Tag: homemaker

  • Sovereignty of God

    I am learning about a beautiful characteristic of God, sovereignty. The word itself feels like it needs to be capitalized, it is so bold, big, and strong. Living a childhood with a distant father, it has become such a blessing to see and feel my father in heaven truly sees me and takes care of every detail. He made me and within me is him, and within him is my identity. He is mine and I am his. But this is not about me, this is about God.

    God is everywhere at once, he comes when we cry out to him, and rests upon those he loves when they worship him. When we revere The Great Living God, The God of Israel, The Lord of Armies, Yahweh, Yeshua, our soul shifts. His truth is the truth. No matter what storm rattles the doors from outside, he stands strong. At Bible study this week, Philippians 4:6 was mentioned. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” God has his hand on us, his hand is on everything. 

    How sovereign of God. To fix his eyes on us while we sin against him. To take our burdens when they pile on our chests and shoulders. To hear us when we barely listen to him. His emotions don’t get the better of him, he doesn’t give up when he realizes he is doing the group project all by himself. He is bigger and better than our every effort. It is funny how hard we try sometimes. God has got us. He sees us, every part of our mind, every inch of our hearts, he sees our situations at work and with friends and he is in every room we are not in. 

    Stop here, and breathe. God has got this under control.

    He humbles the proud and exalts the lowly. He weaves his perfect will in every area we open to him, he takes our seeds of obedience and plants a garden as big as Eden. He is sovereign, he is the only God. And only through Jesus Christ and his perfect holy sacrifice we can now live the life he gave up for us. What a good, good, good, friend. After we yelled at him, forgot him, lied to him, blasphemed him, he picked up that cross, and died on calvary for us. He loves us over and over and over again. How can we neglect such love? God didn’t need us, yet out of his loving heart he created a family to share love, creativity and community with. 

    I had a crazy spiritual walk this and last year 2023-2024. I went from claiming the title of pagan witch and going through multiple spiritual awakenings, did psychedelic mushrooms, and got reintroduced to God. I have been through much spiritual warfare, have just about read the whole Bible and completely turned my life upside down to follow God. I almost got kidnapped twice, was utterly hopeless, broke up with a boyfriend and lost a whole life I thought I loved. One thing I saw right away as I found God again was that his hand was on me the whole time. He made sure I was safe when I put myself into bad situations, he stopped me from getting kidnapped twice and loved me when I didn’t know who he was. God is sovereign. I realized through walking with Jesus, that he is a God of details, he cares about the small things. He cares about things you hold near to your heart and he cares about making things just. He is so so good. 

    Psalm 46:10 “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

        I will be exalted among the nations,

        I will be exalted in the earth.””

    God tells me this exactly when I need to hear it. Sometimes it is when I am running around like crazy trying to do everything myself, when I feel alone, when I don’t know where to turn. I think regardless of where we are in life, it is so important to remember God has a plan and will continue it despite what we are capable of, and how small our faith may seem. Always obey him and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your life, develop your relationship with God and lay your burdens down to him. 

    Matthew 11:28-30 “ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

    I find the only rest I can actually have, is rest in the Lord. I cannot rest the same with a mindset that I can rest by myself, but when I trust in Jesus to give me the rest he promised me, I get the best rest possible. 

    God is powerful above all things. There is nothing we can do to take power away from God. There is nothing on this earth that can compete with the love of God. His hand will always prevail, his plans are good and higher, and his will be done. We desperately need him. God restores us in ways we could never do ourselves. I am thankful for that. 

    Romans 8:38-39  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    I want to bring you hope, that in every trial, every argument, every battle, God is sovereign and he will provide, he will prosper. God loves his children and he loves taking care of us. Let yourself be taken care of and fall into the arms of your loving Father. No matter where you are, if you have run away, if the church has hurt you and you can’t look back on the pain, God is waiting for you with open arms. Come back to him. I hope you learn more about the sovereignty of God and trust him to order your steps.

  • Organic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

    This autumn I knew it was time for a change. I found out this year I am allergic to dairy… like all dairy not just lactose. So all my favorite foods are getting a makeover. I have made many dinners, lunches and deserts all dairy free now, and am learning better ways to do it. I also made this recipe organic by using organic flour, and locally sourced organic pumpkin. I wanted to make something healthier but delicious for my grandparents and to remake my favorite cookie I usually buy at convenience stores. Sadly I have not found a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie in stores that is dairy free or organic, so I made it myself! I am fortunate that our house has dairy free chocolate chips, they are a lifesaver.

    I also want to mention if you do not have pumpkin spice at your house you can mix nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger for your own pumpkin spice seasoning. These came out so tasty and I would make them again. I would even add more pumpkin because the organic pumkin was so delicious. Make this recipe your own and let me know how it turns out. If you do make it dairy free, you will notice the texture will be different than a cookie made with real butter, but the flavor is just as great! Tell me what you love and what you would change. This recipe makes about 16 cookies and takes about 45-50 minutes to make. Enjoy!

    Made by Vanessa at BusyVandCo

    http://www.HomesteadingHoney.blog

  • A Homemaker’s Prep List

    The times are uncertain, but God reigns through it all. I have been called to share and help others prepare essentials for their homes, especially those I can only reach through the internet. This list is for those who want to prepare, homestead, be a smart homemaker and who want more stability in their pantry and homes. Let God guide you through this and in every decision you make. Let the foundation of your home be built on your faith in God, The Rock of Salvation. Here is a prep list for all things to come, economic collapse, natural disaster, floods and fires.

    1. The most important thing you can have is your Bible.

    “For man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

    ““Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”” Matthew 14:6

    “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

    Our lives mean nothing without Christ. As important as food, water and shelter are, God and our relationship with him is most important. This is number one on the list not because I want you to abandon your life for a book, but to always put Christ first and realize without God we can do nothing. When you get close to God, you realize how that is the most important thing, and the Bible lets us hear directly from God. It is such a beautiful thing and I would never want to live without it.

    1. Water, and knowing how to acquire it

    Water will keep you alive, keep you clean, make and cook food, and as we all know, water is essential for life. 

    “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38

    When even God compares water to himself, we see another example of the importance of water. Not only that, but clean water is imperative for good hygiene and health. Bacteria and microbes that do not belong in the body can be found in dirty water causing various sicknesses or death. Filtering water is important and there are several ways to do it. My favorite way of filtering water through a shirt or cheese cloth, and boiling for 8-10 minutes. This kills bacteria, gives you clean water and is a system that is available in many circumstances. 

    Your elevation also plays a part, so here is a chart for you to know how to boil water where you live. 

    Elevation                                                                     Temperature

    0ft212 deg F or 100 d C
    1500ft209 d F
    3000ft206 d F
    5000ft202 d F
    7500ft198 d F
    9000ft195 d F
    10,000ft193 d F or 89.5 d C
    1. Carbs 

    “ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”” John 6:35

    Carbohydrates are a great, easy, and simple staple to keep our bodies going and provide our bodies with energy. Yes, every diet in the modern world will say carbs are bad for you, but I say whole grains, homemade bread and barley will make you feel 10x better than any protein drink or bar will. Jesus says he is the bread of life, and bread in the Bible is mentioned many times when speaking of healing. Daniel, when doing a diet not eating the king’s food, depended on whole grains and vegetables. The less processed your food, the harder your body will have to work to burn it off, rather than acquiring fat cells you cannot burn off. 

    Important foods to stock up on: 

    1. Flour
    2. Rice
    3. Oats
    4. Barley
    5. Lentils
    6. Quinoa
    7. Yeast to make bread

    These staples are easy to store, last a long time and can sustain a family with the many types of foods it can be made into. 

    4. Canned and Dried foods

    These are foods you can store easily in small spaces and they will last a long time. 

    1. Dried milk, butter, buttermilk, etc
    2. Vegetables and fruits 
    3. Tomatoes
    4. Corn 
    5. Spinach
    6. Beans
    7. Sweet potatoes
    8. Mixed veggies
    9. Peas 
    10. Green beans
    11. Carrots
    12. Apples
    13. Pears
    14. Peaches

    4. Herbs

    One thing you will miss if things get hard, is flavor to your food. Herbs can add needed taste and help in many health issues. 

    1. Basil
    2. Thyme 
    3. Sage 
    4. Parsley 
    5. Pickling spice 
    6. Nutmeg
    7. Oregano 
    8. Italian Seasoning 
    9. Other spices like cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cardamon, and your favorites are best to stock up on if you’re able 

    5. Honey

    Honey has so many benefits. It can sweeten almost any food or drink, be used as topical and in herbal medicine, helps with allergies if you use locally sourced honey and does not expire! There is not much to say to convince someone to buy more honey… It’s honey. 🙂 

    6. Something we don’t always see as valuable is salt! It can be used for food, boiling water, making saline water, salt water for teeth care, fertilizer and preserving foods! Don’t forget about salt! 

    7. First aid kit

    1. Tourniquet 
    2. Bandages
    3. Wipes 
    4. Ointment
    5. Swabs
    6. Gauze
    7. Sling
    8. Personal medications and vitamins 

    8. Seeds

    Do not depend on your grocery stores to feed you. There will come a time they will turn their backs, become empty and run out of food. You need to be able to grow food for yourself, your family and possibly your community. Stock on seeds like beans, lettuce, herbs, potatoes and even fruit trees if you want! 

    9. Sewing kit 

    If you are depending on yourself, it is time to learn how to sew. We cannot ask Shein and Amazon to make all our clothes forever, sometimes it is best to just repair the clothes you have, create new pieces from old clothing, and make clothes yourself. A sewing kit will be very handy to have. 

    10. White Vinegar/Apple Cider Vineager  

    11. Pure ethanol alcohol high proof

    12. Baking Soda

    13. Corn Starch 

    14. Sugar

    15. Pure Vanilla Extract

    16. Castor Oil

    17. You won’t need this if you have a food vacuum seal, but this is a great alternative. Ziplock and a straw works just as well.

    18. Can opener

    19. Go bag

    It is important to have some essentials, clothes, food and first aid all in one bag ready to go in case of emergency. This is something you can also store in a car assuming you will be able to use it to get where you need to go. You know yourself and your household best, so pack accordingly. 

    20. Gasoline

    21. Generator 

    22. Zip Ties- multiple sizes

    23. Duct tape

    24. Wire brushes

    25. Cord and rope

    26. Rubber and latex gloves

    27. Map of your local area/state

    28. Knife, hatchet, bat, self defense tools

    29. Solar Panels

    30. Fire starter kit

    31. Tools and bucket, especially for fires

    32. Acetone

    33. Essential oils

    Some dried foods that would be helpful to have: 

    Potatoes

    Carrots

    Strawberries

    Mangoes 

    Spinach 

    Banana 

    Mushrooms like lions mane, chicken of the woods, turkey tail, shitake, maitake and your favorites

    Medicines that would be helpful to have: 

    Vitamin C found in oranges

    Vitamin D or get sunshine

    B12 or fish 

    Fishoil

    Magnesium

    Calcium

    Vitamin E 

    Acid Reducer

    Acetaminophen

    Allergy Relief

    Multivitamins

    Insulin 

    This can seem like a large, daunting list, but this is your chance to look at your home, assess and decide what is best for your family. Pray and discern and see what you truly need in your home to prepare for the future. Remember, this doesn’t always have to be about the end of the world, but about providing for your family and creating a place where life can happen. Do not give up, trust in God and know you have already won through the blood of Jesus. 

    “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17