Potpourri Saturday - Homeschooling & Socialism

(WorldNetDaily) - Is homeschooling compatible with socialism and vice-versa? Apparently not, for homeschooling means parental control of education, and that is anathema to socialists.

The most important institution in a socialist society is a government-owned and -controlled education system in which children can be indoctrinated to willingly accept state control of their lives. Public-school teachers are not freedom fighters. They are government employees who must obey the mandates of the state.

In a socialist system, the state owns the children. Parents are merely breeders, and since homeschoolers tend to like large families, the population-control socialists will no doubt try to abolish homeschooling.

In communist Russia, which was known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the state owned the means of production and just about everything else. Farmers could not own their own land. They were forced to work on collective farms, totally subservient to the dictates of the government. In fact, the government was called the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The official religion was atheism. That perverse regime lasted 75 years and finally collapsed because it was so completely at odds with human nature. (Read more)

Stop eating processed and fried foods and you'll restore the body's natural defenses

 (NaturalNews) There's a drugless and side effect-free way to reduce inflammation in the body, restore the body's natural defense system, lose weight, possibly increase lifespan and improve or prevent diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. What's more, you can get the benefits from this natural health strategy no matter what your age or whether you already have a serious disease. So who's behind these "wild" health declarations? It's not a supplement maker or natural health group. Instead, the claims come from mainstream science -- researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, to be exact.

Their findings, published in the October/November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism conclude there's a simple, inexpensive dietary intervention that could control weight even without changing caloric intake and help make people healthier in a host of ways. The key? Stop eating processed and fried foods.

According to the Mount Sinai study, these foods, which are abundant in Western diets, are loaded with harmful toxins called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). AGEs are produced when foods are heated, pasteurized, dried, smoked, fried or grilled. Then, once consumed and inside the body, AGEs adhere to tissues and oxidize them, causing inflammation which can result in numerous diseases. In fact, a long list of animal studies conducted by Helen Vlassara, MD, Professor and Director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and her team have previously shown the dangers of AGEs. The oxidative stress from high oxidant levels and inflammation associated with long-term exposure to AGEs increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other chronic ills.

The new clinical study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging (NIA), built on this earlier animal research but this time looked at what people ate and how it affected their bodies. The researchers studied 325 healthy adults and 66 with chronic kidney disease. A subset of 40 healthy participants and another nine with kidney disease were randomly assigned to follow a regular Western diet full of AGEs or to follow a diet with only one-half the amount of AGEs typically found in the American style of eating. Research subjects in the "AGE-less diet" group were advised to avoid grilling, frying or baking their food. Instead, they were told to eat food that was poached, stewed or steamed. There was no change in calories or nutrient intake during the time of the study. (Read more)

Happy Thanksgiving

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: 

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, 

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, 

and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: 

the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: 

and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: 

let us kneel before the LORD our maker." 

Women's Work Wednesday - How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust

(YouTube)

Titus 2 Tuesday - Being Part of the Remnant

"While we may feel like the only ones making the choices we are making, it is probably much the same as it was with Elijah. "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Do ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal" (Romans 11:2-4).

Elijah was convinced he was the only one who was remaining faithful to God, but there were seven thousand others who were just like him. He simply didn't know them. He wasn't able to have fellowship with them or be encouraged by them. Isn't it interesting that the Lord didn't tell Elijah to go find some of the seven thousand? Instead, He wanted Elijah to remain faithful to the call He had put on his life.

We may grow weary in our walk when there aren't others who are like-minded to encourage us. However, Scripture has direction for us in this as well. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

As we remain in the Word, growing in our walk with the Lord Jesus, we gain direction for our daily lives and strength to follow through with commitment. We can choose to let our minds be filled with thoughts of self-pity because of a lack of like-minded fellowship, letting this consume us and our time. Or we can serve the Lord Jesus, learning how He is a Friend like no other. May we be women who will steadfastly stay obedient to what Jesus has taught us even when we are different from others around us." Teri Maxwell

Money Monday - Quote

"To be poor may be a misfortune, but it is not a fault. What does it matter if some may sneer at your thread-bare carpets and frugal fare? The discipline of poverty and the self-denial it involves will often strengthen a character which the luxury of riches would enervate."  Mary Harrison, The Skilful Cook, 1884

Potpourri Saturday - Health Statistics

I was doing research for something and came upon the American Health Statistics. It compares national findings against those of different countries. Three of the findings I found shocking were teenage pregnancy, abortions, obesity. We are a country out of control! To view the overall stats, go here. 

Food Friday - Creamy Corn and Turkey Soup

 

Prep Time:10 min   Total Time: 25 min   Makes:  6 servings, 1 cup each

Calories: 270    Total Fat: 14g

 

What You Need! 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup  chopped red pepper, divided

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

4 oz.  (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn

2 cups  chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

2 cups  shredded leftover cooked turkey

Directions

COOK onion and half of the red pepper in butter in large saucepan on medium heat until tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low.
ADD cream cheese; cook until melted, stirring constantly. Add corn, broth, milk and turkey; mix well.
COOK until soup is heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with remaining chopped red pepper.

 

Tips

 

Substitute

Prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese.

 

Special Extra

For more robust flavor, roast and peel the red peppers before chopping; add to the soup along with the turkey. Or, use drained, jarred roasted red peppers instead.

 

Make Ahead

Prepare soup as directed; cool. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 48 hours. Reheat before serving.

 

~Recipe from Kraft Foods

Thrifty Thursday - Cutting the Cost of Thanksgiving

1. Clip those coupons. Check the sales fliers before you do your grocery shopping to locate your meal items. Many stores are placing many of their holiday meal items on sale, just to get you in their door. Most stores place their sales flier on line.
2. Look for the deals. They should be at their height over the coming weekend.
3. If you didn't get a head start on picking up your dinner for your Thanksgiving meal, start early next year. This way, you won't have a huge grocery bill all at once.
4. Clear space for your dinner items that will be pre-made, and for leftovers after the dinner. Getting a head start will enable you to eat those cleared away items, and prevent you from throwing them away last minute.Your turkey will need to be removed and placed in your refrigerator compartment this weekend.
5. Start planning your cooking schedule now, and be certain you have all your ingredients. This will prevent last minute stops at the Quick Stop for costly ingredients.
6. Don’t choose recipes with expensive, out-of-season, or rare ingredients that will require you to stop at a dozen stores.
7. Stick to the basics. Making several side dishes to please each family member, gets ridiculous and expensive.
8. Make foods from scratch. Avoiding convenience foods, such as packaged pie shells, canned soup broths, biscuit mixes, and canisters of stuffing, will save you a surprising amount of money.  
9. Keep your decorations simple.

With a little planning, you can have a frugal Thanksgiving that you’ll remember fondly for many years to come. Remember, being frugal is a good character trait. It's when you're a cheapskate that you have a problem.

Women's Work Wednesday - Perfect Pie Crusts

Add a special touch to your holiday pie. Martha will show you how. (See more)