Frugal Friday & Diatomaceous Earth

A year ago we lived in a 300 ft. studio at an elderly ladies home while waiting for my husband to get disability. I cared for her (Miss Alice) and took care of her home in exchange for free rent and a part time salary. Miss Alice has a big heart and had been feeding stray cats for nearly 10 years. I took over feeding the cats and fell in love with one of the mama cats and her baby. Well, need I say more? When we moved we brought them with us.

"Snoopy"



I found out recently that the mama cat has worms. Poor baby! I treated her with over the counter medication but it didn't work completely. I checked with the vet and it would end up costing nearly $100 dollars to treat both cats. I started researching alternative methods and came across a lot of good testimonies on Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.).

 Diatomaceous Earth (food grade, not the one used for pools) are tiny, hard sharp diatoms (major group of algae) which work by cutting through the insects exoskeleton. I researched it for days and could find nothing dangerous. The only caution was to use a mask if you have asthma. I don't have asthma but use a mask when using quite a bit of it such as dusting for fleas or in the garden.

I found a large bag (about the size of a 5 pound bag of sugar) at my local feed store for $3. The manager of the feed store takes the product himself in a shake and shared a lot of good information. I found several charts that recommended 1 tsp. for cats and 1 tbsp. for my dog's size. It needs to be taken for  at least 60 days to kill all cycles of the worms. I plan on giving it indefinitely. I mixed 1 tsp. into wet cat food and they didn't hesitate to eat it. I also have been giving 1 tbsp. to my dog even though she doesn't have worms. Taking it internally is also supposed to help with flea control.  I am daily seeing 'evidence' that it's working on the worms. Yuck! A million times YUCK!

It is also supposed to kill fleas so I dipped the pet brush in the D.E. and combed it into all the animal's fur. I'll do this once a week.

Lastly, I read that it works on pests in the garden. I took a jar and put nail holes in the lid to use as a shaker and then applied the D.E. around the plant and even on the leaves.

I will be one excited lady if this stuff does everything it promises! I won't have to spend a fortune on flea meds and it will be much safer for my animals. 

"Sassy" & she IS! 

***

Here are a few things I did to save money recently:

1. I needed a taco seasoning so I made my own. I had all these ingredients on hand. Here is the recipe. It turned out great!

4 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Pinch cayenne or 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. paprika

4 tsp. salt

2-4 tsp. black pepper

6 tsp. cumin (opt).

Use 3 Tbsp. per 1 pound of meat.

2. I've been using large Rubbermaid totes for my composting material. I read this past week to only use food grade containers when you compost so the poisons in the plastic will not leach into the soil. Uh oh! Mine were not food grade.  I called a few bakeries in the area and found several 5 & 7 gallon food grade containers that they gave away free. I just can't decide if it would be okay to use the 2 big totes of wonderful compost this one time. Any suggestions?

3.  I've been reading a few testimonies of people who lived during the depression. One common practice was to not throw anything away without evaluating whether it could be re-used. So, this week I'm really watching what I throw in the trash. One new thing I saved was the packaging from a bag of sugar. There was a nice large piece of sturdy paper (similar to the material of a paper trash bag). I plan on using it as packaging material to mail items to my grandchildren. I also started saving the string from the tea bag. I'm thinking I'll tie them together and use them for my flowers and veggies that need to be supported to a pole.

4. I made another batch of  spicy tomato sauce from our home grown tomatoes. I have a large bag of green beans I need to preserve, too. I've been freezing okra and have enough to fry for dinner. We've enjoyed cantaloupe this past week and our spaghetti squash and eggplant are ready to eat this next week. I will need to find a way to store the squash because I have close to 10.

5.  I used my Price Book to see what I had paid for Dawn dish soap at Walmart and then compared it to the sale item in the ads. I couldn't remember what I paid for it so the price book came in so handy. That motivated me to record more receipts.

6. I am saving the empty dog food cans to bury at the roots of my grape vines and also my Hydrangea. I'm told that when they rust they provide nutrients for the plants. I'll also make a 'tea' out of a few cans to pour at the base of the plants.

7.  I saved the inner cardboard tubing from a paper towel roll. I'm using it to wrap washed and re-used baggies around to keep them neat in the drawer. I use a rubber band to hold them in place.

8. I made too many veggies this week so I kept looking for ways to use them so they wouldn't go to waste. I put the cauliflower in our scrambled eggs this morning and I used the green beans to make a cold salad with tomatoes and red onion and Italian Dressing.

9.  I saved my bread wrapper and washed it out and then dried it to use another time.

10. I had left over milk from my in-laws visit so I froze it. I used it to make homemade ice cream for our company. 

11. We watched a movie I borrowed from the library. 

What did you girls do this week? Everyone's day will look different.. and that is very okay!

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few day so his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Eccl. 5: 18

A Typical Frugal Day

This week I kept track of the things I do (almost) daily to stretch my budget.


Mornings:
- Summer months: The curtains are left drawn on east side of the house until the sun passes over the top of the house but opened during the winter months to draw in more heat from the sun.
- I  save 'first time used' tea bags and put them in a small container in the fridge. Some mornings I use 3 'previously used teabags' to make one cup of tea for hubby. 
- Egg shells or melon rinds are put in compost container on kitchen counter.
- Seran wrap or baggies used to cover fruit are washed, dried and reused. 
- Laundry is washed with homemade laundry detergent.
- Vinegar is put in a 'Downy ball' to soften clothes. 
- Homemade stain remover is applied to clothes.
- Cold water is used for nearly all loads of wash on a light cycle (unless very dirty). 
- Grey water is used from washing machine and ran to flowers on the side of the house.
- Laundry is hung on clothes line instead of using a dryer. 
- Toilet and bathroom sink are sprayed with a mixture of 1/2 vinegar & 1/2 water mixture.
- I use toilet paper to wipe down sink and toilet when cleaning instead of paper towels.
- Lights kept off in house during the day.
- Dishes washed by hand in sink with 2 dishpans (1 for washing and 1 for rinsing).
- I let water pour into a bucket while waiting for it to turn hot and then put the bucket on the back step. I throw it on the flowers (along with the dish water) after I finish the dishes.

Fishin' with the grands!

Lunch:
- Vegetable peelings from salad fixings are put in small compost container on counter.
- Same routine for washing morning dishes.
- Laundry taken down from clothes line and folded to avoid ironing.
- Soda cans are saved to recycle. 
- Old soft clothing and old towels are used for rags to dust.
- Vacuum cleaner canister's contents is dumped on compost pile.
 - Newspaper saved for composting and plastic cover is used as a cover for seedlings to make
    mini-greenhouse.
- Fans used in each room to avoid using window air conditioner until it's over 90 degrees outside.
- Phone calls made on Magic Jack. 

My granddaughter learning how to do needlepoint.

Evenings:
- Garbage is dumped and grocery store bag is used to line the can.
- Compost container in kitchen is taken to larger tote at the back of the garden.
- Recipes are double and tripled so I only use the stove a few times a week.
- Large toaster oven used for baking to keep the house cool.
- Timer is used when watering the lawn so that I don't forget and let the water keep running. :-)
- Same routine as morning for washing dishes.
- Night lights turned on to avoid using overhead lights in bedrooms and bathroom.
- Lawn mowing night: clippings & leaves thrown into compost.
- Car washing night: 2 small buckets of water used only.
- Shower water is turned off while soaping.
- Shampoo is allowed to set on head until end of shower. This allows only one application of shampooing.

My backyard vegetable garden full blown!

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

 but whoever gathers

 little by little

 will increase it.
 Proverbs 13:11 ESV

Okay friends! How did your week go? Please forgive me for not getting back to you last week. It's been busy, busy here as I try to keep up with the veggies. But, I do learn so much from you and I'm thankful!

The Weight of Debt!

The home we moved in to last year was built in 1917 and was in pretty bad shape. It needed a lot of initial work. There have been a lot of small projects since then, too.  I started a bad habit using my credit card to fund these small projects with the goal of paying off the balance once I got paid. Somehow it snowballed and I ended up with a $250 credit card bill. We have been debt free for nearly 5 years (except our mortgage) and even though the unpaid balance was small it still hung heavy over my head. I used every extra penny so I could pay it off. My commitment to staying debt free has been renewed... as long as it is within my power.

The lesson I learned again is that debt feels like a ball and chain hanging around my neck. Secondly, it steals money from future paychecks. Third, it would have been wise to save the money FIRST and then pay for the projects instead of stealing from future paychecks.
 
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.  Proverbs 22:7 NASB

***
Here is how I saved money in my home this week:

1. A friend called and offered free peaches from her tree. I dropped all my plans for the day and went to pick 2 small buckets. Free food rarely comes at a convenient moment. I'm learning to take advantage of it when the opportunity arises.  I've missed out on free food in the past because I didn't flex and give up my schedule.  I froze some of the peaches for smoothies and some will be used in low carb pies. What a huge blessing. I went back a few days later and picked a half a bucket of blackberries and another bag of peaches.

2.  I've been saving egg shells to make another batch of liquid fertilizer. I put them in a bucket with a lid in the backyard until I had enough. A few days ago I made 1 batch to pour on our tomatoes. I need to make another batch this weekend. I boiled a gallon of water and pour it over 20 egg shells and then steeped it for 8 hours. I removed the egg shells before I poured the water on the tomatoes.

3. I'm still trying to reduce my grocery budget. So, I decided to make up a new 2 week menu. I'm going to try something new. I'm going buy a 10 pound bag of chicken each week at .69-89 cents a pound. I'll barbecue it, fry it, shred it.. you get the idea.  I'll either use beef or fish 1-2 times a week and keep the price under $3 a pound.  I'm hoping hubby can tolerate that much chicken. :-)

4.  I have a lot of spaghetti squash in the garden and LOTS of tomatoes. I made 2 batches of spicy tomato sauce which is like a marinara sauce and froze it. I used the tomato sauce to make a spaghetti sauce and poured it over the spaghetti squash. My eggplants are ripe so I used a large one to make Eggplant Parmesan. I used the leftover spicy tomato sauce which is like a Marinara sauce. I picked fresh basil from my herb garden to layer in between.  I wasn't sure if my husband would like it but he loved it. I have enough for one more meal.

5. I ran out of homemade stain remover so I made a new batch. I've been using it for a year and a half and I've had no problems with it bleaching the clothes and it does a good job of getting out new stains. I previously put it in a spray bottle but the end of the sprayer became clogged. So, this time I put the mixture in a quart jar with a lid. I'll use a spoon to dip it out. Here is the recipe:

Homemade Stain Remover

2/3 cup Dawn dish soap 

2/3 cup ammonia

6 tbsp. baking soda

2 cups warm water

Mix together and put in spray bottle or bottle. 

6. I used the heels of the bread loaf to make bread crumbs. I toasted the bread and then put it in a blender until it was the same consistency as store bought bread crumbs.

7.  I used the leftover low carb pie crust to make a few sugar free tarts. I had some leftover coconut cream milk so I made low carb ice cream with peaches and blackberries a few days later. 

8. I pressure canned 5 pint jars of green beans from our garden.

9. Fridays are my 'outside day'. I wash the truck and mow the lawn and do some yard work. I have found that if I assign big tasks to certain days then there is less chance of avoiding the task. Because if I avoid the task then I am tempted to run the truck through the car wash.



10.  I bought my granddaughter her first sewing book and have wanted to teach her to sew. She spent the night last week so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. But, I had given away all my material because I just didn't have room for it. Well, the neatest thing happened. A family member had just given me 2 bags of material a few days ahead. I'm not sure why I kept the material.. especially since I had just gotten rid of a ton of material. But, I did. My granddaughter looked through the material and found a piece of material and some felt she liked.  God had provided every single item we needed for the project. The only thing I didn't have was the stuffing. I prayed and prayed for God to show me what I had in my hand that I could use. I ended up cutting the end of my down pillow and pulled the stuffing from it.   He proves Himself to be my provider .. time and time again. Jehovah Jireh.

The Lord Will Provide... Genesis 22:14

My granddaughter chose an owl for her first sewing project.

 So what have you girls been doing the past week in your home?

Book Review "Enough", Part 1

How much is enough? There are times we know the answer. If I need to buy some fruit at the store and it costs $1 and I have $1 in my purse then I know I have 'enough'. But, when it comes to owning material possessions we have a difficult time discerning when enough is enough. This is the argument in the opening chapter of the book entitled, "Enough: Finding more by Living with Less" by Will Davis Jr.

O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.  First, help me never to tell a lie.  Second, give me neither poverty or riches!  Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.  For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?"  And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.  Prov. 30:7-9 NLT

So the question posed in Mr. Davis Jr.'s first chapter is, "What do I really need?"

"I need clothes but I want Levi's jeans and Ariat boots. That's why we have such a difficult time defining enough. In the increasingly gray area between wants and needs, finding enough can prove to be very elusive.

Enter Jesus. The man we worship as King of Kings and Lord of Lords never struggled with the concept of enough.

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

In one sweeping statement, Jesus presented his followers with a clear picture of what he considered to be enough.

In Jesus' mind, that's all God promises. He promises to give us what we need today.  He doesn't promise to provide for tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. He doesn't promise to provide in advance for our retirement. All he offers is today. According to God, today is all you need."

Pretty radical, huh? If we truly lived this way and only had enough for our immediate needs today then I'm sure we would be considered poor. Yet, in God's vocabulary, we would have enough.

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:8 ESV

It sure is not the way we've been trained to think in America. I hope to write more about this book later. I've enjoyed it very much (even though I don't agree with every jot and tittle). It has encouraged me to take another look at the way I think about my finances. 

***
So, here is a birds eye view of my week.

1.  My workload (along with my husband now being home full-time) has created a challenge to my bible study time. It's been hit and miss and I oftentimes let the day's workload dictate whether I study or not  I.  I had to come to the conclusion that I was just not fighting hard enough nor making it a high enough priority. I love studying God's Word and by His grace I am committed to getting back to spending my first hour with Him before the demands of the day take hold.  I want my life to reflect the delight that I find in God's Word! The busyness of life can choke out the Word of God if we're not careful.
 
2. My daughter- in-love gave me some butternut squash from her garden. I rarely buy butternut squash so I did an internet search to find some recipes. I made oven baked fries out of the straight part of the squash and used the round bulb part for a butternut custard which is steaming in the crockpot as we speak. Update: I like the custard but hubby is reluctant to try it since I told him it tastes like pumpkin. He liked the fries and so did I. After I cut them to look like fries I put some dabs of butter on top  and then sprinkled with salt.  I roasted them at 350 for 45 minutes or until done. 

3.  My in-love's were here for 1 1/2 weeks. We had a wonderful time! My mother in love is one of the best cooks I know! She showed me a cheaper way to fry okra and catfish. Instead of using egg , flour and cornmeal she just made sure the okra was wet from rinsing it and then shook it in a bag filled with cornmeal. Same for the catfish nuggets. I'm getting okra every day in my garden and hubbin's loves it! I'm cutting up the extra okra and freezing it for winter. Oh, and my mother in love brought a new Christmas crocheted pattern to teach me which consists of granny squares. I've just finished the first one. I hope to make a few for Christmas gifts. 

4. I found catfish 'nuggets' on sale for $2.88 a pound  last week. The whole catfish was $5+  a pound. The nuggets were just as good. 

5.  Our local thrift store has a 25% coupon in a weekly magazine that comes in the mail. I try to cut out the coupon when it first arrives and place it in my purse just in case I stop by unexpectedly. I do this with fast food coupons and Joann's coupons, too. This past week my mother in love wanted to stop by a thrift store on the way to get some groceries. Thankfully I had 2 coupons in my wallet and could share one with her. I bought 2 tops, 1 capri and 1 shirt for my husband for $10. 

6.  I didn't do all my little money saving tricks while my husband's folks were here. I wanted to enjoy my time with them and not spend one extra minute on anything that would take me away from visiting since we only see them once a year. I only did what had to be done. It was like a mini-vacation from frugality.

7. I made a batch of Spicy Tomato Sauce from our San Marzano tomatoes in the garden. They are a beautiful paste tomato but I'm finding that the flavor is not as rich as some of the juicier tomatoes. We have 14 of these plants producing right now. Next year I will plant half as many and then plant a few other varieties. I'll use the paste tomatoes to can whole tomatoes and the juicier tomato for the tomato sauce. 

8. I continue to find morning glories popping up in different parts of the yard. I will dig them up and plant them against the cyclone fence in the backyard. One side of the fence is almost completely filled in by the leaves and has made a lovely privacy fence without spending a dime. The other side of the fence is coming along nicely, too. Next year it will be very thick. It would have cost me $100 to buy the privacy slats. 

9. I'm cracking nuts that were given to me. I'll freeze them for the holidays. 

10.  Chicken legs and thighs go on sale in the 10 lb. bags for .69 cents a pound every few months. I buy up as many bags as I can fit in my freezer. I separate the chicken into freezer bags that will hold 2 meals. Or sometimes the entire bag goes on the barbecue and then gets frozen for a quick meal when I've been too busy to cook. 

Well, that is a smidgeon of my week. What did you do this past week? I love to learn from other women!

Summer Bible Club for the Grandkiddos!

A few years ago we hosted a bible club for the grandchildren during their summer vacation. It was a lot of fun and we made some great memories. So, my granddaughter asked if we could have another bible club this summer.

We ended up having 2 bible clubs. We focused on 1 scripture for each club. We did a bible craft and an activity along with fun treats plus we played a few games. The children really seemed to enjoy it. I hope we made some fun memories they will remember for many years to come.  They are all growing up so fast and I know the day is almost here when they will not enjoy spending the night as they have in years past. I'm so thankful for the time we're able to have to together and that their parents make our relationship a priority.

The grands love to bake chocolate chip cookies!

We made 'glow in the dark' slime! Here they are adding the ingredients.

It really did glow in the dark.

Grammy giving the bible teaching on obeying God's Word.

 The hula hoop was used as a visual for the bible teaching.

My granddaughter wanted to make cake pops.

The girls' wrote out their scripture on construction paper and then glued it to a can to make a pencil holder.

... more baking...

Mr. Cutie!

Miss M. wrote one of her bible verses on her arm before Grammy could stop her. :-)

Another bible craft.

We made homemade bubbles. They were HUGE!

Mr. "C"

More bubbles

We had a great time!

What have you been doing this summer?

Monday through Saturday Frugality

I tried to keep better track of how I spend my days so I could share it with you. I jotted things down as I was working. Frankly, I didn't have enough room to write down everything but here are the highlights.

Monday: I've lost some weight and my pants are too big so I ran a seam down the outside  of each leg to make them smaller. I also took in the seams on 6 blouses and mended some underwear. I cooked up several different vegetables from my garden so all I have to do is reheat for dinner. I find the more I can cook ahead the less temptation there is to eat out. I have a lot more energy in the morning than I do at 4pm.  *smile*  I saved egg shells to make another batch of fertilizer for the garden. Baked my son's birthday cake in the early morning so that I wouldn't heat up the house.

Tuesday:  I worked 3 hours in the morning at Miss Alice's so I don't do as much at home on Tuesday's to save money. I saved the rinse water from my dishes and threw it on my plants..... I'm trying to use up food that has been buried in my freezer. I found a bag of fish stick so we had them for dinner along with a cucumber, tomato and red onion salad with Italian dressing. Looked up on the internet how to freeze okra. I'll be doing that one day this week.





Wednesday: I hung a load of wash on the clothes line .... used the rinse water from the washing machine to water some plants .... cooked vegetables for dinner in my solar cooker which saved electricity and didn't heat up my kitchen . I made 2 batches of homemade snow cone syrup instead of buying it for the grandkiddos.

Snow Cone Syrup

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of water

1 package of Kool-Aid

Heat sugar and water until it comes to a 

full boil. Remove from heat and add Kool-Aid.

 Cool. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Thursday:  Stained a 'free' outdoor bench with some dark stain. The wood was weather worn. After applying a dark stain it looks brand new. I covered the bench this past winter with a large sheet of heavy plastic to shield if from the weather. Taking care of what I own helps things last longer which saves me money in the long run. Hung clothes on the line. Saved a bread wrapper and cake mix plastic pouch to re-use. Picked enough okra to freeze so I baked it for 10 minutes at 350, cooled and then put in the freezer.  I made homemade spaghetti sauce from tomatoes I grew and put it over spaghetti squash (also grown in my garden) for dinner.



                                         My 'outdoor kitchen' in my garage. It helps keep my
                                          kitchen and house cooler.


Friday: My son and daughter in love brought over 4 buckets of free horse manure for the garden.  Made a yummy salad from our garden veggies of sliced thin zucchini, red onion and tomatoes with zesty Italian dressing. Chopped Hungarian peppers from my garden and froze them.

Saturday: I made homemade spelt flour tortillas for breakfast burritos. Cut my husband's hair. Washed my car at home using 1 bucket for soapy water and 1 bucket for the rinse water. Picked strawberries from my garden and froze them for smoothies. Hung out a load of laundry on the clothes line.

Sunday: Church and then home for a day of rest. :-)

How did your week go? What did you do this week?

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. Eccl. 5:10 NIV

Remember the poor....

Sister Ellis... my Titus Two friend!

My dear friend, Sister Ellis,  has joyfully entered into the arms of her Savior this morning! She has finished the race set before. She was faithful to the end. Oh how I will miss her. I am so thankful for her example and her friendship. She taught by example and impacted my life.

Sister Ellis turned 94 years old on the 4th of July. The tribute I wrote below was written seven years ago and I believe the picture was taken in her home about that time, too. I wish you could have known her for you would have loved her, too.

If you look very close at the lovely grey haired beauty above you will see one of the truest examples  of a Titus 2 woman! And if you listen very closely you will hear Jesus spilling out through her words and actions to everyone she meets.

I met Sister Ellis over 25 years ago at a little country church. She was the WM (Women's Missions) leader to a small group of women who started out meeting at the church. As she grew older the meetings began meeting in her home. Her women made quilts for missionaries and the needy in our church and community. The quilts were also sent to Mexico and other states and even to Romania. Sister Ellis continued to hold meetings in her home past the age of 87 years old! Imagine that! How many 87 year olds do you know that are actively serving Christ? We would gather for lunch after we worked on the quilts. Sister Ellis would finish with a devotional and prayer. I was a part of these meetings for many years and hold the memories close to my heart.

 Sister Ellis loves her own children and grandchildren. Her family and home are very important to her and she does not neglect them. But, her service to the Lord does not stop with her family. She also uses her home as a outpouring of ministry to those in her neighborhood, church and beyond. If we look at the scriptures describing the duties of a godly woman you will see that it not only includes her husband and children but she is also commanded to use her spiritual gifts to minister to the body of Christ, to make disciples, to feed the hungry and help the poor, to visit the orphans and widows in their distress, care for the affliction and show hospitality. (This list is not exhaustive to say the least.) She is to be known by others as being a woman of 'good works'. (1 Timothy 5:9-10, James 1:27, 1 Cor. 12, Mt. 28:19-20) This is the life my friend has lived. She has a reputation for good works.

Sister Ellis rarely leaves her home, except for family and church functions, yet her influence has reached around the world. Many of us lovingly refer to her home as the 'hospitality house'. You never know who will show up to visit her in a days time. No matter when you stop by you will always be welcomed to sit down for a cup of coffee and a homemade goodie.

 Sister Ellis cares about the interest of Christ and others.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests , but also to the interests of others. Phil 2:4

They all seek their own interests ,not those of Jesus Christ. Phil 2:21

I found the following quote in a book called, All the Women of the Bible. It reminds me so much of my friend.

".. it is encouraging to know that there are those Christian women - spinsters, wives and mothers - who strive to keep themselves unspotted from the world. Books are not written about their true love, loyalty, sacrifice and uncomplaining days. These precious women are writing their history in the lives of those around them whom they love and serve.  Although, often weary in their task - for theirs is no forty-hour week job - they are never weary OF their task. They spend their lives unknown by the world in their narrow circle of their home within which they labor unceasingly for God and others, but they will not lose their reward. God's eye is upon them as they live out their lives in the orbit of His will amid all the cares, trials and sorrows of the home. One day, when the books are opened, their devotion will be commended by Him who sees and knows all."

***

This is the legacy Sister Ellis left behind. She will be missed more than words can express.