Gratituesday - Our Corn Stove!

I've been meaning to wax poetic about something this winter . . . our corn stove! Even the Goose loves it, she wants it lit when it's not on so we can be "all warm and toasty!"

Right now, we're experiencing yet another cold snap, which isn't a big surprise since February is supposed to be cold and snowy this year. It's amazing how much peace I get from having this thing lit with a hopper full of corn, though.

Hubs bought it the first winter we were married. I was a bit skeptical, since I don't like to be too hot, and I also was a bit scared of running it. I didn't mess with it at all the first winter, but I have since learned how to run it and do everything except a few fixes that are beyond my grasp (something about a chain that falls off once in a while) and take out the ash - that pan is HEAVY and I let Hubs handle it. I actually thought about writing a post on how to light it, but I think that would be dull as dirt for most of you... During my recent cleaning and decluttering, I found the notes I made when learning to light the stove and had a chuckle at myself. I've come a long way!

With regards to being too hot, it certainly does get that way sometimes. We have figured out how to position a fan so that it moves heat into the other part of the house, though it does leave our basement QUITE chilly because no heat comes down there. But, since I now know how to shut it down AND start it back up once it does cool off, it's not so bad in the main part of our house. :>)

We're actually considering replacing our corn stove with one of the fancy new self-igniting ones. It has a thermostat, and will shut itself off and turn back on to keep the room at that temperature. How great is that??? And with trading in our old stove plus the biomass stove tax credit, I think we could get a heck of a deal.

You can see what others are thankful for over at Heavenly Homemakers.

PS - I'm also extremely thankful that a certain Goose is taking a nap today. She skipped naps the past two days and it's been a bit of a struggle for both of us.

On To The End

I woke up a bit anxious this morning as I had dreamed that Hubs was gone. This doesn't happen often, but enough that I know the anxiety can permeate my entire day if I let it. I have found the best way to rid myself of it is prayer. It's amazing how I can physically feel my nervousness lifting as God removes it.

As a quick aside, I am constantly evaluating how much time I spend online and usually deciding that it is way too much, but don't do anything about it. Kim has written an excellent post here after a week-long sabbatical from being online. Much food for thought.

Back to prayer. My college years were also filled with anxiety. I attended church frequently and stayed close to God in general, but I didn't lay things at His feet the way I do now. He reminded me to turn to Him in interesting ways, though. One summer, I spent a month studying in Mexico, and on either side of that trip, I worked for a State of Nebraska employee in a very bizarre internship. I compiled a few reports for him, but spent most of my time assisting his wife, who ran a Kumon Math Institute. There was a large poster in the bathroom of that office building with these words:

On To The End

Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your worries. No, indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving forbearing graces which our Lord sets before us.

Be patient with everyone, but above all, with yourself. I mean, do not be disturbed because of your imperfections and always rise bravely from a fall. I am glad that you make a daily new beginning; there is no better means of progress in the spiritual life than to be continually beginning afresh, and never to think we have done enough.

Go on in all simplicity; do not be so anxious to win a quiet mind, and it will be all the quieter. Do not examine so closely into the progress of your soul. Do not crave so much to be perfect, but let your spiritual life be formed by your duties – and by the actions which are called forth by circumstances. Do not take over much thought for tomorrow. God Who has led you safely on so far, will lead you on to the end.

St. Frances de Sales

I have returned to these words that I scrawled in a notebook so many years ago time and time again. I'm amazed at how frequently I take away something different that I never noticed before. Today it was this part: "let your spiritual life be formed by your duties – and by the actions which are called forth by circumstances." God knows my circumstances, and he knows my weaknesses and limitations. His grace is enough to sustain me, though. And for that, I give thanks!

Learn more about St. Francis de Sales here, and the image and more info can be found here.

(PS - I think I'm going to link this up to Gratituesday tomorrow.)

Clean Dishes and Cheap Clean Balance

When we got married, we moved into our sweet little rental house with a kitchen that has an OK amount of cabinets and no dishwasher. I contemplated having a dishwasher installed, but didn't want to sacrifice the space. Hand washing dishes is not one of my stronger virtues, either.

Our friends and family generously blessed us with a number of cash gifts that, when added up, were enough to purchase a portable dishwasher! It tucks in a corner next to the table, where it is actually rather convenient to load. Once full, I roll it over to the sink, hook it up, and away it goes. I was a much happier bride for Hubs after we got it!

After five years, though, I noticed our dishes looked . . . icky. They were covered in a white film that only a long soak in straight vinegar would take away. Even using a rinse agent didn't help, nor did using vinegar as a rinse agent - it just wasn't enough.

About that time, I was trying to move toward more frugal and green ways of running our household. But, to be honest, there had been a couple of occurrences where I had a full-to-the-brim dishwasher and no detergent. I live 10 miles from the nearest store, and 25 miles from the nearest store that I can afford to patronize without selling my firstborn.

I can't remember where I first found the suggestion to use a 1:1 mixture of Borax and Washing Soda in the dishwasher. I tried it, and it seemed to work fine, but I felt like it was missing something . . . like soap! (OK, detergent, but still.) About that time I stumbled across another "recipe" that used a 1:1:1 mixture of the Borax and Washing Soda plus powdered Cascade. I felt good about using it, it's relatively cheap, and since I use the Borax/Washing Soda for the laundry, too, I can steal a couple of scoops out of there in a pinch. I use two tablespoons in the dishwasher, using a scoop that I can't remember what product it came out of. It has a teaspoon on one side (that I hang onto as I'm scooping) and a tablespoon on the other side.

(I store it in the coffee can above, that is standing in for a box of Borax since I'm currently out.)

That was great, but my dishes were still dingy. We have well water, and it's pretty hard and full of "stuff". I read a glowing testimonial of LemiShine on The Pioneer Woman and wondered what all the fuss in the comments was about. I found it at Wal-Mart, and in just one use, my dishes looked incredible - almost new! Hubs even commented on them, and noticing details is not his strongest virtue. Plus they even *felt* cleaner - before, I could feel a chalky residue and hadn't even realized. And the inside of my dishwasher looked better, too! (There is a map on the LemiShine website that shows the hardness levels of water. We're in "extremely hard". So it's confirmed.)

After a few loads and working to cycle all my dishes through (i.e. put the clean plates from the dishwasher on the bottom of the stack so they all get used), I backed off the amount of LemiShine that I used. I'd guess I use somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 the recommended amount and my dishes still look great.

It is a bummer to rely on something that never goes on sale and never has a coupon. I priced packets of lemon Kool-Aid and even the generic versions come out about the same as LemiShine, so I think we have a good balance between using less and clean dishes.

You can also go here to see how I use the borax/washing soda in my semi-homemade laundry detergent!

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes, and because I am so tickled that 1) I even *have* a dishwasher and 2) my dishes now come out of it clean, I'm also linking this to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.