The stigma of raising your own meat

Do any of you raise your own meat? Do you get weird looks and comments from friends and acquaintances? We raise meat chickens and my son has begun raising meat rabbits. People say things like, eeew, how can you eat those cute things? You know, I'll agree that they're cute (the rabbits that is!) but at some point all meat is "cute". You just don't always see it at that stage (packaged in the grocery store it's just meat, not something "real") It's NOT easy especially the process of turning it into meat, but for healthy reasons, we have chosen to do this. So how do you deal with those kinds of questions/comments? Or do you just not tell people how you feed your family?

(it's funny, those same people don't give us negative comments about us fishing, keeping and filleting the fish and eating them!)

Where Will You Go From Here? by Valorie Burton

This book, written by a “certified personal and executive life coach” is a book which sounded like something which could be helpful to several people I know who are going through major life changes. I read it thinking that I’d possibly refer others to it, but now that I’ve finished it, I don’t know if I will suggest it at this point.

The book was easy to read, and full of great stories of people who successfully came out of very hard life situations (divorce, health catastrophes, loss of job, foreclosures, etc.) The author gives steps for a person to go through to move from the crisis to a successful life.

I didn’t really love this book and will probably not recommend it to my hurting friends/family members. Why? Well, some reasons are that it’s very geared toward a “think positive and everything will work out okay” mindset. Some people do have an easy time with that positive thinking, depending on personality type, but for others, that is just not a natural suggestion. I didn’t feel that it would be well-received by hurting people I know. I wished that it had focused more on God and His working in and through us and our circumstances, the place of prayer and listening to the Lord, and other spiritual themes. Now, that all being said, I do think that there are some people, some personality types which COULD be motivated by this book. There are valid suggestions and it is written in a very caring and kind and positive way. It just depends on the individual, I guess.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

Trusting God for Everything by Jan Johnson

This book by Jan Johnson is just a small looking book, fewer than one hundred pages, but it is a valuable Bible study tool, a tool to help one draw near to God. It is written as a “personal retreat guide”, intended to be used in a time of concentrated time alone with the Lord. At first the idea of retreat threw me off, as I didn’t see how it would be feasible for me to have that much “alone” time, as the book is intended for. However, as I continued through the book, I realized that it was a lovely Bible study which I can use in my own devotional time with the Lord. Don’t let that retreat terminology stop you from using this book.

The seven chapters, or Meditations, take the reader through the 23rd Psalm, one which many of us are have know since childhood. The author uses several different methods to take us out of that mindset of “I’m so familiar with this, there can’t possibly be anything I can learn from it!” and into a spot where it can affect our lives. She uses different methods such as guided imagery, changing the phrase order, personalizing the verses, etc. to allow us to look at these passages in a different way, to allow God to speak to us through this chapter.

I would certainly recommend this book. It will give you a better understanding of God’s loving care for each of His children.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker

Finding true abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving is the subtitle of this book, and it sums it up nicely! This book about how the Amish deal with issues relating to money is a very interesting read, full of good, practical ideas. Some of these are themes we already know and should be following, such as save your money, don’t buy on credit, and use what you have before you buy new.

More interesting ideas about how to maximize your finances are such things as bartering, buying secondhand (even for gifts!!), re-use things, etc. This is not a book which guilts you into changing your ways, but it very gently tells how ideas that Amish families utilize to be responsible with money can become a part of your (non-Amish) life as well.

I liked this book very much, although it seems that many of the ideas mentioned in the book are ones that I’m already implementing (although I think my husband should read this book. . .!) They were not ideas that are new or only used by the Amish, but it was still a good book. It did have some other ideas that I hadn’t thought of, and on the whole it was a very interestingly written book, did not feel like a chore at all to read it. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just someone in economic hardships. It is interesting, full of ideas that are healthy for everyone.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Ah, another historical romance! I’m not so much usually a reader of romances, but this book was very enjoyable. It’s the story of a man living out a second chance. He has been released from prison, where he came to a personal relationship with Christ. Now he is trying to begin again, hoping his past life won’t “ruin” his new life. Of course there’s a woman—the “spinster” librarian—I don’t want to give too many details and spoil it for anyone. . .so I’ll leave my summary at that! The book focuses on the entire story, not just the “romance.”

So, having stated at the beginning that I’m not much of a “romance” reader, I really did enjoy this book! It was a quick, easy, kind of “fluffy” read that is great for entertainment. It does not have objectionable material in it (thank you to the author and Bethany House for that!) and it has a wonderfully happy ending, which is what I like in my fiction! It’s not loaded with historical details, just set in an old-fashioned setting. There is more to the story than just the man-pursuing-woman theme—several different sub-plots are played out as well. It did make me tear up a few times  It’s just a sweet romance—It would make a great vacation read!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Real Simplicity by Rozanne and Randy Frazee

So many people are seeking to simplify their lives—and this book is written to assist them. The theme of this book is to simplify our lives by simplifying relationships with people—family members, neighbors, and others we come into contact with. Another area this book advises on how to simplify is time/time management.

It’s kind of hard for me to write a review of this book from a personal point of view. Quite honestly, we are a rural-living, homeschooling family, my husband walks to work—we are not really the type of people this book was written for. This book was written for urban/suburban families who are involved in a lot of out-of-the-home activities, a lot of “after school” sports and other activities for their children, overextended time-wise. Having said this, though, I do believe that these principles/ideas are helpful to those living that ultra-busy life. It’s an easy book to read, with lots of personal examples and anecdotes (and a few recipes too!) It is kind of a self-help type book, there’s not very much Scripture given to validate the suggestions.

I do know many families who would do well to read this book and apply its suggestions. It is a valuable book for those who are in that overly busy place in their lives. I would certainly suggest this book.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher, Zondervan, for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

another sheet project

I DID mention that I like to use old sheets for projects, right? :) They're such an inexpensive source of cute prints! This one is an apron, in case you can't tell by the pic. :)