Happy New Year!!

-




I love the New Year. A fresh start, time to think, God's story of your life ready to unfold day by day. 

Last year was a good year. After a few discouraging years in a row it was a much needed blessing for us. The birth of 3 grandson's was the highlight! 
 
I'm excited for the year to begin. I have my word for the year picked out (you can find info on this HERE if you are not familiar with this). 

My word last year was “intent”. It was a perfect word for me. My desire was to be intent on all that I pursued. To be focused on the areas of my life that were important to me.

This year my word is “purpose”. I desire to live my life with purpose, to live it purposefully. 

This year I have goals and desires, plans and direction. I need to live my days with purpose in order to see accomplishments.

I hope to share more about these topics throughout the month of January.

Also, as I start my 11th (or is it 12th :) year of blogging I want to say a huge thank you to all who follow my blog, visit here, leave comments. I am truly grateful for you and the friendships of so many. I'm always amazed by the number of ladies that tell my that you've been following me from the start. God bless you all!

My goal to share and encourage other women is a blessing that has more then given back to me over the years. Every time I hear anyone tell me they've been encouraged by my blog and writing and sharing, I am encouraged as well.

I look forward to stepping into 2017 with you all!

 


Comments

  1. AngelaDecember 31, 2016 at 12:20 PM

    As a follower for MANY years I have so enjoyed as we did stages together: children at home and homeschooling and now grandchildren! Wishing you and your family another Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:30 PM

      That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you for walking along life's seasons with me! Crystal

      Delete
  2. AnonymousDecember 31, 2016 at 9:15 PM

    Happy New Year Crystal! Thank You for being an inspiration to many, like me, that faithfully read your words of wisdom.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MonaJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:24 AM

    Hello, Crystal. And Happy New Year to you from my family also. I too have read your blog for many years, but I rarely have commented. I have however enjoyed your posts and gleaned many wise things from you. One being to ask for an Instant Pot for Christmas!! BEST GIFT EVER! I have used it 3 times so far and loved everything from it. Today I am making your "roast" chicken for our Sunday dinner. Thanks again for all you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:32 PM

      Yay!! For the Instant Pot! Aren't they wonderful? The IP has seriously changed my life.. LOL. :) Hope your "roast" chicken was a success. Crystal :)

      Delete
    2. MonaJanuary 3, 2017 at 8:09 AM

      Oh Crystal! Yes I made it last night and it was divine! I made it just as the recipe stated and it came out moist and delicious. My family loved it. I am going to use the rest of the chicken in some tamales. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. CrystalJanuary 3, 2017 at 7:17 PM

      So glad you liked it!! One of our favorites!! Don't forget to save all the bones and make bone broth with them.. :) ..

      Delete
  4. KathyJanuary 1, 2017 at 1:31 PM

    Happy New Year, Crystal! I am one of your newer readers but enjoy your blog. Hope to have many more years reading your posts. My word for this year is "peace". This old world sure needs that. But even if I can't give it to the world, I can have peace in my world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:36 PM

      Thank you Kathy, I've enjoyed your comments and getting to know you. I LOVE your word for the year. Makes me think of the Bible verse.. (Romans 12:18) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Wonderful choice.

      Delete

Post a Comment

All messages are moderated. After approval your message will be posted. Thank you for your comments!! Crystal :)

Popular posts from this blog

Canning Chicken Noodle-less Soup

-
Image
Today was one of those busy days that it seemed I was moving from the time my feet hit the floor until this evening.. But, I got so much done and that is a great feeling! :) One of my accomplishments today was canning 14 jars of chicken noodle-less soup. I call it “noodle-less” because you can’t can noodles. They end up falling apart. So I canned the chicken, veggies and broth. When I go to use the soup I will bring it to a boil and then add a handful of noodles (any type of pasta will work) and cook it until the noodles are done. Because I plan to add the pasta after the fact I wanted to make sure there was enough chicken broth to do this. So I only filled my jars about half to two thirds with chicken and veggies and then filled with chicken broth. Here is how I did this…. I started off with 2 chickens that were a total weight of about 10lbs. I put them in my 14 quart stock pot… I then added 2 gallons of water.. And 3 tablespoons salt.. I brought this ...
Read more

Canning Cabbage

-
Image
I had 4 large heads of cabbage that weighted about 25 pounds. We had some really hot days and I figured I better get the last of them picked soon. My daughter Sierra and I ended up processing 3 of them yesterday and I have one left for a meal on my menu this week. I made pickled cabbage and then canned up the last of the cabbage. Here is the recipe for the pickled cabbage (according to how I made it)… 8 pounds cabbage 1 large onion 1 ½ red peppers 1 lb carrots ¾ cup salt 9 cups water 12 cups white vinegar 10 cups sugar 1t mustard seed 1t celery seed Slice cabbage thinly. Slice onion and peppers. Grate carrots. Mix all veggies together in a very large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix in well. Let sit for 2 hours to soften veggies. Rinse veggies well.  In a large stock pot (mine was 14 quarts) combine water, vinegar, sugar, spices. Bring to a boil. Add cabbage/veggies. Bring to a boil. Fill hot pint jars with veggies using a slotted spoon. Fill jar with brine...
Read more

Canning Beef Stew

-
Image
In my last blog post I shared that I had bought 10 pounds of beef roast. I cut it all up and used 4 pounds in 2 crockpot freezer meals ( http://homesteadinghomemaker.blogspot.com/2012/02/two-more-crockpot-meals-for-freezer.html ) . I used the other 6 pounds of meat along with potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to can beef stew. Here were the general proportions I used in canning 7 quarts of beef stew.. 6# beef 2# potatoes 2# carrots 1# onions 1# celery After I cut up the meat and got the freezer meals done I moved to the beef stew. I peeled and cut up the potatoes and carrots. I chopped up the onions and sliced the celery. I pulled out 3 quarts of veggie stock from my freezer to use for liquid in the stew. You can use beef or chicken stock or you can use water. I did not add anything to thicken the liquid as usually thickeners don’t hold up in canning. You can thicken the broth after it is opened if you would like. I added 1 teaspoon salt to each of my ...
Read more