Saturday, December 8, 2007

PRIMITIVE LIVING SKILLS~ make your own shoes,

good morning readers.
In my quest to finding all sorts of things to DIY,i came across this man's site.Thomas J. Elpel . Never heard of him? That's ok,until today i hadn't either,but this guy's idea's and tested ''by using '' are very interesting.Take time to go by sometime and look around.If you are into nature,living green or a survivalist,you will learn something! leave me your ideas or imput if you would.
betty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~survivalist??MAKE YOUR OWN SHOES! OUT OF TIRES!!~~~~~~~~~~
HOLLOWTOP.COM-
I go barefoot as much as I can, but like most people, I have tender feet--because I don't go bare foot all the time. Moccasins are ideal for camping, at least to a point. I can really feel the earth through them, and it has a profound psychological on me, making me feel so much more in tune with my surroundings. The trouble with moccasins is they wear out--fast. It takes me about eight hours of physical labor to tan a deer hide, several more hours to stitch a pair of moccasins, and generally one or two days of hiking to wear the first hole in them. The holes always start at the toughest points on your foot, so they are not initially a problem. You can get several more days of hiking in before you have to stitch in a new sole. Still, that is not a very long time at all. I have heard that some Native Americans carried multiple pairs of moccasins on journeys and spent each evening around the campfire fixing them.

I may practice primitive camping, but I also have to face the modern realities of the clock. My camping trips are typically short, and full. I always have a lot of things I want to do while I am out. Fixing my moccasins every day is not one of them.

To solve that problem, I have tried over the years many marriages between buckskin and rubber to make lasting soles on my moccasins. The "paint-on" sole, a mixture of ground up tires and Barge Cement glue, does not work all that well. It helps, but even that wears through quite quickly under harsh conditions, and the rubber coating makes it difficult to dry out the leather of the moccasins. More so, they are not very patchable once a hole gets started.

I have also tried working with the "crepe soles", a thick sheet of rubber cement that you can buy, cut, and glue to the bottoms of shoes. The problem I had with these is that my foot no longer stayed in the right place on my moccasins. My foot was typically sliding off the back edge of the sole. Jack then told me a story about Indians from Mexico coming to the United States and winning foot races in sandals cut from tires. I've been interested in using tire soles before, but it seemed like I would have to glue or stitch the tire to the moccasins. I had reason to doubt that it would work. I also once had a pair of tire sandals, made in Mexico, where the leather lacing was nailed to the tire soles. Those came apart within a couple of days.


Jack had never seen the tire sandals that were reportedly used by the Mexican Indians, but decided to see what he could do anyway. I have to say I was quite impressed with the final product, a sort of Teva-style sandal.

I was most impressed with the fact that there was no glue, and no stitching or strapping on the bottom of the sole where they would be exposed to the ground. Instead he cut the sole with some side tabs out of the tire as one contiguous piece. The first model was a little crude in appearance, but was amazingly comfortable. I too had to make a pair for the expedition.



The field tests of our sandals were quite exciting. The tire sandal and moccasin combination meant we had "modular" shoes. We wore both the moccasins and the soles when hiking, and then just one or the other around camp. We could use just the moccasins for stalking, or just the tires for walking in water. We climbed 10,000 foot peaks twice and
now go visit hollowtop to read rest of directions!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Making a Horsetail Pan Flute ~~fun!!!!~~~~~~~~~
Strolling by a patch of horsetail (Equisetum hyemale), it is hard to resist cutting a length of this slender, abrasive plant and blowing across an open end for its sharp whistle effect. Upon witnessing a friend play his pan flute one day, I realized that I could fashion one out of horsetail.

This horsetail pan flute is easy to make, but takes patience and dexterity, especially when securing each piece of horsetail to the frame. I initially made the mistake of using fresh horsetail when assembling my first pan flute. This resulted in whistles that shrank away from the frame and the yucca bindings, as well as buckled into unattractive, tone-less hanks of horsetail. It seems very important to thoroughly and slowly dry whole horsetail stems in a cool place devoid of direct sunlight. For my material in my locale, this process took three weeks.

The next step is to cut the horsetail into suitable lengths to produce whistles of different pitches. I find that using a swift chopping motion with an antler cleaver works well, giving a clean cut without crushing the horsetail (photo 1). When cutting horsetail into whistles, you don't want pieces that are totally hollow. One must leave an intact node, or cross-wall, inside the length of each piece (photo 2). Some species of Equisetum branch at these nodes. I have not had success making whistles out of these species. Experiment, experiment, experiment! Knowing nothing about music, I cut a couple hundred pieces and blew away, setting aside those that "sounded right." Generally, the longer and/or wider the piece, the lower it will sound. Coincidentally (I whimsically prefer instinctively), when I finished selecting those whistles I deemed good enough to affix to a frame, a musician friend informed me that my arrangement decently coincided with a nearly two octave scale, starting with a C (438 Hz).


make your own flute!CLICK HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MAKE YOUR OWN COMPASS!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SURVIVAL TOPS~MAKE YOUR OWN=READ MORE
Knowing how to make a compass is a great survival skill. You can make your own emergency directional compass from ordinary materials you are likely to have at hand. This handmade compass operates on exactly the same principle as any expensive compass available for purchase such as those manufactured by Suunto or Silva. In a survival situation where you need to know which way is what, knowing how to make your own compass is a good survival skill to have.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Heritage Blade(knife)DIY.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Heritage Blade
Make your own antler- or bone-handled hunting knife.
by Keith Mccafferty

A handmade knife, its handle crafted from the headgear of an animal obtained in the chase, is a treasured heirloom that will pass the stories of its maker from generation to generation. Anyone with a steady hand and a few simple tools can make one in an afternoon session at the workshop.

[Step 1]
Cut the Handle
Select an antler or horn and cut it to length with a hacksaw, then file and sandpaper the piece until it fits your hand.

[Step 2]
field&stream~make your own knife-click here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Learn to start a fire with no matches!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


field and stream-outdoor skills-click to read!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BASIC SURVIVAL~DONT MISS THIS SITE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guys you really need to look at this site!So many great diy projects here...
here a just a few of them!
Survival Skills

How to sleep outdoors without tent or sleeping bag.
5 basic survival skills.
Making rope.
Blacksmithing 101.
Sinking a well.
Fishing tips.
The basics of muzzle loading.
Recharging Alkaline batteries.
Making colloidal silver.
Things to do with duct tape.
Escape & Evasion pt.1.
Escape & Evasion pt.2.

tOMINELPASO~click to GO NOW!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MAKE YOUR OWN GHILLIE SUIT!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By now most of us know what a ghillie suit is..They are killer! But for those tightwads(like me..lol) the prices are a little steep expecially if we can do it ourselves! and you can.Here is one of the easiest online directions for the Ghillie suit i have found.Follow these directions and you will become almost invisable in the woods..Great for hunting or in the case of WTSHTF,may mean your life....

How to Make a
Ghillie Suit
A "Ghillie" is a Scottish game-keeper. Pronounce the word "Gee' lee", starting with the glutteral gee (guh), not a jay sound (jee). These guys found that they could sew strips of burlap to their clothes, then wait patiently for poachers to come by -- as long as they remained still, their game would nearly step on them.

The real professionals at making Ghillie Suits are military snipers. Making a suit and using it to stalk your instructors is part of the graduation from sniper school. I was once stalked by a special forces sniper from 500 meters across a field of grass, bushes, and general scrub -- at the end of 4 hours, he stood up TEN METERS BEHIND ME! -- I never saw him -- even though I knew he was out there somewhere.

Good, professional-looking Ghillies can be seen in the movies "Sniper" and "Clear and Present Danger".

In most lighting conditions, detection is a result of both brightness and shape contrasts with the background. Most camouflage fatigues do a pretty good job of matching the general brightness level of foliage, desert, etc. The camouflage pattern printed onto the material attempts to match the
shapes inherent in the background as well. Unfortunately, all camouflage fatigues follow the human form pretty closely -- resulting in an overall shape that looks like a human, not natural background. The problem lies in the fact that the fatigues are trying to duplicate a three-dimensional pattern of shapes (foliage, usually) with a two-dimensional camouflage pattern applied to a sheet of fabric. In most lighting conditions, it don't work very well. Now, camouflage fatigues and jackets and such certainly blend in much better than blue jeans and T-shirts, but they aren't totally effective -- and cannot be without adding three-dimensional noise to the essentially two-dimensional form of a human.

A Ghillie Suit is a very effective camouflage technique that uses strips of material to break up the outline of the wearer. This fools the eye of the enemy -- the brain sees no recognizable shapes. By adding strips of burlap, or camouflage netting, or branches off bushes to your clothing, you create
the three-dimensional pattern disruption I was talking about above. The advantage comes from creating patches that are nearly the same color as the environment, while simultaneously creating ultra-dark shadows alongside. Printed fabric cannot create black patches as dark as real shadows the shadow is about 2 orders of magnitude darker than the darkest printed black fabric.

How to make a Ghillie Suit:

1. Obtain an old pair of coveralls -- this is called the foundation of the suit. In a pinch a fatigue blouse and pants will suffice.
2. Get some burlap from your local fabric store (about 4 yards). The more burlap you use the more effective (up to a point) will be the Ghillie Suit -- however, it will rapidly become heavy (Army and Marine sniper suits weigh up to 20 pounds or more).
3. Dye the burlap some dark to medium
DIY GHILLIE SUIT-CLICK NOW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday, December 7, 2007

Wow! Only A Few Weeks Till Christmas! & contest time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DIXIE EVRYONE.................
We ran into town this morning to pick up Jeffs check and get a few things.We stopped by the store on our way out and i picked up a few more presents.Our 15 year old is prooving to be the most difficult to buy for so we decided to go to WalMart and just give him a gift card.That way i don't choose something he really doesn't want or need.i am quite sure it will be purchacing music and tshirt,,lol,,
i have my mom,sisters,and bros. presents,jeffs,darrell and julies,ritas,jimmies,and most of billy and kolbys.There is a couple more things i will add for the little one's ,but for the main part i am done.I started early. Try to always do that to save ..Lots of sales and bargains in late summer for all seasons of things.Not to mention several contest i have been blessed to win this year and some ''freebies'' i have picked up online through the year..They make awesome stocking stuffers..;)
We were listening to the radio coming in and Christmas In Dixie '' was playing from ALABAMA. I really like that song..I was thinking about it and it would be nice to see some snow this year but that is a rare thing here in south central alabama i am afraid..Jeff's mom says the ground is white at their house..he is envious..They still live in Michigan,thats where he is from.Oh well ...maybe this year..
Afterwards we went and cut a load of wood for a guy out at the lake.I get 55.00 a load(i add lightard-kindlin- with mine as a bonus for them) for the wood we cut.Not a lot but it all adds up at the end of the day as Grandma used to say.I am at home mostly now with the grands,so i try and make a little extra whenevr possible.I am working on my wreaths and chairs.When i get them the way i want them,i'll add pics.
I love handmade stuff.And articles made out of wood,vines,etc. are sooooo decorative.So if any of you would like anything like that ,let me know.Be glad to make to your specifications as best i can.
Sherrie,the other grandma,came and got kolby yesterday afternoon till saturday morning.she is getting billy today as well and bringing them both to me .I plan on taking them to the Christmas Parade in Florala saturday night..I know we all shall enjoy that.I am sure darrell and julie will like as well..They are so excited about their little one due in may.Will be their first baby.
I hope you all are having a good holiday season,although i know not everyone is.Some will be spending it alone and i really am sorry for that.Sometimes us with our families with us tend to forget about others.So i do pray this year if you know someone who is alone or down,reach out to them.Be a friend.GIVE OF YOURSELF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!AND ALWAYS REMEMBER ''THE REASON FOR THE SEASON;!!!JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!

BETTY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 MINUTES FOR MOM SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Win an Incredible Prize Pack from Parents® Toys
Written by Susan
Here’s your chance to really have Santa come to town…

If we draw your name, you’ll win an amazing assortment of infant-to-preschool toys from the award winning Parents® Magazine toy line.

I bet almost every mom in America recognizes the Parents® Magazine brand. The magazine’s cover babies smile at you in the grocery check-out line and keep you company as you wait your turn at the pediatrician’s office.....
I wish Santa could drop off one of these prize packs for each of you… but the great news is that even if you don’t win the whole bag of loot, these toys are well priced and you still have time to get them under your tree.

Here’s a complete list of all the goodies in the prize pack:

Mom & Baby Fitness DVD
Rockin Sing-Alongs CD
Now I Know My ABC’s CD
Sleep Sounds for Mom CD
Garden Counting 1-5 Puzzle
Fruits & Vegetables A-Z
My MP3: Classical Music
Bee Bop Band
Pop Beads
Water Works
Bristle Blocks
Rev & Roll Bus
Petite Painter
If you want to win this prize, simply follow these two steps.............(SIMPLE AND EASY ! HURRY ,I DID~)

CLICK HERE!5 MINUTES FOR MOM
http://www.parents.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MOM 4 LIFE!!!
Weekly Giveaway - Vienna's Treasures handmade bracelet\
Treasures. Vienna's Treasures makes adorable handmade bracelets featuring one handmade polymer clay bead, accented with cats eye glass, sterling silver daisy spacers and Swarovski crystals.The retail price is $25.99. This would make a great Christmas present!
To win you can enter in one of two ways: 1)
click to go to moms 4 life to read more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST TIME!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALONG FOR THE RIDE!
Win an $250 Shopping Spree

in our December 2007 Contest
No purchase necessary to enter & win.Only ONE regular entry per person will be allowed this month. However, see question #2 to receive BONUS entries! The winner will be announced by email to all entrants on or before January 10, 2007. Winner will receive a $250 gift certificate to Along for the Ride.

Additional prize drawings will be held from contest entries to receive two $50 gift certificates, four $25 gift certificates, and twenty $10 gift certificates, for a total of $650.00 in prizes.
SO EVERYONE MAKE SURE YOU GO BY AND CHECK THEM OUT!some really cool designs on all kinds of baby products and babywearing fashions~ hurry and enter the contest while you are there.
Along for the ride
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~contest time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 minutes for mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Little Miss Miracle Giveaway........
this is soooooooo cute!
Little Miss Miracle makes keeping your cooking and crafting kids clean a lot more fun!
If you want to win a a kids’ apron from Little Miss Miracle - just leave a ;)
click 2 enter contest at 5 minutes for mom!
they will announce the winner -->December 11th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Time for some fun around The Blogosphere!Contest and more..

What better way to spend a little down time? Enter in some contest.A lot of them are going on in blogtown this week,so get a cup of coffee and let's check out some prizes!contest don't fit the blog? yes it does,i am being frugal..lol..and it's fun as well as you get the chance to meet a lot of really nice folks and check out their blogs.A lot of them have great info and links to others.Everything from babies to going green! let's go~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NeilDuckett.com
December 10 Neil is giving away his old camera that cost him $450 just under 12 months ago. Here’s the details on how you can enter:
Here`s how it`s going to work. The 1 and only prize is my Canon IXY Digital 1000 camera, 10 megapixel with all the expected functionality along with the charger, software and PC cables. It cost me $450 clams a little under 12 months ago and it`s up for grabs.
remember winner announced DECEMBER 10TH!!!!!!!!!!!


neil duckett!win his camera ..click here

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The Blogrepreneur has just started a bunch of weekly contests that will span the coming four weeks. Each week two winners will be randomly selected for the prizes which include everything from Amazon certificates, E-books, WordPress themes and hosting.

To get in on the action you need to simply subscribe to Blogrepreneur’s RSS feed via email or otherwise spread the word about his blog or contest (just like I am). Anyway, make sure you check out the full details.
winner announced on 21st December, 2007.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s a chance for you to win ScreamFree Parenting courtesy of ScreamFree.com. To be eligible for entry, this is what you need to do:
Mom 2 bb reviews! GO NOW..
hEY and while your there check out the shopping blog! my lil venture-click here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ok...would you like to win $50.00 Canadian Dollars? you have until December the 31st to do so....All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment on his blog and your entered! $25 CDN will be given to the best comment and $50 CDN will be given to the 1000th comment.

he rules for this contest are quite light, but I have them for fairness:

you must have a blog
comments can’t be meaningless things like “first!” or “lol, you suck”
you will need a PayPal or Canadian bank account that I can send money to
That all!

In the event this site does not reach 1000 comments by 23:59:59.999 on December 31st, there will be a $25 prize to the last person to leave a comment.

Edit: I’ve decided to add another $25 prize to the pot! One random comment (except mine, of course) will be selected from the database. This means that you could potentially walk away with $100 CDN if you happen to write the best comment, land on comment #1000 and also have the lucky random integer.


jason's random thoughts!! 50.00 canadian dollars!check it out now.

personal note from me::::: i just came back from Jason's blog.wow! i like the way he writes..make sure when you visit to take time and look through his categories!I have really enjoyed my visit.I think you will as well...;) betty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHECK THIS OUT!!!!
How does a $12,500 Roma Hot Tub Spa sound, because PoolandSpa.com is giving one away via a sweepstakes… and to enter all you need to do is sign up on their mailing list!
Please add your name to our Mailing List
to receive catalogs, coupons, newsletters and special announcements.
Also, you may enter our "Win a Free $10,000 Spa" contest below. Click here for details.
POOL AND SPA --SIGN UP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Win Abstract Art From A Turtle!!! THIS IS A MUST SEE PAGE! i would love to win this for my brother! He is BIG on saving the turtles and tortoises..
You have until December 31 to enter.
Here’s a contest for those of you who love art, abstract art in particular. Koopa, the worlds first painting turtle(!) is giving away 2 custom paintings as well as a mystery Koopa painting. There are a couple different ways in which you can enter:

We are a one-turtle, one-chick team, dedicated to indirectly helping turtles and tortoises in need of rescue and/or rehabilitation. Got a question about turtles? Check out our Turtle Links page, one of the largest turtle link compilations on the web.

Koopa the Turtle is unofficially the world's first internationally collected, professional turtle artist, while Kira the human is a full-time artist and "turtle's assistant." We love what we do, and we live to make people (and turtles) smile!Koopa's featured in the 2006 edition of Ripley's Believe it or Not!



Turtle Kiss!win it now

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~COUPONS!!! WIN, WIN ,WIN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
..COUPONS! wow,i use them all the time.When the family started growing again(grands),they have saved me bundles!Wal mart hates to see me coming!anyway,go over and check it out,get entered in..good luck!
CompGifts Does not really have the money to buy giveaways and all that for their first contest (at least they are honest - unlike some people!), and so instead have lots of money saving coupons instead. Here’s a breakdown on what you could win:

Subscribe! I will be giving away picks all month long in a drawing format to our feed subscribers! Check your feeds daily to find the link to enter into the drawing. Only if you subscribe to our full feeds will you be able to see the entry link! (At least 11 envelopes given away to the subscribers!) (Possibly Bonus Envelopes Too!).
This contest will end December 31,2007
Frugal way of living contest!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
serial blogr
WANT TO WIN 25.00 THIS CHRISTMAS????????
the Serial Blogger HAS a contest going on right now to give away a whopping $25 through PayPal to a lucky winner on the day of Christmas.

You have three ways to win in the raffle
1.Subscribe to my feeds via e-mail.
2.Create a post on your blog and link to my two blogs ,
serial blogger
and chronicles of Kotsengkuba .

CONTEST POST!
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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Make your own biodiesel,Soaps,Detergents,Mud oven,

This blog to dedicated to a few do it yourself (DIY)projects that can proove to very useful and inexpensive at your home!With today's economy ,we could all benifit from that.Try a few .Let me know what you think about it or if you have a different way of doing these or others..your imput is valued..

your own biodiesel! sound out there?REALLY? Gas is topping 3.00 a gallon and experts in the field are forecasting that soon it will sky rocket.The price's going down right now will not last,and when they rise again ,gas will be higher!
So if you think this may be right for you..give it a shot.If directions are followed,seems reasonably easy and i certainly am not a chemist but i do think i can do it.I am going to attempt it very soon.Then i'll just have to pick up an old diesel engine before this trend catches on and they want be cheap anymore! With this seems like ,the older the model the better!And the frugal side of me loves that idea..
anyway go check it out.Step by step easy directions.Make sure you read this in it's entirity and study it before you attempt...GOOD LUCK!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY BIODIESEL! CHEAP GAS!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen -- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner -- better for the environment and better for health. If you make it from used cooking oil it's not only cheap but you'll be recycling a troublesome waste product. Best of all is the GREAT feeling of freedom, independence and empowerment it will give you. Here's how to do it -- everything you need to know.
Journey to forever-make your own biodiesel!click here
journey to forever homepage!

Copyright of all original material on this website is the property of Keith Addison, unless otherwise stated, and may be copied and distributed for non-commercial education purposes only as long as the source of the material is stated and a reference to the Journey to Forever website URL is included ....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY SOAP!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kitchen Soap Making

handmade soap from your kitchenThe information on these pages will enable you to make soap in your own kitchen.

By following our instructions, using the recipes provided, you will be able to make a soap bar that will surpass all your expectations.

Your own handmade soap will undoubtedly feel better on your skin than just about any commercial soap you can buy, regardless of the purchase price.

You can take part in a phenomenon that is sweeping the world; the need to create a product that is as good, if not better than we remember from the past.

It also provides you with the opportunity to revive one of the skills that we have lost from our communities because of our reliance on multinational companies to provide many of our basic needs.

Be sure to read all of the instructions, including the safety instructions, thoroughly, before attempting to make your first batch of soap.
red gum soaps!click here and make your own!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope by now everyone knows that regular old laundry detergents you buy in the supermarket are made from petroleum. Yep, the same stuff that powers your car. Why would you want to wash your clothes in that stuff? Although there are good alternatives available at stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, you can make your own for much cheaper from basic ingredients.

First, the ingredients:

1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Grated Fels Naptha Soap
1/2 Cup Borax

Yep, that’s it…the three ingredients to make highly effective laundry detergent. First you want to grate/shred the bar of Naptha soap. You can use a cheese grater for this. If the pieces are not coming out small enough, you can be brave and use the food processor in the kitchen. And before you say “no way, all that soap!”….what do you think you wash the food processor with? Then combine the other 2 ingredients with the soap and you are done. You can then put it in a glass jar with a lid, preferably a recycled one like a spaghetti sauce bottle. For lighter loads, you can use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons and for heavy loads use 2 to 2.5 tablespoons.

The total cost comes out to equal about .15 cents per laundry load…not bad! Plus, you are using one less petroleum product in your house, which is good for everyone.

GOOD HUMAN! CLICK HERE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY MUD OVEN! THEY ARE GREAT!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a way to have pizzas and loaves baked in your backyard. You can build your own mud oven — they are surprisingly easy to make. The main ingredients are sand, clay and water. Here are some
instructions for constructing the mud oven seen above. See these step-by-step photos: Part 2. Here are some tips on make your oven more efficient.
Mud oven Project - technical notes.


Basic oven is a simple, dome shaped shell of mud and sand
we built a simple one layer oven - however you can build up to 3 layers
dense thermal layer
less dense layer with straw
finish layer
to figure how big to make the oven - start off with deciding how often and for what you will be using it. lay out loaf/pizza pans to see how big a circle you need to contain it - thats how big the oven needs to be.
location of site - you need to think about:

HANDY PROJECTS! CLICK FOR DIRECTIONS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~massage bar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A solid massage bar is an easy and convenient
way to give or get a good massage.

1/2 cup cocoa butter
1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
23-25 drops of your favorite essential oils or a blend of oils
1 massage bar mold or any favorite mold

Melt the cocoa butter over very low heat and add the coconut oil. Remove and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and add to your mold. Let harden and remove from mold. Place in the freezer to quicken the hardening. Keep in a cool place. Let cure 1 week before use.
readers!!!! a quick note,there are lots of diy recipes here! some would also be great to give as gifts..I love this site.highly recommend...betty

p v soap!this recipe and more!

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That's all for tonight.I sincerely hope you enjoy these sites.I wish for you peaceful dreams ,peace and contentment and blessings from above...

betty

Ideas From the Past for Christmas Time! ~ Southern origin of SANTA CLAUS!

Christmas will be here before we know it,and hopefully we don't all have the urge to go buy the most expensive things money can buy.I try hard each year not to go in debt for anything.At the same time my family enjoys homemade and handmade items so we usually spend several weeks in advance working on those one of a kind items made purely out of love.
It does not take long to find some really good ideas online too.The wonders of the 20th century,i like the internet best i think,,lol,,info at your fingertips..in your own time ...always available,well mostly anyway,,lol....
christmas brings out a joyous,lighthearted spirit for most of us.We are reminded (if you ever fogot) of Jesus coming down to this earth several thousand years ago.As a tiny baby,at the mercy of the world..just for you and i.how wonderful! Such love...Unconditional love...
We see mistletoe and candy canes in the homes with nativity scenes and santa claus all around town.My grandson's call him,ho ho ho..lol..love to watch the wonderment of holidays through the eyes of children..so magical! smells of pumpkin pie and gingerbread.This weekend we will go riding on the dirt road and find our tree.We wait until both grands are with us and my son and his fiancee are going as well..We enjoy looking for that special one each year.(make sure you have permission to do this) ;) ..otherwise it may not be a happy time..lol...I know most of the landowners in my area have no problem with a family looking for a tree.In a couple years we will some to share..
Thinking on the simplistic way i believe Christmas should be,I will soon be adding a few ideas,crafts,handmade goodies and recipes we like to do.i am also going to add some ideas and crafts i found online that we may use this year as well!!! always looking for fun ways to have ''family time''..
AND WHO KNOWS????
This very christmas could be the most memorable one for your child,grandchild,friend,stranger.Makes it a little more special huh...!

~~~~~~~~~~SOTHERN ORIGIN OF OLD SAINT NICK!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HERE is the best one i found.i wanted to share and thanks to the author,Kathryn Lively..visit the page here.. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!


These days we read so many articles detailing the origins of various Christmas traditions - the placement of a ornamental tree inside the home, egg nog and other culinary delights, and the Christian adoption of the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many would be surprised to know, however, that a number of seasonal traditions actually have their origins in the Civil War era.

During this tumultuous time of brother against brother, the holidays were still celebrated (mainly in the South) with the hope of a swift conclusion to the conflicts that divided our nation for many years. It is said, too, that the states were split on the issue of celebrating the holiday as much as they were on subjects that led to the war in the first place. Being that the nation was young, this generation grew from a Puritan time where celebrating Christmas was considered sinful, due to the roots of many traditions being steeped in paganism that the early Christians sought to suppress. It wasn't until the early nineteenth century when US states finally legalized the holiday – the first three being Alabama, Lousiana, and Arkansas.

These days, we might catch a glimpse of traditions we observe now in the Christmas scenes in Gone With the Wind and other movies depicting the time. They, however, only tell part of a story. Here follows just a short list of Christmas mainstays and traditions that evolved from this time in history.

Santa Claus

While the legend of Santa Claus has its roots in a much earlier time – reaching as far as the origins of Christianity itself – it is the modern depiction of this jolliest of elves that saw its creation in the mid-nineteenth century with Thomas Nast. Nast, a widely-known cartoonist of the day (arguably credited with being the father of the modern-day political cartoon), created the visage of Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly around 1863. The billowing white beard, nose like a cherry, and wide-girthed figure bearing a sack full of toys soon became synonymous with the secular aspects of the holiday. These days, contemporary depictions of St. Nick do not stray from Nast's original vision.

Christmas Carols

Did you know that many of the songs we sing during this joyous occasion had originally been written during the darkest time of our nation's history? Indeed, one could argue that some Christmas carols are actually the forerunners of the modern day protest song, as some carols penned in this time were actually thinly veiled commentary on the war. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," written by minister Edmund Sears, touches upon the desire for peace during this time, while Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" contains strong anti-war sentiment. Of course, one likely doesn't sense this because the more blatant verses of Longfellow's poem are omitted in the traditional carol we sing today. By contrast, Phillips Brooks' "O Little Town of Bethelem" touches on the hope for peace in the aftermath of conflict.

Care Packages

While the troops were out to war, it was not uncommon for a soldier to receive gifts while at battle. Barrels of food and drink, warm clothing, and trinkets from home were especially prized and brought a modicum of cheer to an otherwise dismal situation. One could easily liken these gestures to traditions we hold today in sending care packages to our men and women overseas.

From the songs we sing to the icons we identify, one would be surprised to know how the Civil War influenced our contemporary observance of the Christmas season.

The way it was-Where & when i grew up.From pigs to ''pot licker''.

This is my first entry on my new blog. i do hope you find it enjoyable.a place to relax and at times to drift back,to a simpler time.A time when we worked hard and had simple fun.To a time with fiddles and banjo's filling the summer nights,a time of friendship and socials.When grandma's made their own meds.,and outhouses were the norm.A time that we all may be living in again.This is a blog of love ,yet survival.I see bad times coming for us as a nation,and i fear most would not be ready for this.God gave us each a mind to use.He also warned us of hard times,and to prepare.Not just spiritually(although that is a must) but physically and mentally.To be prepared ,no matter what.So i do hope you will continue to return.I will blog almost daily as i can.I welcome any ideas and your imput..thank you for stopping by.

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This is the time of year that my mind wanders back in time often.Winter and the Holidays..A time that i cherish.Childhood and all it's innosence,imaginations,and dreams.A time before we really knew what we all would one day face.Mine was a little different than some of the friends i made as i grew older.I thought life consisted of what we knew and everyone was the same.WOW! does school change that idea..lol.
But that's for a different time.I was born in 1963,in rural south central alabama.I am one of 4 kids,lived next door to my grandparents.My great,great ,great grands homesteaded this land in 1846.Our family still owns most of it.
As I grew up things were simpler..yes,simple yet hard.A simple life with a lot of work,but somehow most of the time we had fun with it.As Summer drew down,the days got shorter,with just a nip in the air right before dark.It signaled time to finish the summer crops,bury the onions and potatoes,gather wood quicker and start chopping on the lightard stumps we had found in the woods.The fallow had just been bundled and stored in the corn shed for winter feeding for the horse,mule and cows we had.That really came in handy about jan. and feb. each year.Most of the time it meant the difference in being able to feed our livestock or sell.By working hard,we never sold.They were there for the planting and birthing come spring,when life would start all over again.
We had some hogs grandpa kept,big tall white ones.They were certainly not the friendliest animals at our house but more times than one,they came in handy for a good laugh terrorizing our ''city cousins''..lol..They were not ever meant for pets,a few times each year we would have a ''hog killing''.The big iron syrup kettle would have a huge hot fire underneth it until the water boiled.That was for the hog cleaning.I never joined in that ,but i always watched.I knew this meat would feed us over a period of many moons.
The corn had been taken to Finks griss mill,the meal was ready to be picked up.It did always make the best fried cornbread and was great with the ''potlicker'' as grandma called it. Nothing but greens(turnips) with roots cooked with plenty of juice,and poured over the baked cornbread.Man ,was that good.i still enjoy cooking that.
Most of the old people that i remember as a child have gone on to be with Jesus,only a few remain.Mr. Buster,who is 95 now,and mrs. Gracie who i believe is about that same age.We passed by Mrs. Gracies yesterday and her daughter and son in law waved in the yard.Still makes a smile come on my face.
I am lucky to live at my grandparents home now,the place where i grew up.The new generation of kids and their friends,while teens, nicknamed it ''The Old Place''.My grandparents have long since passed,but their spirit remains with me.I love this land,i love my home.Not because of the material good of it,But because it was built,cared for and struggled with out of love.An enduring love that i will carry always with me.It made me who i am.I learned who God was here,about Jesus and the Holy spirit.I learned what honesty was,and what sharing was.My grandfather use to say that he had kept all the old hand plows,seeders,etc.long after he needed them, because one day his greatgrandkids may need them.Said to take care of all of it.That one day their very lives may depend on it..I use to think that was a little crazy to come from such a smart man..I don't anymore.
I do see a lot of people that one day very soon may be in a whole lot of trouble...The economy is getting really bad,and i only see it getting worse.I see a time very soon when my family may very well need those plows for a garden.When the fireplace may be the only heat we can afford(mainly use it now anyway).
In the last few years i have found a lot of sence in beginning to stock up on extra things,just in case.Lot of family members would depend on us if it got this bad.My grandkids may need me ...And in the words of grandad lee...Their very lives may depend on it...

betty