Until my grandma introduced me to polishing wood, I didn’t even know it was something people did. I couldn’t believe the difference it made when she started polishing some of my wood in my old house just for fun. She was so generous in helping me with numerous projects and taught me a lot about cleaning. I never felt like my house was clean enough when she would stop by, but she would always humbly say, “My house was far from perfect when I had kids.” I’m not sure I believe it, but it was very kind of her to say.

I used to do a lot of dusting and polishing at our old place, but since we have moved, and our house is better sealed, I don’t have to do near as much. As I shared here, I threw out my toxic dusting spray and polish, and quit using my “natural” dusting spray a few years ago. Then I started experimenting with homemade recipes. I have tried a lot of different combinations, but this is my favorite recipe for polishing wood. I do this a few times a year and then use a homemade dusting spray in between that. Lord willing, I will share this before our Get the Toxins Out . . . is up. This polish is so simple to make with just 3 ingredients, and I never feel bad after I use it. The ingredients include juice from one lime (or lemon), olive oil, and vinegar. Sometimes I will add a few drops of essential oil to the mix too. I recently learned that you can add orange, lemon, or lime peels to vinegar and let it sit for two weeks to take away the “vinegar” smell. I use distilled vinegar a lot, and I look forward to trying this in the future and will share my results.

The Covid Pandemic revealed how vulnerable the food system was and still is. Praise be to God, Nebraska passed a bill that allows more freedom to small meat producers and farmers, but actions by our federal government may put this new freedom at risk. You see when big businesses start losing money to smaller businesses, they like to pass laws that make it more difficult for others to compete.

There is a lot of debate about whether pork should be consumed or not. Some people claim that pork is unclean and should be completely avoided, some believe it’s fine, others believe that as long as it is properly raised it’s great, and finally there are those that believe that as long as it is properly raised and prepared it is healthy. I have looked into the research, and I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know if pork is “healthy.” I have spent a lot of time in prayer over this issue, and I feel complete peace about raising and eating pork (I haven’t always). I only eat our pork that is raised on pasture, and we don’t eat pork every day. This week I’m going to encourage you to research this subject yourself, pray for wisdom, and consider that not all pork is created equal. If you haven’t tried pastured pork, I really believe that you will notice a difference in the flavor, juiciness, and lack of bad smells.

If you choose to eat pork, there are so many reasons to buy beyond organic, pastured pork from a local source, including but not limited to environmental reasons, health reasons, flavor, promoting local economies, and animal welfare. I highly encourage people to source pork locally, because you can visit the farm and encourage your neighbors. With all the fraud, you will know what country your pork is being raised and processed in. China controls the hog market with 60 percent of the production and they supply the US. I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust China. That’s a subject for another day.

There are many options for sweeteners on the market today, and for some reason, many of us assume that if something is on the market, then it’s been proven to be safe. I used to believe the same thing, but I don’t anymore. The truth is, we live in a fallen world, and sometimes profits are put ahead of public health.

Aspartame is one of those products that has gained in popularity over the years as a replacement for sugar, but many people believe it’s worse than sugar. I have a few friends that recovered from some pretty significant health problems by ditching their diet soda, and I have been trying to spread this message ever since. According to the Weston Price Foundation “ASPARTAME, the artificial sweetener in NutraSweet® and Equal®, is toxic to the nervous system. When digested, it breaks down into methanol and formaldehyde, both poisons. Aspartame can cause headaches, seizures, brain cancer, nervous disorders and damaged vision. Even though aspartame is touted for weight loss, in animal studies aspartame caused weight gain.”

For a short time in high school, I drank diet soda, but after hearing how detrimental it had been to some people’s health, I quit. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any ideas for a replacement for diet soda. I am very content drinking my water, herbal tea, and in the last two weeks, raw milk. Maybe you could share a healthy alternative that uses natural sweeteners. We love to hear from you!

If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, and we are now getting our sweeteners right. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.

Continue reading “Collecting Cedar Logs For More Projects on the Farm” →

I shared eight things I wish people would have told me when I was in high school in a recent presentation. I will be sharing number seven today.

• The greatest reason that businesses fail is lack of capital. Start small with no debt.

I’m going to be completely honest; our family didn’t start raising animals or making skin care products with a business plan in mind. These businesses just sort of happened because people saw what we were doing and asked us to sell them products that we had gifted to them, witnessed how were raising our animals, or tasted and smelled the difference of our food products. I’m a terrible business person and accountant, and I have learned how hard it is to make a profit in a business. I’m also learning that I’m not alone. About half of all businesses fail by the fifth year.