Blast From The Past - The First Issue of HEARTH AND HOME - Published January 18, 2002

I was looking through some of the posts on my original HEARTH AND HOME, which was started back in 2002 on Yahoo Groups, and ran across the very first issue of HEARTH AND HOME that I did. It was published on Yahoo Groups - Rebecca's Hearth and Home - January 18, 2002. Thought some of you might enjoy reading it! <3

Greetings Dear Sisters!

 

Welcome to the first issue of Hearth and Home...dedicated to making your home a house of many blessings!

 

"She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness." (Proverbs 31:27)

 

Household Hints:

 

Shine everything from mirrors to countertops to faucets to porcelain with a quick spray of 409 All-Purpose Cleaner and a soft rag.

 

Use the plastic bags that your groceries and Wal-mart items are packed up in as trash can liners for small wastepaper baskets. I nestle three at a time inside of each other, then when it comes time to remove the bathroom trash...I just lift up the handles of the innermost bag...tie them shut...and toss away! I only have to line the wastepaper baskets twice a week this way, too! It also saves on the cost of trash bags!

 

Dollars & Sense:

 

After Tithe....Pay Yourself First

 

After tithe make savings a top-priority "expense." Pay yourself first through direct desposit, payroll deduction, or setting up a separate savings account that you put money in each pay day. Make sure you pay yourself a regular amount at regular intervals.

 

Finding Cash

 

Here are some suggestions for finding a little extra money in your pocket:

 

1. Pack lunches at home for work, school, and special outings. Bringing food from home can

    add up to big savings over the course of a

    year!

 

2. Cut financial fees.  Close out credit cards you

    seldom or never use and switch debts to lower

    interest rate credit cards.

 

3. Look for unnecessary expenses. Eliminate

    subscriptions to magazines unread and health

    clubs unattended. The library may have the

    magazines that you read and you can look at

    them there.

 

4. Reduce variable expenses. You can probably

    cut the cost of food, clothing, and entertain-

    ment by 10% without much effort and little 

    effect to your lifestyle. For example, buy

    clothes on sale or even at such places as the

    local Salvation Army or Goodwill Thrift Store.

    Buy  nonperishable items, such as toilet paper

    in large quantities. It usually costs less and it

    will keep.

 

5. Consider refinancing  your mortgage. With

    interest rates down now might be a good time

    to do this. Just make sure you plan  on stay-

    ing in your present home long enough to

    recover refinancing costs.

 

Many Utility Companies Offer Different Rates. If you haven't asked, you may not be receiving the least expensive rate. Call and talk with one of your utility company representatives about getting the lowest possible rate. Most of these folks are friendly and glad to help. They only need to be asked. This strategy alone can save you $20 to $80 per month.

 

Question:

 

Spending time in the Word with your family is important. Deuteronomy 11:19 instructs us to teach the words of God to our children "...speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

 

What are some ways that you incorporate the teaching of God's Word throughout the day in your home?

 

(If you don't mind me sharing your response in a future issue of this e-zine, please send your reply to this question to me at:

 

proverbs31heart@yahoo.com        

 

Please put Hearth and Home Question on the subject line. Thank you!)

 

Recipes:

 

Chicken and Broccoli Ring

 

2 cans crescent rolls
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded Monterey cheese
1 can of chicken or 1 to 2 cups cooked chicken,
chopped

Leaving a 3-inch circle in the center, form a sun with crescent rolls on a pizza stone. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place on rolls around the center. Tuck points of rolls over meat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are brown.

 

Double  Orange Scones

 

2 cups flour
3 T. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 c. margerine
1/2 c. manderine oranges, drained
1/4 c. milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Flatten dough into a disk in the middle of a cookie sheet. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar over the top and, using a floured knife, cut disk into eighths. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Orange Butter (recipe below). Make 8 scones.

ORANGE BUTTER

1/2 c. margerine
2 T. orange marmalade

Mix together until well blended. Serve on warm scones. 

Grease Cutter Cleanup

 

Use this homemade solution to cut grease buildup on stoves, backsplashes, or glossy enamel surfaces:

 

    1/4 cup baking soda

    1/2 cup white vinegar

    1 cup ammonia

    1 gallon hot water

 

Wear rubber gloves and use in a well-ventilated area.

 

 

Homemade Lye Soap

 

1-Measure out 13 1/2 cups or 6 1/2 pounds of lard.

 

2-Heat until dissolved in a granite or glass pan.

 

3-In a glass jar (I use the one gallon size. The kind that pickles come in.) measure out 2 1/2 pints of cold water, then pour in 12 oz. of pure lye (I use RED DEVIL). Stir until dissolved. DO NOT BREATHE FUMES!!!!

 

4-Let cool until you can comfortabley put your hands on the glass jar (about 85 degrees).

 

5-Get a flat box and line with plastic.

 

6-Pour lye mixture slowly into the lard while stirring constantly.

 

7-Stir until thick enough to pour into mold. (After I'm done...I pick the box up about a half inch off the cabinet and drop...pick it up...and drop. This brings air bubbles to the top and breaks them.)

 

8. Let set in a cool place until hard enough to cut into 2x2 squares. (The longer lye soap seasons...the better it is!)

 

Well...that's it for this time, Ladies! I'll be looking forward to getting together with you all soon! God bless you!

 

Until next time...

~Rebecca