Thursday, October 15, 2015

A Titus 2 Woman

I was blessed to have a Titus Two woman visit this summer... my mother in love! I had the best time with her. We visited thrift stores, knitted dish cloths, talked about relationships, shared Scriptures and baked like it was no one's business! I honestly hated to see her leave.


Mother Stump making a pie!

My mother in love has lived eighty plus years on this earth. That is a whole lot of living and learning in God's classroom. She has gone through prosperous times and lived through times of less. We had a lot of conversations around the kitchen table about how she lived through those lean days. There has been joy and sorrow all woven together on her journey called 'life'. I learned so much by just asking questions.

A mother sharing with her son
There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom stored up in a godly, older woman. We don't always value what they have learned through the years or we pridefully think our way is better. I've been guilty of both. But, if we can observe their lives (the good and even their mistakes) through the lens of scripture then we will find ourselves richer for taking the time to learn.


Mother Stump knitting dishcloths

 I've finally reached that season of life where I know that I don't have all the answers. These older seasons of life are challenging.  How thankful I am to know godly women I can go to for counsel. God has instructed the older women to teach the younger women specific things. Heavenly Father, help me to be a willing student.


My mother in love bought a similar potholder and taught me how to make this one. 




A Titus Two woman is a gift from God to each of us! They have a story of God's redemption to tell of a life lived in the midst of His grace. How very sad  if we leave this beautiful gift unwrapped.


 
My mother in love taught me how to knit dishcloths.


































































































OLDER WOMEN
 likewise 
are to be reverent in their behavior,
not malicious gossips
nor enslaved to much wine,
teaching what is good 
SO THAT
they may 
ENCOURAGE the young women
to love their husbands,
to love their children,
to be sensible,
pure
workers at home,
kind,
being subject to their own husbands,
SO THAT 
 the word of God will 
not be dishonored.

Titus 2:3-5 NASB 
(emphasis is mine)


*~*~*~*~*
  

A few highlights from this past month:

1. I've started picking up some baking items when they are on sale for the holiday season. It's too hard on the budget to buy them all at once. I froze a bag of coconut and purchased an extra bag of brown sugar. I'll use them to make some goodie baskets.

2. I live in aprons at home so they are VERY used looking. I made one new apron before my company came this summer and just made another one a few weeks ago. 





3. I've been making my own laundry detergent for years. I've noticed that it has a different scent lately that I don't care for. It smells like metal. It might be that our city water just doesn't mesh well with the ingredients I use. I don't want to add another large expensive to my budget so instead of purchasing laundry detergent I bought an inexpensive laundry booster. It cost around $6. I used half in this last batch of detergent and it has taken away the metal smell. I haven't priced all the ingredients for a long time but it used to cost a few cents a load of wash. I can't imagine the $3 will add much to the total cost.

4. We have had some cold wintry days so I'm not always able to hang clothes on the line. I pulled out my drying rack and set it up in the garage. I have clothes lines hanging in my garage already. I've started drying clothes inside the garage on those cold days. Not using my dryer saves me quite a bit on my electric bill. My bill can jump by $30 if I start using my dryer too much. I've more than paid for the drying racks I purchased many years ago. 

Mother Stump loves bread!


5. Normally I print out a new budget from my computer each month. My ink cartridge is expensive to replace. So, this month I put the budget inside a sheet protector and used an erasable marker. I put a mark next to the item I paid. It worked perfectly. Now, I just erase it and it's ready to use next month. I put a blank piece of paper over the top sheet of the clipboard, just in case something would hit it and erase my markings. This will stretch my ink a bit longer. I also try to write new recipes by hand instead of printing them.

6. I purchased a nightstand from a local thrift store for $7. A can of spray paint fixed the imperfections. It fits perfectly and gives me another 2 drawers for storage (which is priceless in a small home!). It looked so nice that I decided to spray a stepping stool a long time friend's husband made. I had a can of red spray paint which worked perfectly. THEN, I sprayed a small tray I use to hold a few items in the loo. Spray paint is much cheaper than paint and it looks just as nice, not to mention it takes a fraction of the time to apply. 











7. A few of the grands spent the night this weekend. We played a game that I purchased from the thrift store for less than $3. They loved the game and so did I. Sometimes the thrift store marks their games down to 20 cents. Wouldn't it be a great idea to start now and purchase games for Christmas gifts? 



8. I was looking for a Bible object lesson to share with the grands when they spent the night. My dear friend shared a few options on YouTube. They LOVED the object lesson and we kept practicing the gospel using the hand to signify each aspect. I'll give you the link in case you'd like to share it with your own family. Be sure to check out my friend's blog at Givengrace.

This is the object lesson to let them see what the Gospel is like:

Bible Object Lesson


...and this one is the memorization tool to teach the gospel using your hand:


9. Here is the recipe for the Butterscotch Pie that my mother in love taught me how to make. The process is very similar to a chocolate pie recipe I've made for years. This is a RICH pie but very wonderful! 

Butterscotch Pie

Stir together in a medium bowl:
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar

Slowly stir in 2 cups of scalded milk to the above mixture. (you can microwave the milk for 5 minutes to scald it)

Microwave 4 minutes until thick around the edges. Stir. Take a few tablespoons of the milk mixture and whisk into 4 egg yolks. Then add the egg mixture into the milk mixture and whisk. Then microwave another 3 1/2 minutes. Whisk in 4 tbsp. of butter and 1 tsp. of vanilla. You want it to thicken.

Melt 1/3 cup of white sugar in a skillet (we used a cast iron). Pour in 1/4 cup of water all at once. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF FROM THE STEAM. Pour into previous milk mixture above and whisk together.

Pour into baked pie crust and make meringue by beating the leftover egg whites until stiff. Add 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the eggs and beat until a meringue consistency. Brown the meringue in a 350 oven.  Enjoy!



10. My grandson helped plant garlic in my garden. It was a huge help and fun to share a part of my life with him. I shared the different lessons God teaches me from His Word as I'm digging in the dirt. Our winter garden is going to be comparatively small this year due to 'old agedness'. I'm feeling quite whimpy these days! :-) I have 9 broccoli, a bed and a half of garlic and a bed of onions planted. I will be content and I trust it will be just enough. 




...and as your days, so shall your strength be.  Deuteronomy 33:25


Saved, Repurposed and Reused:

- I've been saving, washing and reusing plastic bags, tinfoil and baggies. They came in handy for this '5 week pay period' because I didn't need to run to the store for baggies but instead used the ones I had on hand. 
- SF Popsicle sticks to be used as markers for seedlings. 
- Glass jars (I pour my grease in them instead of down the sink).
- Unused envelopes in bills (to store seeds)
- Newspapers (under cat box, mulching in the garden, bottom of garbage can)
- Egg cartons (I store the larger box of eggs in the fridge outside and use a smaller carton for the inside fridge).  
- Old knit shirt (cut up for dust rags)
- Old hand towel (dust rag)



*~*~*~    It would be so encouraging to hear about an older, 
                          godly woman in YOUR life!                          *~*~*~*


Blessed to be home!

Georgene

 

14 comments:

  1. I enjoyed all your post Georgene. I especially liked to hear about your mother in love and how she has taught you so much. She sounds like a wonderful woman and those dish cloths she taught you to knit are the same ones I LOVE to make. I find the process relaxing and the end result is practical for my home as well as gift giving. Having said that it has been a long time since I knitted any and I just knitted a new batch a few weeks ago though I have yet to finish them off. I understand what you mean about the garden and old agedness. I wonder how long I can continue with all the work I do in my garden. The results on the eating side are not quite worth the effort though I like to try to grow something. I sometimes have better success with the flowers but those don't seem to last. I don't think my soil is adequately fertilized. I keep trying. It is nice to sit on a patio with a garden growing around me rather than looking at dirt, *smile so for that purpose it is worth the effort when I can muster it. I'm glad you don't pour your grease down the sink. I once looked up several youtube videos where the sewage pipes in big cities were plugged due to all the grease that goes down the drains. It is costly for the repairs to be undertaken. I'm surprised we don't hear more about it on the news. Instead of glass jars to capture the grease I use tin cans. I leave the lid partially attached to "cover" the grease as the can sits on the countertop. When it is full I freeze it solid before I take it to the garbage room. That way oily liquid isn't spilling all over me. Have a wonderful weekend and happy saving :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear from you! I enjoy knitting and find it relaxing, too. I normally knit in the evenings while watching TV. I also use tin cans and freeze grease. We have some things in common. :-) It's a challenge to know when to scale back on the garden. I know it's also important to keep active, too. I continue to pray my way through these decisions and trust the Lord will guide us.

      Delete
  2. I enjoyed your entire post - especially re. Titus 2 women in our lives. I'm ;66. But still I could identify with this little thingie I saw on Facebook this morning: "That horrifying moment when you're looking for an adult, but you realize you are an adult. So you look around for an older adult. An adultier adult. Some one better at adulting than you." :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is funny and so true, Rebecca! :-) I've read the same thing. I imagine we would be considered an older woman to a younger one. :-)

      Delete
  3. I also enjoyed this newsy post, Georgene. Your MIL is a jewel for sure!
    Her pies and bread look so homey and comforting, I guess because they were made with love.
    Are you getting rain?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rhonda,
      We had rain for a few days about 3 weeks ago. I just heard on the news that rain was heading our way but it's not showing it on the Weather Channel. We've had a week in the low 90's. It sure doesn't feel like fall. Hope you are well!

      Delete
  4. What a lovely post once again Georgene. Your Mum in love sounds a wise woman. Is your name Stump? Unusual, not heard of that one before.
    I like aprons too, though don't have many. My dear Mum gave me one that she found that I made at school many, many years ago. Not beautifully made, I was never a seamstress :-)
    Love to you & your family, thanks for all your posts. I always look forward to them.
    Angela UK

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Angela,
    How special that your mom saved an apron from when you were younger. What a treasure. I have watched for aprons in the stores but I rarely find any. I guess they are not the trend right now. :-) I've worn them for years and I can't imagine how awful my clothes would look if I didn't protect them with an apron.

    Good to hear from you, Angela!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely post! Your MIL sounds like a wonderful woman!
    I wanted to mention that you can make your own brown sugar with white sugar and a bit of molasses. Since you're a bit of a baker, you may have the ingredients on hand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the reminder. I've heard about making your own brown sugar but have never tried it. I always like having an alternative in case I'm out of ingredients.

      Delete
  7. Georgene, SO nice to meet you. Happy you visited my blog.
    Loved this post, so nice.. The tribute to your mil.. was wonderful. Isn't it fantastic how much our older ladies can teach us. I am 61 and I pray that I will be the teacher to the younger generation, that God said , we should.
    The pie sounds wonderful.Have a blessed weekend. Judy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to meet you, too! I enjoyed my visit to your blog! I hope to hear from you, again! We're close to each other in age, too!:-) Hope your weekend is blessed, too!

      Delete
  8. Georgene, haven't seen a new post in a while so am hoping all is well, just busy. The Thanksgiving season is on us so may your celebrations with family be special. We just had a new little granddaughter born on Wed. She was full term but had to go in the NICU because of amniotic fluid getting in her lungs. They caught it right away and finally today she is doing better. This is a long awaited baby as their other child is 10 years old, they have had 2 miscarriages and now they've finally had another one. This is a huge scare for all of us. Keep little Cassidy in your prayers if you would think of her. She is our Thanksgiving blessing this year :) Nannie

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this post. It is an encouragement to me in my ministry to my son and daughter-in-love. They have been adopted into my heart as my own children, and I pray to be a blessing in their lives. I also pray for them grace to cope with any behaviors of mine that aren't a blessing! Thank you for this grace-filled post, Georgene.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment.