can add some gluten free cheese or mushrooms or your fave chopped veggies to your egg concoctions and turn them into omelettes...Delicious!

Well, that´s all for now. There are more I can add to the list, but for today we shall be content with what I have already listed. 

Enjoy your gluten free lifestyle and keep your chin up. 

NOTE: this post is not intended as medical advice. This post is intended for entertainment purposes only. All medical advice should be obtained by a licensed medical provider.

Wishing you well in your gluten free journey.

Peace,

Carla

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Cleaning a massively hoarded house for FREE!

If anyone has ever struggled with paralysis with regard to organizing or  tidying or cleaning a home or a business, these kind of youtube channels are fabulous....very cathartic and motivating.

The channel featured in this post is named Midwest Magic Cleaning. 

Another youtube channel that is highly helpful and motivating 

is a young mom who channel is named @nottheworstcleaner   .

Do you find channels like these helpful?

Looking forward to your comments.

Peace and productivity :)

Carla

Happy Canada Day Weekend to my Canadian friends!

Evangelism ...Thinking Outside the Box

Hi Folks.

I know that not all of my readers are christians....but perhaps some of you may find this post helpful.

Have been thinking more about evangelism in this modern day world of ours.

I am thinking about evangelism in terms of simply giving more people access to the same church ministries and materials that I enjoy.

Do I enjoy sitting and listening, praying and singing in my church. You betcha! Can I give other people invitations to my church? Sure I can. I know they will be welcomed.

I see a lot of folks suffering needlessly in loneliness... when there are many churches awaiting to welcome them with dignity and respect.

I am not saying that each church will be your perfect match....but at least give churches a try and don't give up until you find one that you can call your own.

I personally do not feel like one needs to be an extrovert to do evangelism. In fact, I don't think you need to speak out loud at all, if that is not your personality.

I am simply talking about giving more people who live in your city, province or country, the same access to the same ministries and ministry tools that you have enjoyed for years.

You can send out invitations to your church. Your church can print up invitations and you can mail them out to the folks in your city. You can mail out bibles, or half bibles, or just one book of the bible, along with a welcome note to strangers in your community.

I personally don't feel shy about mailing preprinted invites to perfect strangers. And yes, it costs something, it costs the price of a stamp and  possibly an envelope if the invite is not in the format of a mailable post card. You can address it simply as "To Resident" or simply "To Welcome Your Household" and then print in the address. 

No need to bare your soul. No need to even share your name. You are simply trying to invite folks out to your church, so that they know where they are welcome.

Do you think it is reasonable to mail out bibles to strangers? Well, I shall leave that up to you. Yes, there is definitely more cost involved. The cost of the bible, as well as the cost of mailing out something that weighs more than a postcard. Is it too dramatic? Is it too imposing? I really don't know. 

But I do know that whenever  I have seen places that have given out bibles for free, that it really made an impression on me. It is an incredibly kind and generous thing, to give a perfect stranger a black and white copy of the real Word of God, including both the old and new testament. What a gift!

Just having access to the Word of God, for me to use in my personal life, and read aloud is a great blessing.

I have a feeling that sometimes folks are just nervous to walk in to a church because they are shy, not because they don't want to learn more about God. When you send a bible to a stranger, you may just be meeting them at their point of need, with a kind gesture of generosity. You really don't need to pressure people to be inordinately personable with you in response to your invitations of gifts of the holy bible.

There is no need for pressure at all! People will follow their hunger for God into your churches and into the Bible. It  is important for the modern church to be consistent in teaching the Word of God, so that the modern Christian Body of Believers can be fully developed and mature in His teachings.

It's about sharing, It's about giving people access to one of the greatest treasures of our time....a copy of the bible that they can call their own, and thumb through and underline and scribble in the margins.

Many of us have not become addicted to the bible apps on our computers or phones. Some of us prefer to get our hands on an actual copy of the bible for ourselves.

Reading an actual printed copy of the bible also helps folks practice their literacy outside of the habits of social media. It enhances literacy and communication skills.

Well that's all for now. I've chatted enough. I would love to hear your thoughts, if you wish to leave comments on my blog..

Have a peaceful sunday,

Carla.

The things You wish you could Say to a Preacher

Hi Friends,

I sort of hope that no one reads this post. And then again....would it really be that bad if a preacher actually read it?

Ok, deep breath.... here goes.

Preachers, I just want to say that I thank you for all your hard work .....you prayers and the time and effort you take to  create a church that I can attend in comfort and cleanliness.

But, would you graciously allow me to vent....just for today?

I just need you to understand something. Although I like preachers, I do not go to church because I like the preacher that is speaking. 

I go to church to hear about Jesus. I want to learn more of the Bible. I want to understand the deep connections that pious preachers of yesteryears...made to explain life based on in depth studies of the holy scriptures.

I want to hear you explain the different meanings of a chapter of the bible based on the original foreign language it was written in.

I want to hear you worship....not because I like the sound of your voice.....but because I want to join with you in singing praises to my God.....who is holy.

When I leave church, I want to feel like I have been in the presence of God. I want the echoes of that presence to cling to my clothing....so that others can sense that glory. It isn´t my glory, .....its the holy glory of Heaven that pours upon His people when we take the time to worship Him.

And when I sit in church and watch the preacher intently, it is not because I like his appearance or clothing or the style of the podium......no. I watch the preacher because I am looking for Jesus. I long to hear Him speak. I long to hear the voice of my Saviour who says to me ¨Come unto Me, all ye who are weary....and I will give you rest.¨

=============

Admittedly, it must be quite trippy to be a pastor, to have so many humans listening to every word you utter. It must be quite challenging to stay grounded when your church takes off and grows into a juggernaut.

But in the midst of the growth and the fan fare and the need for bigger accountants and better ushers to manage the crowds....I find myself virtually alone in the sanctuary...feeling empty and unfilled.

I did not hear about Jesus today. I was not asked to read along in my bible I brought to the sunday service.

I heard about the pastor´s personal life from the pulpit today, whimsical and heartfelt stories of his life.

But that does not teach me anything about my Lord.

But how do I go on, without causing offence. I do not want to hurt the feelings of pastors who feel that they must preach from their personal experiences. How do I explain how hungry I am for the Word? How do I explain how the time is being squandered on humanistic experiences instead of sound teaching?

Please, Pastor, talk to me about Jesus. Worship Jesus on the pulpit, so I can join in.

Allow the speaking of tongues with interpretation, just like the early church did so many hundreds of years ago. Do not hate the prophetic.

Today the church was filled with fake smoke rolling across the stage. I couldn´t stop myself from coughing.

I am lonely for my Lord.

Canada Just SHOCKED The World With Terrifying New Law

Dear Friends,

I would not consider myself well versed in these matters and I admit that I don´t actually know much about this supposed law.

But I am particularly fond of freedom of speech.

Is Russell Brand correct in this video?

Is this new law actually as bad as this all sounds?

If you are Canadian, please do your due diligence and find out more about this issue.

We must do our part to protect our personal civil liberties in this beautiful country of ours.

Peace and beauty in Christ Jesus,

Carla.

Pandering to Likes and Follows

The thought rolling around in my head this morning is simply the

beautiful concept of "definiteness".

That whole wonderfully old fashioned idea 

of "letting your yes be yes and your no be no".

And yes, there is a scripture regarding that notion that can be found in Matthew 5:37.

I want to encourage you especially if you are a spouse or a parent.

Try to be stable in following through on the things you commit to with words.

Yes, this applies to friendships as well. When you offer your assistance to a friend, do your best to actually provide that service that you have offered in good faith.

We don't get points for "trying" or "just doing things when it is convenient....or when the sun is shining."

We earn the trust of our loved ones and friends when we do what we say we are going to do.

We become someone that folks can rely upon.

There is a beautiful result that comes about from this kind of stability too..... We come to trust ourselves too. We become someone that we can rely upon to take proper care of ourselves. We like the way we take care of ourselves. We become an example of what it means to respect ourselves and nurture ourselves.

And then, the beauty of noticing that our children are picking up some good habits from us.

This is not about getting likes and follows. This is not about building a following on social media.

This runs so much deeper and lasts so  much longer.

It's about character....about doing what we say we are going to do. About being a God pleaser instead of a people pleaser and becoming someone reliable, both to ourselves and those around us.

Let your yes, be a strong yes....and don't apologize for allowing your no to be a strong no.

Peace friends,

Carla

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Pick Your Mentors WIsely

It has been many years since I began my financial education journey. I had scoured my world for the best books and speakers who could enlighten me on the " money mysteries" that I needed to learn.

Little did I know that my search would yield such a huge bounty....a bounty that I did not realize I needed to 

cautiously sort through.

Not all gurus, especially the financial ones, are operating out of a spirit of kindness or wisdom.

Most guru's or financial educators, teach about what worked well for THEM, and that my friends, is not necessarily what would work for you.

Yes, there are some general principles which most folks can adhere to, which will help them in their financial journey but there are some HUGE differences in approaches which can mean utter ruin, if you follow a path that is not intended to be YOUR path.

Well, let me just spit it out. There are some financial educators that have a HUGE appetite and willingness to handle risk. They may even advocate taking out your credit card and using cash advances to invest in real estate or some other entrepreneurial activity.

They don't realize that telling someone who does not handle risk very well, to use a credit card in that manner is not wise, and NOT good advice.

There are casualties of bad financial advice all over the world. Folks have been eager to learn and bow down submissively to financial speakers who are full of ego and pride. They followed their advice and wound up broke and near bankruptcy.

Be aware, my cyber friends across the world, that you need to filter through your financial mentors until you find one that suits your personality and risk tolerance. You don't need to accept some loud person on Youtube to become your financial mentor. Be cautious and slow to follow risky advice. Pray and think first before taking financial steps. Ask trusted folks with experience and a wise personality for good advice before you proceed on a new financial path.

I used to be intimidated by those who were very ultra confident. But just because someone is confident, and has a best selling book or seminar series, does not mean that teacher is the right teacher for you!!!!

Be good to yourself friends, and use your good sleuthing and discerning skills to figure out good teachers from the pompous fools. Ask God to give you wisdom in your searching.

God is the Father of wisdom and He delights to lead you into paths of righteousness and prosperity.

Perhaps some of the following financial thinkers would appeal to you.... Let me know in the comments what you feel about their teachings. Are they wise? Do they take reasonable amounts of risk?

examples:

Robert Chilton....( Canadian advice)

Derek Foster....( also Canadian advice....his website is https://stopworking.ca/

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Well, that's all for today.  Be empowered, friends, with your ability to choose your own teachers in your self led learning journey. 

Peace,

Carla

Spreading Good Things?

Friends,

Do you have something that you are passionate about sharing with others? Is it food? Is it clothing you make at your home? Is it an encouraging smile to someone you think is having a rough day?

There is something to be said about consistency. About continuing to do good things even when it falls out of trendiness.

If you are really doing good things for God´s sake ...then you don´t really need to worry about the credit and whether anyone is noticing the good things you are doing for others. God sees all. He will give you credit in due time. Maybe your credit will come in a week, or in a year or in ten years. Maybe your credit will only come when you are in Heaven. 

The credit doesn´t matter. Doing good is good. Period. You don´t need to see your name in the paper or be trending on the latest popular social media app.

You don´t need to see your name in lights, to know in your heart that you are doing well by continuing to do good things for other human beings.

There is much to be said for doing things on the good weather days AND on the bad weather days.

So, I will keep this post short. Just know, my friends, both far and near....that if you are doing things for other people, you are doing good. You are sowing good deeds into the world. The world will be better off because of your good deeds. Some day you will be rewarded.

Peace and kindness,

Carla

The Two Dollar T-Shirt

As any proper frugalista would do....I swung my head around when I saw that sign ¨T-Shirts...$2.00¨

Say what? Can I actually be as frugal as this? What´s the catch? (Canada is not known for low cost clothing) 

So the catch is this....the men´s T-shirts with the guy-ish neckline.... was $2.....and the women´s t-shirts with the cute vneck line were thin as tissue paper and see through....and too short.

Yikes. I had been hearing lately about the ¨ pink tax¨ and for the most part I actually ignored it. But I guess I need to admit that it is real in some settings. 

And yes, you would be correct, by saying that I have no right to be demanding if I only want to pay 2$ for a tshirt. Ya ya.... hear ya. But it´s my blog and I´ll rant if I want to.

So back to that noted dollar store.The men´s t-shirts were of a quality well known sport brand name in the T-shirt world...the fabric thick enough so as not to be see-through and thoroughly washable. The women´s t-shirt was NOT made by that same brand name and was see-through, too short for normal length and would probably not survive well through a couple of washes and dryer rounds.

I get annoyed when people I hope are wrong....are absolutely right.

There is no logical reason why a men´s t-shirt should be stronger, better quality and of a better quality brand than a woman´s t-shirt.

We gals like cheap clothes too once in a while.

I happen to believe we shouldn´t have to go to thrift shops and buy used clothing just because we are trying to stay on budget. Brand new clothing should be available for all in this modern computerized age of manufacturing. Factories are constantly making improvements in robotics and now with AI, they can probably run a shirt factory with almost no labour costs. Am I wrong? ??

New Clothes should be getting cheaper, not lower quality.

Does this mean perhaps I must learn how to sew???.....then I could alter cheaper new men´s clothes into Women´s designs...and have the benefit of the low cost and still have good quality fabric. 

But I sooooo don´t want to learn how to sew.

How ´bout you? I know that environmental activists are horrified by statements about the right to ¨new¨ clothing. Fast fashion is not environmentally correct. Buying thrift store treasures is a big movement right now....and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. But there are other options.

If the fabric from used clothing can be sterilized and broken down and made into ¨new to you¨ clothing, that would be a more appealing third option. The worst part of thrift stores is that the lack of cleanliness and the fact that you just might be touching and buying someone´s unwashed clothing. There are risks, both emotional and otherwise, from wearing things that once were worn by other humans. They can have hidden contaminants, chemical residues or insect infestations that may not be obvious. 

Sorry, friends, I am not trying to gross you out. But let´s be a little realistic. Nobody knows what that second hand item has done before it wound up on a rack in a thrift store. It has an unknown history and therefore an unknown level of cleanliness. 

The hope with new clothing is that it has never been worn and therefore, there should be minimal risk of dirt, germs and insects.

A good quality clothing manufacturer and retailer is going to ensure that the clothing they sell is going to be a clean and nice smelling piece of clothing for the proud consumer. Good work leaves a good trail. We feel safe and confident buying from a brand we have come to trust and rely on.

Any thoughts friends?

Peace,

Carla