I finally ordered my grain mill. Finally.
I've only had my hard white wheat berries since January. Don't even start to count the months!
I researched and procrastinated...
...and researched some more...
...and procrastinated even more.
*Sigh*
I tend to do that (the research and procrastinate part...oh, who am I kidding? I do the sighing thing, too.) when I'm not sure what to do about something. I recognize it as a flaw. That's the first step to recovery, right, admitting you have a problem?
I got the WonderMill grain mill. Love it! It cost the same at every reputable dealer I checked, and because we have Amazon Prime (which I got for free! I need to do a post on that one!), shipping was free.
Wahoo!
Side note -- If I'm going to order something online, Amazon's one of my go-to places because we have free shipping, and their return policy is great! (No, they have no idea I'm writing about them right now.)
So I got the grain mill on a Saturday determined to open the box and start grinding that wheat.
Monday...Tuesday...Wednesday.....nothing happened. Are you sensing a pattern here?
Thursday...Friday...Saturday...Seriously? Oh for heaven's sake! Just grind the darn wheat!...
Sunday...Monday...Like the title says -- "Big Fat Chicken!" I certainly qualified.
What in the world did I think was going to happen?
Was I afraid it would explode?
burn down the house?
spray flour everywhere? (not a completely unfounded concern)
I was unsure, so I procrastinated.
I really don't like that about myself.
So, the Monday 9 days (yes, 9 days!) after I got my grain mill, I finally ground my first batch of wheat to make my bread (hence "The Little Red Hen").
And nothing bad happened. No wheat spewed; there was no fire or explosion; it actually was over relatively quickly. It didn't even make the baby cry. Huh.
Then I made my first loaves of whole wheat bread. with wheat I had ground.
What an accomplishment!
And...since I had some over ripe bananas, and once I get my booty in gear I tend to be an over achiever I made two loaves of walnut banana bread and two loaves of craisin applesauce bread.
It rocked. This week, I actually made whole wheat bread...twice.
Oh my. This could get dangerous.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Why Do I Do This?
The tagline on this blog is about moving into a healthier, more frugal lifestyle.
That's all well and good, but why?
What is the point?
We live in a society of "eat, drink & be merry"
with no thought to the consequences.
As a family, we refuse to live with that mentality.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
How does being frugal and healthier play into that?
All we have and are comes from God, Yahweh, Maker of heaven and earth.
We are merely stewards.
For a long time, I lived my life out of obligation -- doing what was right because it was the right thing to do. To be accepted. That was a hard place to live.
It gives rise to pride and to resentment.
Neither is very pretty nor very comfortable.
Then one day, something clicked.
What a beautiful click that was!
I finally felt in the core of my being that Jesus truly and actually loved me.
Me.
I had heard it all my life.
Known it in my head.
Had a conversion experience where I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Somewhere in there, though, I never really got that He loved me.
Desperately.
Passionately.
Loved.
Me.
And that changed everything.
I do what I do because I love Him.
For real.
Not because I feel I have to in order to be accepted.
I love Him because He first loved me.
So...living frugally and getting healthy is a way that I can show Him
that I value what He's given me.
I want to do the best I can for Him because I love Him,
and I want to make Him smile.
And I know that I do, because He loves me, too. :-)
That's all well and good, but why?
What is the point?
We live in a society of "eat, drink & be merry"
with no thought to the consequences.
As a family, we refuse to live with that mentality.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
How does being frugal and healthier play into that?
All we have and are comes from God, Yahweh, Maker of heaven and earth.
We are merely stewards.
For a long time, I lived my life out of obligation -- doing what was right because it was the right thing to do. To be accepted. That was a hard place to live.
It gives rise to pride and to resentment.
Neither is very pretty nor very comfortable.
Then one day, something clicked.
What a beautiful click that was!
I finally felt in the core of my being that Jesus truly and actually loved me.
Me.
I had heard it all my life.
Known it in my head.
Had a conversion experience where I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Somewhere in there, though, I never really got that He loved me.
Desperately.
Passionately.
Loved.
Me.
And that changed everything.
I do what I do because I love Him.
For real.
Not because I feel I have to in order to be accepted.
I love Him because He first loved me.
So...living frugally and getting healthy is a way that I can show Him
that I value what He's given me.
I want to do the best I can for Him because I love Him,
and I want to make Him smile.
And I know that I do, because He loves me, too. :-)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Being a "Grunt" is Not So Bad
One of the descriptors of this blog refers to leading a healthier life.
What's healthier than working hard in the great outdoors?
A week ago, a storm came through town and took out a huge sycamore tree. Sadly, it was the only shade on the east side of the house, and it took out the fence on the south side of the house. Also, one-third of a tree tore off on the west side of the house and took out the west fence. Obviously, it was not a night of straightline winds.
Thank the Lord for sweet friends! The lovely C family (Dad, Mom & 4 munchkins) came over and helped make short work of the sycamore mess. There's still a bare tree trunk down on the fence (and propped up by two logs; safety issues will surely be another post!), but at least all the branches have been disposed of, and we can actually use the driveway again.
The fence going down on the west was not so bad because Daddy (Yes, I am from the South and will probably call my Daddy "Daddy" til the day I die.) was planning on moving the fence further west anyway. I think it just moved that job higher in priority on his list. The last couple of days he's been taking down the fence, marking off the new area for the fence, and figuring out what he needs to make this happen. One other thing that has to be moved is the wood pile.
Aah...the wood pile. Growing up, we heated pretty exclusively with wood. There was a small gas heater in the bathroom to keep the pipes from freezing, but other than that, we had no heat upstairs. Downstairs, we had our wood stove, and to make that lovely heat that you could back up to, we had to have wood. Lots of wood. Being poor as we were (I didn't know we were poor til I went to college.), buying wood wasn't an option. Thankfully, my Grandpa had timber on some of his land, so there was wood for thetaking chopping and hauling.
I had two sisters, so it wasn't a matter of sending out the guys to get the wood. This was a family affair! I couldn't even begin to count the ricks of wood I've chucked and stacked. We worked hard. My Mama had this wonderful knack of making work a game as well as appealing to our competitive nature. If we could get the truck full in such & such amount of time we could do...and the carrot was placed before us. We worked hard, but it was good work, and we are strong and confident women in no small part due to the work we did as a family.
All of that brings me back to tonight. Since Daddy's moving the fence, the wood pile needed to be moved. I took on the job, and it felt so good. There is something so very therapeutic about physical labor. A job this simple -- take these logs & put them there -- is uncomplicated and yet very satisfying to accomplish.
The sweat ran down my face, off the tip of my nose, and stung my eyes. My arms are scratched up from carrying armfuls of wood. And yet, I had a peaceful time being a "pile-it" this evening.
It's not so bad being a "Grunt" from time to time, and that's the honest truth.
What's healthier than working hard in the great outdoors?
A week ago, a storm came through town and took out a huge sycamore tree. Sadly, it was the only shade on the east side of the house, and it took out the fence on the south side of the house. Also, one-third of a tree tore off on the west side of the house and took out the west fence. Obviously, it was not a night of straightline winds.
Thank the Lord for sweet friends! The lovely C family (Dad, Mom & 4 munchkins) came over and helped make short work of the sycamore mess. There's still a bare tree trunk down on the fence (and propped up by two logs; safety issues will surely be another post!), but at least all the branches have been disposed of, and we can actually use the driveway again.
The fence going down on the west was not so bad because Daddy (Yes, I am from the South and will probably call my Daddy "Daddy" til the day I die.) was planning on moving the fence further west anyway. I think it just moved that job higher in priority on his list. The last couple of days he's been taking down the fence, marking off the new area for the fence, and figuring out what he needs to make this happen. One other thing that has to be moved is the wood pile.
Aah...the wood pile. Growing up, we heated pretty exclusively with wood. There was a small gas heater in the bathroom to keep the pipes from freezing, but other than that, we had no heat upstairs. Downstairs, we had our wood stove, and to make that lovely heat that you could back up to, we had to have wood. Lots of wood. Being poor as we were (I didn't know we were poor til I went to college.), buying wood wasn't an option. Thankfully, my Grandpa had timber on some of his land, so there was wood for the
I had two sisters, so it wasn't a matter of sending out the guys to get the wood. This was a family affair! I couldn't even begin to count the ricks of wood I've chucked and stacked. We worked hard. My Mama had this wonderful knack of making work a game as well as appealing to our competitive nature. If we could get the truck full in such & such amount of time we could do...and the carrot was placed before us. We worked hard, but it was good work, and we are strong and confident women in no small part due to the work we did as a family.
All of that brings me back to tonight. Since Daddy's moving the fence, the wood pile needed to be moved. I took on the job, and it felt so good. There is something so very therapeutic about physical labor. A job this simple -- take these logs & put them there -- is uncomplicated and yet very satisfying to accomplish.
The sweat ran down my face, off the tip of my nose, and stung my eyes. My arms are scratched up from carrying armfuls of wood. And yet, I had a peaceful time being a "pile-it" this evening.
It's not so bad being a "Grunt" from time to time, and that's the honest truth.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Kid-Friendly Sticky Oatmeal -- For You, Gina! :-)
My dear, sweet friend, Gina, asked me for my sticky oatmeal recipe. I like my oatmeal nearly sliceable. It's thick and on the sticky side, which is great when you have toddlers learning to use a spoon on their own! Too, it's easy to make & you know exactly what goes into it. The only sweetener? Unsweetened, all natural applesauce. Good stuff!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. quick cooking oats (I use rolled oats when I make it for myself.)
pinch of salt
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste
1/3 c.-ish applesauce
optional -- raisins, craisins, nuts
a few Tbsps of milk
1 tsp - 1Tbsp peanut butter
When I started off with my kids, they ate about 1/4 cup of the oats.
Now? They're easily eating 2/3 of a cup. How time flies and tummies grow!
So...the amounts are going to stay in proportion...and it's a "til it looks right" kind of recipe.
Directions:
In a small kid-friendly dish stir oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves. (For kid friendly dishes, I love the ones from IKEA. They're inexpensive, dishwasher safe, and the perfect size for little ones!) Add the applesauce and combine well. If you want to add any optional ingredients, now would be the time. :-) Microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minutes. Then just cover the surface with milk (to help cool it down) and stir in the peanut butter.
May you enjoy, & may it help your little ones with their spoon skills! :-)
Ingredients:
1/2 c. quick cooking oats (I use rolled oats when I make it for myself.)
pinch of salt
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste
1/3 c.-ish applesauce
optional -- raisins, craisins, nuts
a few Tbsps of milk
1 tsp - 1Tbsp peanut butter
When I started off with my kids, they ate about 1/4 cup of the oats.
Now? They're easily eating 2/3 of a cup. How time flies and tummies grow!
So...the amounts are going to stay in proportion...and it's a "til it looks right" kind of recipe.
Directions:
In a small kid-friendly dish stir oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves. (For kid friendly dishes, I love the ones from IKEA. They're inexpensive, dishwasher safe, and the perfect size for little ones!) Add the applesauce and combine well. If you want to add any optional ingredients, now would be the time. :-) Microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minutes. Then just cover the surface with milk (to help cool it down) and stir in the peanut butter.
May you enjoy, & may it help your little ones with their spoon skills! :-)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Granola Recipe
I like granola. I've never loved granola before because I've never had a recipe that really just made me go, "oh yeah!" My Dad's a good granola eater and has gotten his from the Little Debbie outlet in a nearby town. It's ok. We ran out and didn't want to trek the 15 minutes (I know, so very far!) to get some more, so I decided that I would make granola.
I was afraid it was going to be a longer task that it turned out to be.
I didn't have a recipe, but I remembered that I had seen The Frugal Girl had granola listed as one of her breakfast items and so I thought I would check out her recipe. She uses Cate's recipe. Unfortunately, I can't find the post with the link. Stink.
Cate adapted her recipe from another blogger, Kathryn. If I could find the post, I would be linking you up all over the place. Sorry 'boutcha.
Cate was going for a "healthier granola base." Me? I'm going for a healthy granola base that's like I like it. You know me. I can't leave well enough alone. :-)
I like my granola to have clusters...Cate called them "clumps." I'm somewhat offended by that.
*Indignant Face*
*Big Huff!*
(That's so me, right?...Ha!)
Anyway, if you don't like clusters in your granola, you'll need to cut back on the oil and honey.
Without further ado, the granola recipe that I'm lovin'!
Ingredients
3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
3 cups Quick Oats
1 2/3 cups walnuts chopped
1 1/3 cups almond slices
1 1/3 cups coconut flakes
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup oil (canola, corn, etc. I'd avoid olive oil, though. Please. Avoid olive oil.)
1 cup honey
3 T to 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions
Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a LARGE bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, seeds & coconut.
In a small pot, over low heat, warm together the oil, honey, dark brown sugar, and extracts. Stir together til it's well combined.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure the dry ingredients are well coated.
Spread the mixture out evenly on two large cookie sheets/sheet cake pans. (I cover my cookie sheets with aluminum foil because I'd rather not have to deal with the clean up of those when I'm finished.)
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake for 5 more minutes. If it's golden brown, pull it out of the oven and stir it. (If it's lighter than you like it, stir it and let it bake 2 more minutes.)
Once it's out of the oven, stir it every few minutes or so til it cools, or you will end up with one very large granola bar. (Having three that are 3 and under, I end up with a large granola bar that has to be peeled off of the foil quite often. Ha! If you do end up with that, it does break up easily, so no worries.) Try not to eat too many of the clusters off of the pan as you're stirring it up. Not to worry, though, no one will know. Trust me. Not that I would know from experience, or anything.
Once it's cooled, store in a plastic cereal container and enjoy in the hand, or with milk, yogurt, kefir, your favorite dairy product, etc.
Do understand, this is a very forgiving recipe. If you don't like almonds, use more walnuts or pecans or more sunflower seeds. Add some dried fruit to the mix. Be confident, and make it like you like it. I have confidence in you! :-) I'd love to hear how you change it up. Let me know!
I was afraid it was going to be a longer task that it turned out to be.
I didn't have a recipe, but I remembered that I had seen The Frugal Girl had granola listed as one of her breakfast items and so I thought I would check out her recipe. She uses Cate's recipe. Unfortunately, I can't find the post with the link. Stink.
Cate adapted her recipe from another blogger, Kathryn. If I could find the post, I would be linking you up all over the place. Sorry 'boutcha.
Cate was going for a "healthier granola base." Me? I'm going for a healthy granola base that's like I like it. You know me. I can't leave well enough alone. :-)
I like my granola to have clusters...Cate called them "clumps." I'm somewhat offended by that.
*Indignant Face*
*Big Huff!*
(That's so me, right?...Ha!)
Anyway, if you don't like clusters in your granola, you'll need to cut back on the oil and honey.
Without further ado, the granola recipe that I'm lovin'!
Ingredients
3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
3 cups Quick Oats
1 2/3 cups walnuts chopped
1 1/3 cups almond slices
1 1/3 cups coconut flakes
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup oil (canola, corn, etc. I'd avoid olive oil, though. Please. Avoid olive oil.)
1 cup honey
3 T to 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions
Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a LARGE bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, seeds & coconut.
In a small pot, over low heat, warm together the oil, honey, dark brown sugar, and extracts. Stir together til it's well combined.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure the dry ingredients are well coated.
Spread the mixture out evenly on two large cookie sheets/sheet cake pans. (I cover my cookie sheets with aluminum foil because I'd rather not have to deal with the clean up of those when I'm finished.)
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake for 5 more minutes. If it's golden brown, pull it out of the oven and stir it. (If it's lighter than you like it, stir it and let it bake 2 more minutes.)
Once it's out of the oven, stir it every few minutes or so til it cools, or you will end up with one very large granola bar. (Having three that are 3 and under, I end up with a large granola bar that has to be peeled off of the foil quite often. Ha! If you do end up with that, it does break up easily, so no worries.) Try not to eat too many of the clusters off of the pan as you're stirring it up. Not to worry, though, no one will know. Trust me. Not that I would know from experience, or anything.
Once it's cooled, store in a plastic cereal container and enjoy in the hand, or with milk, yogurt, kefir, your favorite dairy product, etc.
Do understand, this is a very forgiving recipe. If you don't like almonds, use more walnuts or pecans or more sunflower seeds. Add some dried fruit to the mix. Be confident, and make it like you like it. I have confidence in you! :-) I'd love to hear how you change it up. Let me know!
Granola Mama? For Real!
I never figured myself for a "Granola Girl." Not the eatin' kind, the lifestyle kind! (See my Granola Recipe post & you'll know, I'm all about the eatin' of the granola...and now, the making of it! Hold on, I'm getting ahead of myself!)
Not that I've ever been a girly-girl. Heaven forbid. (Don't get your panties in a twist -- I have nothing against girly-girls...in fact, I think I've got one on my hands! AB loves pink and anything sparkly...*sigh*)
Before I had kids I bought pre-packaged food and didn't think twice about it.
Before I had kids, I never really thought about what was in my cleaners. If it did the job well and quickly, wahoo! Who cares if I had to open the window so that I could breathe? I mean, really! (Now I'm trying to keep things non-toxic, but effective. Thank you, Melaleuca! If you're interested, I'll be happy to share with you about it. I love the stuff!)
Before I had kids, I was too timid to try making my own yeast bread. (Not that I do it a whole lot now, but I've ventured into it. I'll get there!).
Before I had kids, the thought of grinding my own grain was ludicrous, and now I have hard white wheat berries just waiting for me to grind them and make them into yummy baked goodies. (I'm just about to order a WonderMill; can't wait to tell y'all all about it!)
Before I had kids, I was convinced there was no way that I'd do natural childbirth, and it wasn't until after my first that I even considered trying. (I've done it twice now, and HIGHLY recommend it over doing it with pain medication. If you're interested, I'll gladly share my stories personally!)
Before I had kids, there was NO way that I was doing cloth diapers. I've actually spent several hours this past week doing research on it. (Not to say we're headed that way, but it's moved from the "No way in hell!" category to the "Maybe we could do this" category.)
Before I had kids, yogurt was only made at home when we lived in the mountains of Papua New Guinea because we couldn't get it at the store. (Now I make it at least once a week! Good grief!)
Before I had kids, making granola was something fun to do when you were bored. Now, I do it so that I know exactly what's in it...and it's a lot easier than I remember from my childhood and super-duper yummy!
Even after I had kids, there was no way I was going to make or use kefir. Nasty! or so I thought. (Not sure what kefir is? For now, you'll have to Google it til I can get a post done.) I actually have some kefir milk grains in the fridge right now to start my first batch in the morning. Who would have thunk it? Not me.
So here I am, pretty much a "Granola Mama," and I'm ok with that. Really. :-)
Not that I've ever been a girly-girl. Heaven forbid. (Don't get your panties in a twist -- I have nothing against girly-girls...in fact, I think I've got one on my hands! AB loves pink and anything sparkly...*sigh*)
Before I had kids, I never really thought about what was in my cleaners. If it did the job well and quickly, wahoo! Who cares if I had to open the window so that I could breathe? I mean, really! (Now I'm trying to keep things non-toxic, but effective. Thank you, Melaleuca! If you're interested, I'll be happy to share with you about it. I love the stuff!)
Before I had kids, I was too timid to try making my own yeast bread. (Not that I do it a whole lot now, but I've ventured into it. I'll get there!).
Before I had kids, the thought of grinding my own grain was ludicrous, and now I have hard white wheat berries just waiting for me to grind them and make them into yummy baked goodies. (I'm just about to order a WonderMill; can't wait to tell y'all all about it!)
Before I had kids, I was convinced there was no way that I'd do natural childbirth, and it wasn't until after my first that I even considered trying. (I've done it twice now, and HIGHLY recommend it over doing it with pain medication. If you're interested, I'll gladly share my stories personally!)
Before I had kids, there was NO way that I was doing cloth diapers. I've actually spent several hours this past week doing research on it. (Not to say we're headed that way, but it's moved from the "No way in hell!" category to the "Maybe we could do this" category.)
Before I had kids, yogurt was only made at home when we lived in the mountains of Papua New Guinea because we couldn't get it at the store. (Now I make it at least once a week! Good grief!)
Before I had kids, making granola was something fun to do when you were bored. Now, I do it so that I know exactly what's in it...and it's a lot easier than I remember from my childhood and super-duper yummy!
Even after I had kids, there was no way I was going to make or use kefir. Nasty! or so I thought. (Not sure what kefir is? For now, you'll have to Google it til I can get a post done.) I actually have some kefir milk grains in the fridge right now to start my first batch in the morning. Who would have thunk it? Not me.
So here I am, pretty much a "Granola Mama," and I'm ok with that. Really. :-)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
It's Been A While...
Hi, Howdy & Hello!
I know -- it's been a while, but I do have a couple of good excuses. Really! I had my sweet baby C the beginning of April. :-) Trying to figure out how to do life with three that are 3 and under has been a challenge. On top of that, we moved two states east. Well, to be more accurate, the kids and I moved two states east two weeks ago. My husband had to stay behind to finish up his job and finish packing up the house. Hmmm...the pervasive question the past two weeks has been, "Who has the more difficult job? Me, with the three munchkins, single-parenting it in Arkansas or him packing up the house?" The verdict? It's a toss up.
I've been trying to figure out how we've been frugal in this move. I think the biggest thing is that we've downsized somewhat. I mean, really, who wants to move all of that junk? So we had a garage sale, and the leftovers we were able to donate to the autism awareness group in town that was gathering things for their own garage sale. It felt good to let those things go...and I'm hoping to release even more as we unpack!
Since I've been out of pocket, I've continued to make yogurt and the Artisan Bread in 5...I haven't done much else (in the way of new cooking ideas). I did, however make a super yummy dessert the other night for company. It was a trifle -- layers of chocolate pudding, triple chocolate brownies, whipped cream and toffee pieces. If you're a fan of Sandra Lee's semi-homemade, this fits right into that mindset. And W loved it!
He asked me, "Mommy, what IS this???"
I told him it was trifle. He replied, with great drama as he is known to do, "Try the floor is my favorite!" Three is so very much fun!
I will try to blog a little more regularly about a wider variety of things -- if for no other reason than I love to learn and try new things. Have a blessed day!
I know -- it's been a while, but I do have a couple of good excuses. Really! I had my sweet baby C the beginning of April. :-) Trying to figure out how to do life with three that are 3 and under has been a challenge. On top of that, we moved two states east. Well, to be more accurate, the kids and I moved two states east two weeks ago. My husband had to stay behind to finish up his job and finish packing up the house. Hmmm...the pervasive question the past two weeks has been, "Who has the more difficult job? Me, with the three munchkins, single-parenting it in Arkansas or him packing up the house?" The verdict? It's a toss up.
I've been trying to figure out how we've been frugal in this move. I think the biggest thing is that we've downsized somewhat. I mean, really, who wants to move all of that junk? So we had a garage sale, and the leftovers we were able to donate to the autism awareness group in town that was gathering things for their own garage sale. It felt good to let those things go...and I'm hoping to release even more as we unpack!
Since I've been out of pocket, I've continued to make yogurt and the Artisan Bread in 5...I haven't done much else (in the way of new cooking ideas). I did, however make a super yummy dessert the other night for company. It was a trifle -- layers of chocolate pudding, triple chocolate brownies, whipped cream and toffee pieces. If you're a fan of Sandra Lee's semi-homemade, this fits right into that mindset. And W loved it!
He asked me, "Mommy, what IS this???"
I told him it was trifle. He replied, with great drama as he is known to do, "Try the floor is my favorite!" Three is so very much fun!
I will try to blog a little more regularly about a wider variety of things -- if for no other reason than I love to learn and try new things. Have a blessed day!
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