Sweet Illusions

Hundreds of years ago, brave (and desperate) men and women sold all of their worldly possession, said goodbye to everyone they knew and everything they had ever known and boarded ships bound for a new world and a new life.  They were not foolish, simple men.  They knew the risks they would take and those they would expose their families to.  And yet they came.  Putting their very lives on the line, our ancestors braved the ravages of a treacherous sea only to settle in an untamed wilderness and build a truly great civilization.  Only by the blood of their hands and the sweat of their brows did they hew a new life.  And, in the process, their very lifeblood was required.  They lost children, wives and their own lives to their dream.

And now, we can't drive to the next town without our cell phone.  "What if we got into a wreck?"  "What if we broke down?"  Apparently, in the 21st century our legs don't work.  We couldn't possible walk home.  When cell phones made their appearance, they were heralded as a wonderful way to stay connected.  Now, you could be in constant communication.  You could make use of those hours spent commuting by working right from your car.  You could let your wife know when you were running late.  If you were in an accident (gasp!) you could call for help.

At first, only a select few could afford the luxury of a cell phone.  Soon, however, as technology advanced and prices came down, most people tucked a phone into their pocket or their purse.  What once was considered an expensive gadget became an indispensable necessity.  Now, not only were business people chained to the master of their own making, children had also succumbed to the "need" for a constant leash.  "Good" parents wouldn't dream of letting Suzie leave the house without her phone.  She might need something.  She might get in an accident.  Or, then again, she might need to send naked pictures of herself to her boyfriend.  Ah, technology, a wonderful thing!

But it doesn't stop there.  Now, your cell phone (you know, that wonderful item that offers so much perceived "safety") can now be used against you.  In order to make the most out of the cell towers wherever you may be, your phone has a GPS (yes, Global Positioning System) that can be used to track your phone - and you.  And what a wonderful thing that is, right?  Only a "bad guy" wouldn't want to found, right?  Wrong.  I don't have to have done something wrong not to want to found.  I might want the freedom not to be bothered.  I might not want someone to know where I am every second of every day.

We strap on the bracelet of "safety" so readily but wonder what went wrong when that bracelet becomes a handcuff.  We never stop to think that "safety" is nothing but a sweet illusion.  Life is not safe.  It never has been.  It never will be.  And a "safe" life is a life not lived.

As a society, we have come to value safety over freedom.  And we have forgotten that God is the author of life and death.  We are so concerned with being safe that we have forgotten how to really live.  Life is dangerous.  And that is how it is supposed to be.  Only when there is an element of danger, do we realize our frailty.  And only when we realize our frailty will we seek the Maker of our souls.

Our congress has plans to see 30,000 drones in the sky above our heads by the year 2020. 30,000 drones to keep you safe.  30,000 drones that see all.  That hear all.  Never will you get in an accident when "they" won't know.  Never will your car be stolen when "they" won't see.  Never will your house be broken into when "they" won't have knowledge of the incident.  Doesn't that make you feel safe?

Remember.  We have to remember.  The people that have gone before us were not willing to give up their freedom for their safety.  They knew that the people peddling safety were really seeking only to bind them with chains forged for "the public good".  True protection is at the heart of every good father, every family.  The "safety" the government offers is only thinly veiled bondage.

I will trust God with my life, not some flawed government.  I don't want to be kept safe.  I want to live.

Delighting Children

One of the most challenging aspects of running a business out of our home is the lack of space.  If our shouse wasn't full enough with seven people, we had to go and add a manufacturing business.  Fabric fills the china hutch, the bathroom hutch and a washtub in the living room.  Sewing machines occupy real estate at the bottom of the stairs and the end of the dining room table.  Every time I order more fabric I shudder to think of where I will put it.

One day as I visited with my folks on the phone, I began muttering about my space dilemma.  I told them that some day, when we moved, I would have a room dedicated to Naturally Cozy.  I would have a work table (at the right height!) and a rack to hold my rolls of fabric. I would have bins to store all of the snaps and shelves to house the cut fabric and open orders.  Oh, someday.

Not long after our conversation, my dad called with a request for measurements.  He wanted to know how long my largest bolt of fabric was and what the diameter was.  He was curious to know if I wanted a vertical or horizontal stand.  How many rolls of fabric did I have?  Did the stand need wheels?

Well, when Dad and Mom showed up on Friday, they had something strapped to the bed of their pickup.  Mom came in, gave everyone hugs and said "Enola, lets move some things around".  Quickly moving the washtubs that held my largest bolts, Mom had a spot next to the stairs cleared record time.

Dad started untying a wooden frame from his truck and soon, parts starting filling the house.  First there was a wooden box bolted onto a furniture dolly (the casters were huge).  Next came the frame.  Mom and Dad set the frame onto the box and Dad started securing it to the box.  After he had fastened the entire frame together, he put large dowels into slots in the frame.  Perfect! A huge fabric rack - on wheels!

Loading the rack with fabric

Look at all that storage!!!

Oh it was exciting.  Now, rather than being spread all over the house, my fabric is in one place.  Not only can I see what I have and what I need to order, I can also roll the entire frame to the table making cutting much more convenient.

Parents are wonderful.  They love to delight their children with good gifts.  And my parents - well, they are exceptional.

Late Night Lip Balm

Last night I was desperate.  Our whole family has a bit of a head cold and between that and the cold weather, my lips were falling apart.  I was freshly out of Burt's Bees lip balm and really didn't want to have to resort to Bag Balm (really - have you ever tasted it?!).  After considering my options, I finally decided that I could spare 10 minutes of my life to make some homemade lip balm.

One of the things I haven't liked about the lip balm recipes I have used in the past is the number of ingredients they require.  I like simple.  And easy.  Generally, lip balms call for exotic things like coconut oil, glycerin, jojoba and cocoa butter (not that all of these are exotic, but most of us don't have them sitting around in our kitchen cupboards).  So, I got to thinking and searching on the internet (what a wonderful tool!) and came up with a balm recipe that meets my "simple" and "easy" criteria and is wonderful to boot.

You really don't need anything special to put lip balm in, although tubes or little pots are handy.  I actually made more lip balm than I had tubes for and put the overflow into 35mm film containers.  Whatever you have on hand will work.

The only ingredient in the balm that you may not have on hand is beeswax, but it is fairly easy to come by and will last forever.  The amounts of wax you use are very small in comparison with the rest of the ingredients, so a little will go a long way.  I bought 4 twenty pound bricks of beeswax about 8 years ago and have used it in everything from lotion bars to lip balm to candles and have only used about 1/4 of 1 brick.

The lip balm takes about 10 minutes to make, including measuring and heating and another 20 minutes or so (depending on what containers you use) to harden.  I do have to admit that I love using it when it is warm and not fully hardened yet - oh, so wonderful!

Most Wonderful Lip Balm
1/2 oz. beeswax
1 tsp. honey
4 oz. olive oil (1/2 cup)
Peppermint oil or peppermint extract to taste

In a small saucepan (or double boiler) melt wax.  Add honey and oil.  Stir for two minutes.  NOTE:  The honey will not really combine, but it is great for your lips and doesn't adversely affect the lip balm.  Add peppermint (or other flavor).  Stir well.  Pour.

Melting the beeswax

Measuring the oil

Pouring into the tubes

The overflow went into film canisters

When I made my balm, I used 1 oz. of beeswax rather than 1/2 oz. because I like a more solid lip balm.  I also added a little Vitamin E oil when I added the peppermint.  My lip balm turned out beautifully and feels wonderful.  Because I added extra beeswax, it stays in place for quite a long time and hopefully won't be prone to melting when carried in a pocket.

For mere pennies, you can make lip balm in your own kitchen.  Not only is it a great winter evening project, it will bring you one step closer to preparedness.

Why we Won't be Building Do-It-Yourself Washer Kits

NOTE:  This is a post regarding the reasons that we won't be offering a kit OR plans on a DIY washer.  I'm afraid there has been a miscommunication.  We will NOT be offering a kit or plans.

Being preppers, as a whole, we are a group of do-it-yourselfer's.  That is part and parcel with the self-reliance game - not being dependent on someone else.

After exploring the idea of making his own version of the James Washer, Sir Knight was inundated with requests to sell a kit so that folks could save on shipping and build their own washer to his specifications.  At first, he thought this was an idea worth looking into.  He began by researching barrels, the main component for his washing machine.  When he first started thinking about an alternative to the James Washer, Sir Knight figured he would pick up used barrels from one of our local suppliers (he is always thinking of way to keep the costs low).  When he began to research barrels (in three different sizes), he learned that not all barrels are created equally.  They have different thicknesses, have different configurations, bung placement etc.  The more he looked at barrels, the more he realized that he would have to use a standardized barrel in order to make his design work.

He ended up finding a barrel he liked (new) that was reasonably priced and built like a brick out-house.  It comes in black (I told him that blue barrels were kind of like blue tarps - they had redneck written all over them!) and is configured to accommodate Sir Knights design.

Ultimately, the problem with offering a kit is that every person will have a slightly different barrel.  Some will have a flat bottom, some will be rounded.  Some will be taller and narrower and some will be shorter and rounder.  That being said, a universal parts kit won't fit.  There is no way to account for all of the differences in barrel manufacturing.  Sir Knight would rather lower his price and offer a complete washer than sell kits that wouldn't work.

Interestingly, we have found that shipping may not be as expensive as you may think.  We believe that a complete washer will be in the $30 to $40 dollar range to ship (more, of course, for the larger models).

I just wanted to let you know that we did hear you and take your ideas into consideration. If there was a better way, we would be more than open to the suggestion.

Here are some other uses for those 55 gallon barrels you have laying around!

Butter Pecan Cakes

My folks came to visit over the weekend, so I thought I would make a little something to have with our tea.  I have a wonderful recipe for Butter Pecan Cakes (which are the perfect accompaniment for English Breakfast Tea) that I generally bake in tartlet pans.  Having just acquired a silicone baking mold in the shape of roses, I thought I would try baking the cakes in the mold instead of my standby tartlet.

I was a little skeptical about how well the cakes would release from the mold.  Normally, I have to grease and flour the tartlet molds in order for the cakes to come out and the directions for the silicone molds indicated that no greasing was required.

The mold

An up-close view

I adjusted the time (baking the cakes for about 23 minutes rather than 12 minutes) to account for the larger mold.  After they had baked, they needed to cool for 10 minutes before being turned out of the mold.  With much trepidation, I turned the cakes over, gently pushed on the bottom of the mold and out popped the most lovely little rose cakes ever.  I was impressed!

My recipe calls for a Cranberry/Raspberry sauce to be served over the top of these cakes, and it is wonderful, however, most of the time I just serve the cakes with a light dusting of powdered sugar.  The flavor is wonderful on its own and subtle enough to serve with most any tea or coffee.

Butter Pecan Cakes
1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 C milk
2 1/4 C flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease and flour a tartlet pan (or use a silicone mold).  Set aside.

In mixing bowl beat butter with sugar.  Add vanilla, eggs and milk.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat until combined.  Add pecans.  Spoon into prepared tartlet pan.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes (or longer, depending on your pan) or until lightly browned.  Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans.  Cool on rack completely.

Before turning them out of the mold

Cranberry/Raspberry Sauce
2 C cranberries
1 C sugar
1/4 C raspberry or cranberry juice
1 C raspberries
1 tsp. orange peel

Combine cranberries and sugar and juice.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Cook and stir 5 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in raspberries and orange peel.  Serve over pecan cakes.

*Note:  These can be baked in mini muffin tins or regular or even Madeline molds.  Whatever you have will work.

When you want something wonderful, but not too fancy, Butter Pecan Cakes fill the bill.

The Coming Storm

Last week, a ferocious storm blew through our area.  It blustered and howled and threatened to lift the very roof off our shouse.   As is typical here, the wind was stayed until everyone had been tucked snugly into bed.  As the shouse grew quite, the wind began to softly sing.  It started out quietly and then grew louder and louder and louder.  Soon, it was knocking at the door, politely asking to come in.  When we didn't answer, the wind grew aggressive.  No longer was it polite.  It became positively demanding.  Then it began ripping at the shouse itself, trying to gain entry.  

As I lay in bed, praying that the roof remain in tact, I realized that, as a nation, we are facing a storm of epic proportions.  The wind has begun to blow.  It will grow stronger.  And, it will threaten our very foundations.

The wind blew, the beams creaked and I prayed.  Through the night, the wind sung its siren song but the shouse held fast.  It held fast because we had no loose ends.  Our shouse had been carefully maintained.  Knowing we live in a windswept area, we had been sure to tighten any loose screws and strengthen weak areas.  Our chicken coop, on the other, hadn't been maintained quite so well.

A while ago, I had noticed that a screw had come out of the metal roofing on the chicken coop.  It was only one little screw, so I didn't give it much thought.  Every once in a while, when the breeze picked up, the metal would slap against the roof, but other than being a little annoying, it wasn't really posing much of a problem.  As time went by, I noticed that another screw was missing.  Still not a big deal. I didn't think of bringing it to Sir Knight's attention.  We would take care of it when it really needed to be fixed.

As the wind blew during the storm, I heard the chicken coop roof metal frantically flapping.  Bang, bang, bang!  Every time it beat the roof, my prayers became a little more fervent.  Bang, bang, bang!  The sound was driving me nuts.  It mingled with the howling wind and creaking beams, robbing me of the sweet slumber I so desperately craved.

As the morning dawned, the wind withdrew, leaving behind the ravages of nature.  I ventured into the morning mist to survey the damage.  Remarkably, the shouse was left untouched.  No missing pieces of roofing material, no doors ripped from their hinges.  There were a few barrels tossed about and a number of things littering the yard, but short of that, we were left unscathed.  And then I saw the chicken coop.  Large portions of the metal sheeting had been ripped from the roof and lay mangled in the pasture.  The tar paper crumpled in shreds, no longer offering any protection to the plywood sheeting.  Much more than a small section missing two screws lay in ruins.

Frustrated at my lack of foresight, I realized that our lives are so like that chicken coop.  We are facing the biggest storm of our life.  If our country collapses, it will be the equivalent of a massive hurricane.  Our relationships are like those missing screws.  If we have problems that are left unattended, it will be the complete undoing of our entire house.  It is so easy to think that it is just one little screw.  We can ignore that - it isn't really a big deal. It may grate on us, bug us, even irritate us to no end, but we can handle it, right?  But when the wind blows, as it always does, it will pull at that one loose piece of metal. That irritation will rub and rub and rub. As it rubs, it will be just like that metal, loosening the next screw and the next.  Soon, your entire house will be left without protection.  If a massive storm envelops you, having not battened down your hatches, your house will be destroyed.  There is no substitute for maintenance.  Not only do we have to maintain our homes, we have to maintain our relationships.  We will need every one of them.  If you and your spouse are having a tough time now, it is only going to get worse when the storm hits.  You may think that when the collapse comes you will pull together, because you have too, but, the reality is, the storm will tear you apart.  You can't let that happen.  You are going to need each other.  We can't just spend our time preparing for all our physical necessities.  What kind of preppers would we be if we didn't prepare our relationships to withstand the storms?  And as far as I can tell, one of the best ways to prepared for a hurricane force storm is to tighten all the screws.  To batten down the hatches.  We can do no less in our relationships.

We all see the storm coming.  Please, don't put off taking care of your most important relationships thinking that they will take care of themselves.  They won't.  Just like that chicken coop roof didn't miraculously repair itself, breaches in your relationships won't either.  And you are going to need the people in your life a whole heck of a lot more than you will need a chicken coop.  Or even a house for that matter.

The storm is coming.  Now is the time to take care of business.

Equipment Review - The James Washer

** ***
When we first moved into our "shouse", one of my greatest challenges was laundry.  We had no running water, drains or electricity.  Before we moved, I had the luxury of putting a load of laundry into the washing machine and then getting on with the rest of my day.  It was a luxury I took for granted.  Once we had moved, laundry became an almost insurmountable task.  Rather than tossing a load in the washing machine and going about my business, I now had to get to know my laundry on a very personal level.

After hauling water into the house, I would put my 15 gallon galvanized wash tub on the wood cookstove and fill it with cold water.  Starting with the darks and a bar of Fels Naptha soap, I would start washing.  I soaped the clothes up well, scrubbed them against each other and then against the corrugations on the side of the wash tub.  I rubbed and scrubbed and lathered, rubbed, scrubbed and lathered.  Once I thought they were well cleaned, I plopped the sudsy mess in a laundry basket and went on to the next article of clothing.  I progressed quickly from the dark clothes to the colored and then to the whites.  I had to work fast because the water heated up as I washed.  It is remarkable how quickly a 15 gallon tub of water heats up when placed over the firebox on a wood cookstove!

Once all of the clothes had been scrubbed, I hauled water (cold, once again) into our bathroom and filled the bathtub.  I dumped the laundry basket full of clean but soapy clothes into the tub and agitated them with my hands.  I wrung all of the soap out (by hand) put them back into the basket, rinsed the soap out of the tub and started over again. I found that if I didn't rinse the clothes at least twice, they became dingy and fowl smelling.  Not having a wringer, I wrung all of the clothes by hand, which I found to be a poor substitute for the spin cycle.

Having a bucket full of clean clothes, I hung them on a clothes stand in front of the wood cookstove.  Due to the fact that I had rung the clothes myself, there was always a standing pool of water under the clothes rack.

Eventually, we graduated to a generator-powered, cold water only washing machine.  It was heaven!  Gone were the soggy clothes that took 3 days to dry (meaning that I always had wet clothes in front of the stove) and blistered knuckles from the constant rubbing in boiling water.

Since then, I have gone through about 3 washing machines.  They were all Craigslist finds, not even close to new, and most of them did a fine job, but when they would break, I would be back to doing laundry by hand.  That is, until we invested in a James Washer.  Realizing the incredible amount of work that was required to do laundry by hand, especially when you weren't set up for it, we knew that we needed to invest in some real, honest-to-goodness back to basics laundry equipment.

We bought a James Washer from some folks (who later became very good friends), along with double galvanized wash tubs.  Because our philosophy for preparedness is ruled by "use it, use it, use it", we took advantage of our first washing machine malfunction to put the James Washer to the test.

Laundry Day
(The kids, of course, were a lot younger!)

Princess Dragon Snack, helping

Setting the washer up outside, we filled it with water straight from the hose.  Allowing it to sit in the sun for about an hour gave us nice, warm water in which to wash our clothes. We put clothes in, being careful not to overload the washer, and proceeded to wash.  One thing we learned quickly was that in order to get the clothes as clean as our washing machine, we had to put about as much time into washing with the James Washer as our washing machine did on a normal cycle.  It took about 45 minutes of washing, rinsing, washing and rinsing before we thought our clothes were really clean.  Once we had finished washing, we drained the water and filled the washer with clean water from the hose, rinsed a final time and proceeded to wring the clothes with a wringer that was attached to the James Washer.  The wringer (which is Lehman's Best) did the job quite efficiently, but really is not made particularly well.  I think it will have to be babied to last for any length of time.  The knobs are wobbly and hard to turn and it basically feels like it may break at any moment.  That being said, it did wring our clothes out quite effectively.

We found that we were able to cut down on the washing time by pre-soaking our clothes.  We filled our washtubs with water, put laundry in them and went in to have a glass of iced tea.  Leaving the clothes outside in the washtubs allowed them to soak in increasingly warm water, making it much easier to wash the dirt out when the time came.

The James Washer itself is a lovely invention.  It is not as large as you might think, by looking at the pictures - only big enough for a pair of jeans, a bath towel, a few t-shirts and some undergarments.  It would struggle with bedding or large items like insulated cover-alls.  The dasher works very well - easy enough for children to use, and the plumbing makes draining a breeze.  The James Washer is very handsome. It is polished stainless steel with wood accents and would look wonderful plumbed into a bathroom or gracing the front porch.  It, however, is very thin.

After using our washer for about 3 weeks, the metal at the handle began to rip.  Sir Knight says, tongue in cheek, that the stainless steel is roughly 3 times thicker than a pop can.  And he is right.  The good thing is, that once you know were the weak points are, they are easily repairable (if you know how to weld).  We did find that less stress would be placed on the handle if we added more water to the washer.

The tear in the metal

The James Washer does have a lid that sits on the top.  I found that I never used the lid, unless I was leaving water in the washer to heat in the sun.  Other than that, I slid the lid under the washer to keep it from being trampled upon.  If you are storing your washer, the lid is nice to keep dirt from accumulating inside.  The lid sits on the top rather than being fitted, so if it is in storage, you must be careful not to bump it and send it flying to the floor.

All in all, the James Washer is the best option on the market.  It requires less work and is more effective than most other options.  The washer does not come with a wringer - that must be purchased separately, but is essential if you want your clothes to be dried in under three days.

We love our James Washer, but.........

Here is a question.  Sir Knight has been thinking about washing machines for quite some time (it couldn't have anything to do with my frame of mind when I was washing clothes on the cookstove?!).  He believes that he and Master Hand Grenade could build something sturdier (by far) for less money (the James Washer is expensive, about $500.00).  He would make it in three sizes, small, medium and large, with the largest being about the size of a 55 gallon drum with handles on both ends (specifically for a very large family, small village or to be utilized as a community washer).  What do you think?  Would any of you be interested?  Is there a need for another washer?  I would love to hear from you.

If you can afford the investment, the James Washer is a wonderful piece of equipment  (provided that you are prepared to repair it).  Knowing ahead of the need, how you will do laundry, will be essential for your mental well being!  I can guarantee there will be many other challenges facing you.  Not having to spend unnecessary time and energy on the daily task of laundry will be a tremendous relief!

We give the James Washer  ** stars.

Comments

I love the new "reply" button in the comment section.  It is wonderful being able to reply directly to a specific comment.  However, I have noticed that some folks are getting a little snarky.  Don't.  This is not the place to tear one another down.  We are going to need each other in the future.  We may not all think alike and we may wear our preparedness efforts differently, but we would be much better served by finding the common thread that binds us together.  You readers are an intelligent, well-healed bunch.  I have the sneaking suspicion that we really see the same train coming down the tracks.  We might have different opinions for dealing with the train, but we all recognize the problems.

Let's be kind to one another.  My children must speak with kindness on their tongues, or not at all.  How much more responsible are we than children?  I love hearing from all of you - many of you make me think of things I have never considered before - but please, don't attack each other.  We are in this together.

What part of "Police State" don't we understand?

They are watching.  They are listening.  They are acting.  No longer do we have the freedom to say what we want, write what we want or do what we want.  If our thoughts are not in line with politically correct standards, we will be sought out and reprimanded.  If we continue in our evil ways, we will be dealt with accordingly.

I am under no illusion that my blog is not being mined for potentially "seditious" content.  Some of my blog posts have been blocked from Facebook and Twitter.  The Constitution, in its intended form, is no longer governing this country.  We are at the mercy of the "jack-booted thugs" that have waged war against humanity since ancient times.  We thought that our precious liberties were iron-clad - that we would never succumb to an over-reaching government.  But we became complacent.  We didn't discipline ourselves to live according to laws of God.  And now, the fruit of our rebellion is ripening.

Recently, two people, traveling from the U.K., had the audacity to post irreverent comments on Twitter (whatever the heck that is) while flying into the U.S.  On their arrival, they were met by DHS (remember - the Jack-booted thugs I mentioned?), questioned and deported back to Briton.  They mentioned something about "destroying America", apparently referencing a drinking and partying binge and digging up Marilyn Monroe (a TV show reference, according to the article I read).  And for that, they weren't allowed to enter this country.  Really.

We have come to a point in history where our thoughts are being monitored and evaluated by numerous governmental agencies.  No longer can we freely express our opinions, thoughts or religious beliefs without the threat of reprisal, from which there is no redress of grievances.  We stand on the precipice of complete tyranny.  The Police State is rising. Only through a united stand for what is good and right can we stem the spread of the cancer that is our government.  We MUST stand for good in the face of evil, no matter what the cost.  If we do not - we will leave our children to live in a world of fear, poverty and bloodshed.

If we don't act, then who?  If not now, then when?  Who will stand between good and evil?  It must be me.  It must be you.  The Police State is at our door.  Will we answer?

The Reluctant Leader

Prepping can be overwhelming.  As a woman, there are times that I think the majority of our preparedness efforts fall squarely on my shoulders.  I make the lists, I stock the buckets, I keep the budget and rotate the inventory.  I do a million little things that will ensure that my family will be well taken care of in the event of a collapse.  And, I have to admit, I have been tempted, once or twice, to wonder what my husband does other than buy the cool gadgets.

One day, as I pondered these thoughts, it struck me.  I am performing the duties of the Proverbs 31 woman.  I am managing my husbands estate and taking care of my family.  I am ensuring that I can laugh at the days to come by carefully planning and managing our preparedness efforts.  I am seeing the signs of the time and acting in wisdom.  But my husband's day is coming.

People naturally gravitate toward authority.  When there is a fire or a car accident, the fire department is summoned.  When crimes are being committed, the police are called.  In the event of a medical emergency, doctors are sought.  People have a natural need to be directed and cared for.  And it is what we are used to.  Who are people going to seek when the grid goes down?  My husband.  And if you are preppers, your husband.  They will seek those that appear to have a handle on the situation.  They will come in groups, they will come one by one, they will coming running and they will come walking.  But they will come. They will need to be fed.  They will need to be cared for.  They will need to be led.  They may need to be dispatched.

Preppers will be thrust into positions of leadership, either willingly or reluctantly.  They will be the Moses' and Abrahams' of this generation.  And they will lead well or lead poorly, but they will lead.  The weight of the world will truly be on their shoulders.  Not only will they be tasked with leading the masses into the future, they will be responsible for the direction of an entire society.  They will take their positions in history standing beside the patriarchs of old.

As preppers, we not only have to prepare our stores in abundance, we have to prepare ourselves for what the future holds.  Part of that preparation must be readying for the role of leadership.

One of the most difficult tasks the leaders of our families will face is conducting charity.  Who do they help?  How do they choose?  Do they run everyone off or take anyone in who is in need?  If you have been a prepper for any length of time, these are questions that you have grappled with.  So have Sir Knight and I.  Finally, we decided to go to the Bible to seek the answers.

First, we searched for who we do need to help.  We came up with a number of people that we would be responsible for.  Widows and orphans topped the list.  It says in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress".  It also addresses who has a responsibility to the widows and orphans first.  "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God" and it goes on to say "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:4, 5:8).

There is exhortation after exhortation to care for an honor your father and your mother.  Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16 and Leviticus 19:3 all direct us to be honoring.  Joseph cared for Jacob while the famine was sore in the land of Canaan - can we do less for our parents?  What if your parents are being foolish, even having been warned?  Prepare for that and honor them anyway.  In honoring your parents, you are pleasing your God.

The poor need to be cared for also.  This must to be done with wisdom.  Great discretion and understanding will be required.  We are told in Proverbs 21:13 "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered".  These are the people you put charity supplies aside for.  This is your tithe to the Lord.

We do have to help people, but we are also called to turn some away.  We have to turn away the wicked man (Proverbs 10:3, Proverbs 13:25) and the foolish man (Proverbs 21:20).  There will come a time when you have to judge a man to be either poor (and feed him) or foolish (and turn him away).  There are many admonitions dealing with the lazy man (Proverbs 10:4).  "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry" (Proverbs 19:15), we need not extend our abundance to such a man as this.  It should be obvious, but our plenty should never be given to a thief.  "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel" (Proverbs 20:17).  I have the sneaking suspicion, that for most of us, he just might end up with a mouth full of buck shot!

While there is a necessity for charity, there is also a place for commerce.  Proverbs 11:26 says "People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell".  It would seem prudent to buy extra with the express purpose of providing (either through charity or selling) for those who, for one reason or another, did not store up against a day of calamity.

As preppers, we are already walking the path of leadership.  "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor" (Proverbs 12:24).  We need to seek wisdom and understanding so that we will be good stewards of the abundance with which we have been entrusted.  "A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases his strength" (Proverbs 24:5).

As a wife, it is my great honor to help my husband prepare for the future.  I will secure the abundance, manage the estate, care for the people.  He will lead.  He will make the decisions that will decide the fate of his fellow man.  Reluctantly or willingly, he will take his place among the leaders of our future.  I intend to see that he is armed and ready.

Naturally Cozy Factory Tour & Coming Soon

I have long neglected the Naturally Cozy website.  It was definitely due for a face lift.  I still have a little work to do (I will be offering different colored snaps on the panty liners versus different colored threads) and I need to update some of the Paypal buttons.

We had a lot of fun choosing new pictures and the Tour gives you a really good idea of what we do and were we work.  The Factory Tour is a slide show, so it make take a little while to load on your computer.  You'll have to let me know what you think!

Coming Soon!

We are also in the process of expanding our offerings at Naturally Cozy.  Miss Calamity is making hot water bottle covers that we will be offering either by themselves or with a hot water bottle.  Tea Cozies will finally make it on our web page, hopefully in a number of different patterns.  And for those of you who sew, I found the  most wonderful thread holders.  These holders are made of cast iron and metal, unlike the plastic ones you find at your local fabric store.  They are wonderful and very affordable.  In the near future, we plan on offering cloth diapers not only for babies but for adults as well.  We need to be prepared for everything!

Miss Calamity's Comfy Cozy
(Hot Water Bottle Cover)

Tea Cozy

Thread stand

Cast iron base