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All-natural Weed Killer


All-natural weed killer
Except that I saw it with my own eyes, I never would have believed such simple ingredients could kill a plant so quickly. I didn't measure any of the components, so the below amounts are an estimate. I don't think you can ruin this recipe though.

Ingredients: 
1. apple cider vinegar, 2 cups
2. liquid dish soap, several squirts
3. salt, 1/2 tsp

Dump all into the empty squirt bottle of your choice. 

To use:
Just 12 hours after application!
Spray the center of the plant until it's nice and drippy wet. No need to spray the outer leaves.

Caution!
This killer is indiscriminate. It'll obliterate any plant it moistens.








 

Summer Reading Quest for Kids!


Keeping children reading during the summer months can be a challenge, but this summer there’s help. New Christian Books Online Magazine is holding a summer reading quest for readers nine and up called Where’s Zack?

There will be lot of wholesome reading materials, both articles and short stories, posted free at the magazine at http://www.songsfromtheword.com/NewChristianBooks.  The focus will be on finding Zack, the fictitious 13-year-old who disappears in the Florida backwoods in Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery by Cheryl Rogers.

In the ebook, Zack battles nature for 30 hours until being found by a search helicopter and airlifted to safety. Now Zack disappears again, this time during his family’s summer vacation.

During the month of June, visitors will read about the family’s vacation destinations and modes of travel. By June 30, they’ll need to guess were he disappears this time. They will be able to choose from a multiple-choice listing on an online form. Everyone will receive free ebooks.

“Those who correctly guess where he separates from his family will be given the next Bible Camp Mystery slated for release later this year. It is called Alone in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery,” says Rogers, who publishes New Christian Books Online Magazine.

The ebooks will be awarded in early July, leaving participants with more wholesome content for the rest of their summer. No purchase is required to enter the quest. Readers of any age may participate (one entry per person, please).

New Christian Books Online Magazine features new book announcements, book excerpts, Bible-based living columns, digital book news, features and author marketing news, plus an online store and affiliate program.

Learn more about the quest at http://www.songsfromtheword.com/NewChristianBooks/summer-reading-quest.

 

Kids Books with Substance--Japan

Continuing our Eastern Hemisphere theme, the kids and I moved our reading material into Japan. (Click here to see our books on Africa and the Middle East) We've been on the hunt for quality historical fiction that both teaches and entertains. After weeding through a small stack, we've come away with four favorites--two easy reads and two reads for kids over ten.

One is set near Okinawa, the island where I was born. I learned a lot about what's always been a rather mysterious culture to me. For example, I didn't realize they had a feudal system in place until the mid-1800s. It was an isolated country that didn't allow its citizens to leave. If they left, they could be killed upon return.

I also didn't know that leukemia is a delayed effect of exposure to radiation and that many Japanese children died from it in the years following WWII.

These are the reasons the kids and I are reading quality fiction--to learn, to be exposed to different cultures, and to experience other lands and time periods with fresh eyes.

If you're looking for some great summer reads for your kids, why not start with these?


"Born in the Year of Courage" is based on the true story of a young Japanese man who is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. He's rescued by "foreign devils" (Americans) but soon learns they're not devils after all. His bravery eventually leads Japan to open its doors to trade and foreign relations.


"The Master Puppeteer" was written by the author of "The Bridge to Terabithia." The writing is enchanting, albeit somewhat slow. I almost put this one down a couple of times, but I'm so glad I didn't!
Jiro, a young boy, devotes himself to learning puppetry during a time when hunger rules the land. Mobs of angry peasants, a mother who hates him, and a sick father are only a few of Jiro's worries. It's the powerful secret he discovers that's the real threat...

Hiroshima-born Sadako dreams of becoming a runner, but when dizzy spells strike, she's unable to perform. Soon, she's gravely ill and diagnosed with the disease every Hiroshima parent fears for their child--leukemia. A Japanese legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will make her healthy again. Based on a true story. 63 pages. Easy read.


Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain, far above the tempestuous sea.  His friend, Jiya, lives in a fishing village below. When a big waves crashes over the village, all Kino can do is watch in horror as everything he's known is wiped away. Jiya is spared and must overcome his sorrow with the help of his friend. 57 pages. Easy read.




 

2013 Laurel, Coming Soon!


Authors, take note! 

In NINE DAYS, Clash of the Titles opens its doors for submissions to the Laurel.


The Laurel is a contest available to any genre of Christian fiction published in 2012. The novels are judged by their audience—readers well-versed in Christian fiction yet not associated with the CBA industry.


Authors write for readers, so why not have readers be the judges?

With a submission fee of only $10, easy electronic submission, a bevy of prizes, and judges devoted to Christian fiction and author encouragement, the Laurel is a contest like no other.

But act quick! Slots are limited. To avoid overburdening our volunteer judges, we are limited in the number of submissions we can accept.

* All previous COTT champs whose winning novel was published in 2012 have an assured spot (fee waived) in the 2013 Laurel.


Submissions:
June 03, 2013-July 19, 2013 


For more details, please visit our site: http://www.clashofthetitles.com/p/the-laurel.html

Stay tuned for updates by 
 

Letters to the Troops, a Boomerang Blessing

Sometime last month, Morgan wrote a letter and drew a picture for a USAF sergeant stationed in the Middle East. Yesterday, a surprise showed up in our mailbox--a package with an APO address!

That's the most excited I've been about a box in the mail in a loooong time, and it wasn't even addressed to me. We couldn't get it open fast enough.

The sergeant sent a picture of himself with some of the guys he works with and wrote a newsy letter to Morgan, gushing over how special her letter had been to them all. He showed it to over thirty people deployed with him and everyone love it. It made an entire work center smile. Bonus blessing!

They pooled their pennies and sent her a little granite camel, which she appropriately named "Humphrey." It came carefully wrapped in a recent issue of Stars and Stripes, the sight of which always brings tears to my eyes. I'm so proud of our troops and everything they do to keep us free!!



We'll always treasure the camel and the joy of bringing cheer to our deployed troops. All it took was one letter. And a crayon drawing of an American flag.


Today's kid is usually so wrapped up in himself, he often doesn't notice the needs of those around him. When we began noticing a pattern of selfish behavior in our own two, Hubby and I set out to find ways for them to look beyond their own little worlds, to reach out to those in the community, lend a hand when possible, give a hug or word of encouragement.

We've reinforced our new lifestyle by trying to be living examples for our kids, and try as often as possible to make our projects a family affair. Done that way, work becomes family bonding time and EVERYONE receives a blessing.

One of our recent outreaches was to deployed airmen. We have an advantage in that Hubby can bring home names of deployed co-workers. I've looked on-line for websites that assist in writing letters to our military members stationed in remote locations, but I haven't found one that's simple to use.

If you know of a user-friendly website that facilitates correspondence with our troops, please share!

Thank you, Sergeant Jones!! For serving us by serving our country, and for reinforcing to our kids how important it is to reach out in kindness to others.


 

Tuesday Tips! Reattaching Upholstery Buttons

Upholstery buttons have something against me. They refuse to stay fastened to my couch cushions and throw pillows--although I suspect my Little People have more to do with it than any resentment the buttons might have toward me.

But at last I've discovered a thread to outlast even the worst abuse. Dental floss! I'm so overcome with joy at the prospect of buttons being a permanent fixture, I had to share, because surely, I'm not the only housewife vexed by rogue buttons.

Take THAT buttons!


 

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