Recently while searching the Web, I came across this Link: www.my.goodoldayswantads.com While there I found a section that requested that people shower Shut Ins and Elderly People they know with Cards.  I thought this was a great idea! Thus I consider this to be a Link Worth Mentioning.   Here is an example:  of one of the pages at their Forum.

While Searching the Web Tonight came across this Link: http://www.kountrylife.com/ Below are two is Excerpts from it.  I think it's a Link well worth Mentioning. Enjoy! Country Living, Country Skills Country People KountryLife.com - A Country Living Resource and Community

March 30, 2010 Welcome... We have much to share with you. Take off your shoes, grab a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and stay awhile! [About Us] Talk With Us - our very active and friendly forum gives you a chance to discuss country life and rural living. [Let's Talk!] Stroll Down Memory Lane - browse through many memories of country living. Share your own memories with others! [Let's Stroll] Country Living Tips - readers have provided an extensive list of tips and information which you can browse or search. [View Tips] Articles of Interest - there is an ever-growing list of interesting articles covering a variety of country topics. [Read Articles] Photos Galore - There are current photos of country living submitted by our readers, old vintage photos, and interest-area collections. [Current Pics] [Old Pics] [Collections] And a Lot More - use the menu bar on the left to browse the site. You can also perform a site search or view a huge table of contents. [Search the Site] [Show Contents] We're glad you are here and hope you will come back often...

Country Living, Country Skills Country People KountryLife.com - A Country Living Resource and Community

Community Message Board Country Topics Trading Post Memory Lane Country Skills Country Cooking YT Magazine Channels Gardening Livestock The Kitchen Machinery Tools Photographs Photo Gallery Vintage Photos Special Collections Fun Country Humor Country Sounds Coloring Book Interactive Story Farm Tractors Articles Pictures Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals Miscellaneous ATS Store Classic Trucks Antique Tractors Modern Tractors Site Map Links Page Contact Us    Kountry Life Memories List My Summer Vacation The Long Dusty Road Journals - The Ride Home Daryls Big Wreck Gramps Puts One Over On Me Gramps Puts One Over On My First Solo Deer Hunt Relatives Sis Gets Her Horse I Discover Beer. Uncle Earl Fishing Limrats N Me Me N Jim Corbett Tire Rides Cowboy Movies I Shouldnt Have Seen I See My First Nekid Woman. My Motorbike Learning To Drive Holidays Past One July 4TH. Found Some Golf Clubs My New Hobby City Cousin Visits Grandpas Farm Whiskey Run Christmas-1945 Missing The Simply Times... Double Trouble Grandparents An Ice Cream Summer Day Uncle Clete I Almost Kill Granny First Deer Hunt Our Pond Already Grown At My Dads General Store Re-Living My Childhood Entertainment The Feather Piller As A Child That Old House Cooking Breakfast Childhood Memories 1945 Dry Land Farm My Childhood Of My Great Farm Visits Mid-Night Cannonball No Water??? Grandmas Homemede Jelly Farming In 1930S In Oklahoma Cotton Fields Memories Of My Childhood William Gray Visit To Grandpa And Grandmas House The Gathering The Long Dusty Road Home Made Ice Cream And Fire Flies Grandmaws Apron Fire Bug Caterpillars M.L. Mclemores Lone Star Baste Dads Monumont----The Log Barn My Tonsillectomy Moms Big Dance & The Alfalfa Patch The Button Box My Country Boyhood Popping Popcorn In The Fireplace What I Want For Christmas Grans Christmas Letter Staying On The Farm Future Memories Thanks For Your Time Country Memory Map Names That Damn Horse Home Repairs Afternoon Smile... Smut Tornado Penny And The Copperhead A Scream In The Night The Old Fleming Oak Overcome With Memories Grandaddys Garden The Old Log Barn The Chicken House Old Time Radio My Journey Apple-Butter Makin Time Going To The Family Ranch Slop Happy Cyclone A Childhood,Wooden Clothes Washer Before Electricity Flying Cat Courtship Of Aunt Kate Dreams Of The Alamo Memory - First Movie Rabbits Cooking,Grandma Said Bozo Mystery Journey Mystery Trip Childhood Farm Memories Keep the Fences High and Tight Goin Downtown A Day Of Shopping The Great Outdoors My First Trip to the Bakery Memory Skates When I was 9 My First Cow Milking Childhood Memories Shopping for Mother My first bicycle Theres still Country in Calif. More modern memories A Pan of Brownies Life on a Dairy Farm The Draught Pony Hog Killin Time at my Granny n Papas. Hollywood Candy Bars Model T Hay Wagon In Response to John in Ca Memory of the Country Potato Patch My First Pony W C F L Kingfisher, High School Trapping Days Ocean spray days.. The Final Crop Grandfathers horse and buggy Hogs in the road Life in rural Pa. in the fortys Log houses way back when cont. Way back when Fishin Peabody Creek Canyon Uncle Toms Legend of the Bloody Hand SCOOTER TRIP/ BOSSIER CITY LA TO TALLADEGA ALABAMA Country Childhood Reply to Uncle Tom In Memory of Uncle Tom Wertz, Bedford, Pa. Hornets Reply to A Memory of being a kid. by Joe the Wrangler. Fast Runner The Haunted Tractor Alabama Dreamin - a childhood memory..... Goats and Bees Dont Mix Starting School in the Fall School A Memory of Being a Kid Smart Mule Poor Mans Way of Working Cattle Swarm Snakes, Bugs and Outhouses Fond Memories Growing Up in the 70s Uncle Joe and Aunt Gracie The Old Home Comfort Wood Cookstove. Grandpas Farm Ah, Those Old Harvest Day...... Kid Pranks or Outhouse Candy The Bees Knees Learning to be Country. Our Farm Last Night I Dreamed of the Ledbetter Fields Jim Dandy Summer Visits At My Grandma's The Sentinels Just Helpin Out Mud, Mud Everywhere Papa's M Lost Melody Nephew on the Farm Ethans First G Hay Jumping Bees in the Bonnet We Didn't Learn That in the City Mixed Breed Ducks Childhood Memories, Present Day Realities City Chickens Homemade Rootbeer Just Growing Up Early 1900s Telling The Forgotten Way Easy Does It The Threshing Ring Uncle Tyrus Before TV From City to Country I Missed the Farm Fathers Father-Student, Son-Teacher Plowing, or How I Became a Fathead Thinking Back, My First Nine Years of Joy. Going to the Grain Elevator with Grandpa Ryans Cross Roads Grandpas Animals Life Before Electricity The Early 50s on a Florida Ranch Farm Memories - Circa 1952 Growing Up On An Iowa Farm Growing Up On A Farm in Missouri Growing up on a Small Farm in the 50s and 60s Grandma's North Dakota Raising Pigs in the House The Three Holer The Life and Times of Mary Porter First Time I Drove a Tractor The First Day I Drove Grandpas Pickup on the Farm The Old Wood Cook Stove Mom Could Not Believe It My Mother Always Did It... The Old Farmhouse Memories of Dela Handy Just After Civil War Add Your Own Memories

Received this in the mail years ago ... a Company was attempting to get me to join their Recipe Club.  Those who are interested in making and filling a non traditional Easter Basket this year may find these Scanned Recipes Ideas a good starting point .... and a fun Family Project over the Spring Break. Wonder how other Cookie Cutters would work? Might come up with some interesting designs.  If anyone makes these, send me your photos and I will show them.



Enjoy!

Enough Recipes for now... Will be starting another Topic in next Blog.

When I think of sweet Comfort Food, I think of our Mom's Peanut Butter Fudge.  If your looking for something especially yummy to add to a Non Traditional Easter Basket, you may want to consider this easy Recipe:

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1 16 Ounce Bag Large Marshmallows
• 2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/4 Cup of Butter
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter (Or* 6 Ounces bag of Chocolate Chips)

My 18 month old Grand Daughter really enjoyed reading Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long with me.  We laughed together as she tickled the various fabrics used on this Board Book. I thought this was a very creative way to play while reading.  Ethan Long has other books such as 'Stop Kissing Me' and 'Duck's Not Afraid of the Dark', as well.



She especially enjoyed reading Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth, illustrated by Laura Huliska-beith. Not only did she like reading this Board Book with me, she carried it around and read it over and over alone.  The  Ladybugs used in this book are made of hard plastic and the pictures are very colorful. The Book begins with 10 little lady bugs inside of a hole and as the child turns the page, they count down until there is only one ladybug in a hole. She liked touching them and trying to pick them up.

Duck and Goose, How are you Feeling? by Tad Hills is an excellent beginners book on teaching your Toddler about 'feelings'. It has bright and colorful pictures which illustrates with body language feelings, such as happy and sad, loving and scared and more.... it's a great book to help a little one identify feelings.  I checked this one out of the Library with the intention of reading it to my Grand Daughter over SKYPE (she lives an hour and half away), something we both enjoy. 


Although these are Board Books they can be read by different age children as the subject matter will span over several age groups and can also be used to teach 'first words' so eventually an older sibling can read to a younger one.   Good gift ideas too!

As one of the Servers of "Feed My Sheep" a Local Community of Volunteers who help those in need, one of my Roles is to help people find potential Resources.  A Community Group I refer others to is 'Angel Food Ministry', a Nationwide Group which hopes to help save on the cost of Groceries.  This Service is Available to Anyone ... and you can Order with others in mind.  Check around to see if your Local Community has a Branch and if not ... perhaps you could bring Angel Food Ministry to the attention of Local Volunteer Groups, as they may be delighted to become a Host Site.  If Angel Food Ministry is not in your area, 'Great Food For All'  a similar Ministry may have a Host Site nearby. UPDATE: A Reader suggested this Link: www.FoodShareAmerica.com  


Have you seen this editorial in the New York Times? Hunger in America is growing. 37 million people, about one in eight Americans, knocked on a door of a hunger relief organization ? that?s 46 % higher than three years ago. In an article in Thursday?s Times, it talks of the stigma of SNAP (Food Stamps) being lifted, and people who once would not seek them, now rely heavily on the resource.

Why is this important? America needs help. we need an answer for the vexing problems facing our own ? and government has yet to offer to the solutions. Yet, for 15 years, Angel Food Ministries has found a way to help people buy wholesome food for far less than they?d pay elsewhere, and it has also pumped needed funds ? some $26 million ? back into local home-grown organizations in over 6000 communities across 44 states.

It feeds people for less; gives money back and never seeks donations itself ? that is the model of a hunger relief organization on the cutting edge, ready to take on the challenges to meet the demands for those 37 million Americans seeking help.

Take a look at Angel Food Ministries; review our February menu; order for yourself or order for someone you know today.

Signature Box Balanced nutrition and variety with enough food to assist in feeding a family of four for a week. 1.5 lb. Top Sirloin Steaks (4 x 6 oz.) 1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Roast 2 lb. IQF Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast 2 lb. Lasagna with Meat Sauce 1.5 lb. Fully Cooked Boneless Chicken Drumsticks (Brand New Item! Exclusive to AFM) 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef 1 lb. Frozen Baby Limas 1 lb. Frozen Green Beans 1 lb. Broccoli Florets 1 lb. Rice 1 lb. Pasta 28 oz. Pasta Sauce 1 lb. Fresh Carrots 4 ct. Large Baking Potatoes 32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk Dozen Eggs Dessert 5 LB. ALLERGEN-FREE FOOD BOX Processed to eliminate the eight top serious allergens: Peanuts, Soybeans, Milk, Eggs, Fish, Crustacea, Tree Nuts and Gluten (wheat, rye and barley). Great for children and adults! 1 lb. Breaded Chicken Fillet Patties 1 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders 1 lb. Breaded Chicken Nuggets 1 lb. Breaded Steak Fingers 1 lb. Breaded Chicken Wings Battered/Breaded with water, white rice, brown rice, modified tapioca starch, flax seed, sugar, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, spice extractives and oleoresin paprika. Breading is pre-browned in Canola oil.

SENIOR & CONVENIENCE MEALS For Seniors or People on the Go! Ten perfectly seasoned, nutritionally balanced, fully cooked meals?just heat and serve. Each meal has been developed with the dietary needs of senior citizens in mind, and contains 3 oz. of protein, a starch & two vegetables or fruit. Chicken Parmesan with Brussels sprouts & zucchini Charbroiled Beef Patty with mashed potatoes, carrots & corn blend Macaroni & Beef with noodles, carrots & zucchini blend Lemon Pepper Fish with rice, peas & zucchini blend Mesquite Chicken with rice, carrots & green beans Spaghetti & Meatballs with corn, peas & carrots Boneless Pork Patty with roasted sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas & broccoli/cauliflower Cheese Manicotti with green beans, peas & carrots Chicken & Rice with Mushroom Sauce, green beans, corn blend Macaroni & Cheese with broccoli & lima beans Desserts: Assorted Cookies, Mixed Fruit Cup, Fig Bar, Strawberry Applesauce, Grape Juice, Apple Juice 6 LB. PREMIUM SEAFOOD VARIETY BOX Six pounds of the finest quality seafood assortment available. 2 lbs. Alaskan Snow Crab Legs 1 lb. Large EZ Peel Shrimp 2 lbs. Oven Ready Popcorn Shrimp 1 lb. Stuffed Crab in Natural Shell (8 ct.)

FEBRUARY SPECIAL #1    $23.00 6.5 lb. Assorted Meat Grill Box 1.5 lb. T-Bone Steaks (2 x 12 oz.) 2 lb. Boneless Pork Chops (4 x 8 oz.) 1.5 lb. Lean Hamburger Patties (4 x 6 oz.) 1.5 lb. Mild Italian Sausage Links with Cheese FEBRUARY SPECIAL #2    $22.00 5 lb. Assorted Meat & Chicken Combo 1.5 lb. Kansas City Strips (2 x 12 oz.) 1.5 lb. Prime Rib Steak (2 x 12 oz.) 2 lb. Gourmet Flavored Boneless Chicken Breast Mesquite (4 x 4 oz.) & Lemon Herb (4 x 4 oz.) FEBRUARY SPECIAL #3    $18.00 Stuffed Chicken Variety Pack $18.00 1.5 lb. Chicken Cordon Bleu (4 x 6 oz.) 1.5 lb. Broccoli & Cheese (4 x 6 oz.) 1.5 lb. Chicken Kiev (4 x 6 oz.)

FEBRUARY SPECIAL #4    $21.00 Super Value Fajita Kit (5+ lbs.) 2 lb. Steak Fajita Strip Packs (2 x 1 lb.) 2 lb. Chicken Breast Fajita Strip Packs (2 x 1 lb.) 1 lb. Onions & Bell Peppers 20 ct. 8? Flour Tortillas FEBRUARY SPECIAL #5    $22.00 Premium Fresh Fruit and Veggie Box 3 lbs. Tree-Ripened Oranges 2 lbs. Premium Red Delicious Apples 1 lb. New Crop Chilean Plums 4 Washington State Anjou Pears 4 Washington State Fuji Apples 4 Tree Ripened Tangerines 2 Tree Ripened Red Grapefruit 6 pack 1 oz. Boxes Premium Sun Dried Raisins 3 lbs. Premium Red A-Size Potatoes 2 lbs. Premium Yellow Onions 1 head Premium Leafy Green Cabbage

3 lbs. Tree-Ripened Oranges 2 lbs. Premium Red Delicious Apples 1 lb. New Crop Chilean Plums 4 Washington State Anjou Pears 4 Washington State Fuji Apples 4 Tree Ripened Tangerines 2 Tree Ripened Red Grapefruit 6 pack 1 oz. Boxes Premium Sun Dried Raisins 3 lbs. Premium Red A-Size Potatoes 2 lbs. Premium Yellow Onions 1 head Premium Leafy Green Cabbage 1 lb. Premium Whole-Peeled Baby Carrots 1 lb. Dried Pinto Beans

FOOD STAMPS ACCEPTED   AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE 

Dial 211 if you need help ... they recommend you call them with your list and if it's in their data base, they will refer you to one of their Resources.  www.211.org has a Data Base filled with Resources for those in need Nation Wide and Canada. Some of the Resources Registered are Government based the rest are Privately Run, Non Profit or Volunteer Groups and Clubs ... there are thousands.

Two examples of how they helped the day I discovered them and referred them via Feed My Sheep a local Volunteer Group I serve with are: Family #1 was in need of Gas money. Family #2 was a 65 year old Single Mom in need of Financial Aid so she could keep her Electric on. Family#1 a Truck Driver lost their job. Family #2 a long time Self Employed Pet Groomer was loosing Clients due to cut backs. Both are seeking employment. Family #1 just lost their home. Family #2 is in danger of loosing hers.  UPDATE: Family #1 was also about to get a grant so she could continue her education and they are helping her to get her vehicle back on the road. They also put her in their data base for employment opportunities.

211 knows of Agencies who help with Vehicles for those in need of getting to work. They also help with Repairs of all kinds as well as......... well I won't list that here. If your in need... remember, they suggest you make a list and call them to see if they can help .... it's what they are there for.

They'd appreciate it if you'd tell others.... so if your so inclined, due share this Blog Link... remember they are Nation Wide and in Canada.  Just dial 211 and you will automatically be connected to the nearest 211 in your local area.

Heavenly Father You say because you love us unconditionally You rain on the just and the unjust ... thank You for meeting our needs through those You've prepared in advance ... Bless You for empowering those Called to such, to 'Feed Your Sheep' ... be it Spirit, Soul or Bodily.

"Do you hear the Echo of that Train?  When the clouds become low like a ceiling in the sky and you can hear your Echo or the Echo of the Train, snow is not far behind", is what my Grandmother use to say. Am looking forward to saying the same to my Grandchildren ... and playing 'Echo' with them and others, before and after the Snow falls.

I love snow, it brings back fond memories... and can be made into an fun adventure if one has the mindset for it; "Camping out Indoors." for one. If it gets too cold in the House due to power outages, seek to solve the problem and bring out the child in everyone by suggesting everyone helps you push back the Furniture so you all can put up a Tent. If they are not interested in this... ask them for a better idea. If you don't have access to a Tent, make one out of things around the house.... be ingenious.

As I look outside and appreciate the Beauty of our little corner of Paradise covered with snow my mind begins to think about all of the great fun to be had. Seeing Animal Tracks in the

Snow reminds me of how my children did not have the advantages of growing up in the Country. Such really makes me look forward to the times when they can, through our experiences together with their Children whenever they visit here with us. When they are old enough and I can introduce them to Nature from my perspective I want to show my Grandchildren details like Animal Tracks. One of the games I look forward to playing with them is... 'Lets see who can find and identify the most animal Tracks.' and when we have exhausted our search, I hope to hold their interest by making Tracks with them... preferably in the Snow, but carving a track in a Potato to make a stamp out of them may be an creative alternative over a cup of warm Hot Chocolate.

Preparing for the coming  Snow Storms reminds me of how my children did not have the advantages of growing up in the Country. Such really makes me look forward to the times when they can, through our experiences together with their Children whenever they visit here with us. When they are old enough and I can introduce them to Nature from my perspective I want to show my Grandchildren details like Animal Tracks. One of the games I look forward to playing with them is... 'Lets see who can find and identify the most animal Tracks.' and when we have exhausted our search, I hope to hold their interest by making Tracks with them... preferably in the Snow. Here's a resource and a Quick Game: Animal Tracks Quiz for Beginners for those interested in doing the same someday.

I am surprised when I hear of people being bored on Snow Days. There are lots of ways to play in the Snow if one is dressed for the Weather ... using things like Plastic Bats for Baseball, Old Golf Clubs or Croquet Mallets used to see who can roll the largest Snow Ball, Plastic Bowling Pins to be knocked over with a Snow Ball, playing with an old pair of Snow Shoes, old Skis and Ski Poles, playing games like Tug of War, Toss the Hat on the Snowman, a Scavenger Hunt of Finding things sticking up out of the snow and the like.

Here are 2 links: 20 Games to Play in the Snow from Parents.com and Fun in the Snow from a Winter Resource Center. Another link which might be worth considering is: I loved Playing in the Snow when I was Young.

One of the many things I enjoy about Snow is Snow Recipes. Here are two... if anyone has anymore, I'd be interested in reading them, feel free to post them as a Comment for our Readers too:

Snow Ice Cream:

• 1 gallon of snow
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk

When it starts to snow, place a large, clean container (you can use an insert from a Ice Cream Maker too), outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk of choice (to include evaporated milk) for the desired consistency. Serve at once.

Snow Cones: add Snow Cone Flavoring to freshly collected Snow, which you have put into paper Snow Cones... or make your own Snow Cones

Enjoy!