Posted in On the Homestead

I pray that this day is finding all of you warm and well. It is some what chilly today as it as been for the past 2 days. They keep saying that *the* warm up is on the way but there just hasn't been much sun shining around here this week. Maybe it will warm up tomorrow. (praying so!)

This week has been pretty much the same as far as school and life goes. We will be taking our yearly tests next week and then it will be time for our *Spring Break* Yippee!!!!!! We are all looking forward to taking a step away from the books and enjoying the warmer weather, that I pray will be on its way by then.

The kids had a really good day away from school work yesterday. They went to Raleigh on a Livestock 4-H field trip. They went to NC state and toured all of the animal units. They saw the pigs, goats and beef cattle units. They were able to see first hand all of the activities that go on in *big* agricultural farming techniques. (I'm not too fond of all the BIG farming ways that they teach.) It's a shame that they don't promote small family farming and local farming techniques. Anyway, it was a good day of learning for the kids.

When the kids got home I asked DS (10) what he did. He looked me straight in the face with no embarassment and told me that he got to *fix* a male goat. That was not the term he used however. He used the proper term of castrating the baby male goat. I have never laughed so hard. It was NOT what I was expecting to hear from him. He was very matter of fact about the whole thing and explained the tool used and how it was done. You'd think that he had been *fixing* goats all of his 10 years of life. (What comes out of the mouths of babes?)

DD (16) could only talk of the awful smell of the pig units. She was said the place was bloody and smelly due to the sows giving birth. She said she didn't understand how people could go there every day and have to smell that stuff all of the time.  She did get to pick up a cute baby piggy. Well, it was cute until it pooed all over her jacket. I'm surprised that she didn't throw that pig down when it did that. Oh well, pigs will be pigs! 

I honest believe that all people NEED to see where there food comes from. They need to also realize that the people who feed the world (farmers) deserve more pay than anyone else. These are the people who do the smelly, yucky and sometimes gross work that goes unnoticed. I don't care for *big* commercial farms and their ways but they do feed the world and for that we should say thank you to those hard working farmers.

Well, I need to get off here and get some work done. Have a blessed day in THE LORD and like my friend says:

No Farms No Food!

Posted in My Faith

Good Tuesday Afternoon Family & Friends! Can you tell what time of the year it is? Around here, its the bursting forth of Spring! Oh, how I have longed for the spring time of the year to come again. Thank you LORD!

(Song of Solomon-Chapter 2: 11 &12 ) For,lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth: the time of  the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Doesn't GOD'S word just say it all? Winter is past and the birds are really starting to sing around here. I am so glad that everything is in GOD's hands and in HIS timing. GOD be praised now and forever! AMEN!

Have a wonderful day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/cowell122.html-

How to use herbs in the kitchen for medicinal purposes and growing them.

Posted in On the Homestead

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/nunan122.html-

Another article with a lot of ideas on saving money while planting your garden.

Posted in Our Animals

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/lewis122.html-

A great article with a lot of good information. Patrice Lewis knows *cows*.

Blessings,

Posted in Recipe Collection

Someone asked me to post my french toast recipe. It is very simple and yummy!

1 loaf Bread-Sandwich style or Home made
1 dozen eggs
oil to fry the toast in~

Scramble the eggs really good. Dip bread into the eggs. Fry in a frying pan with a fair amount of oil until both sides are brown and done (1 minute or less for both sides.)

Drain on paper towels or dish clothes (my way.)

Use your favorite topping, from syrup to powdered sugar with cinnamon or even your favorite jams and jellies. (YUMMY!)

Cool and pack into large freezer bags until future consumption. Microwave from the freezer or pop into the toaster to heat up when your ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Posted in On the Homestead

Hello Friends & Family! I am an avid fan of the Duggar Family. I am just so blessed to see a family out their living their convictions to the glory of GOD. Now, I haven't been able to see their reality show on tv.because we ditched the satellite about 1 1/2 years ago. So when I found out today that they have seasons 1-3 on DVD's that can be ordered on Amazon.com, I was one happy Mama.

They released the DVD's a few days ago. You can also watch the other seasons if you pay for them per episode on your computer @ Amazon.com. I opted to get the first 2 seasons on DVD's. (Happy Dance!)

Oh, well! Time to go! Just wanted to share the good news to all of you Duggar Fans.

Blessings,

Posted in On the Homestead

Busy, busy , and busy some more! Welcome Friends & Family! That's how the day seems to be going. I have a lot to do and am so blessed to be able to do it. GOD is always so good and I thank HIM for the day that HE has given me.

I was up at 5 this morning with the usual. That means getting Hubby's breakfast cooked and his lunch packed. It also means a little time on the computer checking e-mails and catching up on the over night news (need to stop that depressing reading.) Then after Hubby left I layed back down for another hour and then got things started around the homestead.

I looked at the sky and went, "Oh, no!" more clouds and rain. I usually like the rainy days but with 6 loads of laundry that need to be washed and hung out to dry, well, let's just say that I would be very thankful for some sunshine and wind. Looking outside right now at 12:00, I see just that. (Thank you LORD for the sun that is just starting to shine.) I was running out of every piece of clothing not to mention the lack of dish towels that I use instead of paper towels. I have 3 clean ones left. Not to worry though, I am fixing to get the others out of the washer and hung out to dry. Happy dance!

I also got about 90 pieces of french toast made this morning with the 5 dozen eggs I had. The "girls" are finally starting to lay about 5-6 eggs a day now. When I get 5 dozen, I make french toast for the freezer for an easy and fast breakfast. A good way not to waste the precious food that THE LORD has provided for us.

Another great thing concerning the "girls" happened this morning. Hubby said that he found a few egg customers for us. (What a blessing!) That would pay for the chicken feed or the cow feed for a week. It doesn't seem like a lot but every bit helps. We also added 7 more layers to our flock this week. So that should increase our egg production by mid July or the first of August. I LOVE this time of year!

Well, I need to go and get those clothes hung out and lunch started. Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

Posted in On the Homestead

Posted in On the Homestead

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Morning Family & Friends! It is such a beautiful morning here in the Piney Woods. The sun is just starting to make its way over the horizon, what a beautiful site it is to see indeed!

Well, I woke up to the lovely sounds of farm life. The cow (AnnaBelle) started bawling as soon as the sun started showing its beauty. The roosters have been going at it for 2 hours now. Not too sure what is making them crow so much this morning. Then there are the neighbors roosters and hens having at it. The most unusual sound of the morning was the sound of gun shots coming from both ends of the neighborhood. Hubby said that it sounded like duck hunters. It sounded like a war to me. You know, as in the Patriot, when they stand one opposite side and just shoot at one another. Yep, I feel sorry for those ducks this morning.

The "neighborhood" we live in is divided into plots of land ranging from 5 to 20 acre plots. There having actually been a few divided into 1 acre "lots." The majority have 5 or more though. We have 5 acres and we are so blessed to have that. It has allowed us to be able to have the privacy we want while adding animals as we have gone along.

Now we have been on our "homestead" for 18 years now. It hasn't been until the last 3 years that we decided it was time to make "use" all all this blessed land we have been given. So we are slowly adding different things from fruit trees and berry bushes to livestock. Had you told me 5 years ago that I would have my AnnaBelle and the desire to be more self-reliant I would have said, "HUH?" Wow! What a difference time makes in one's life

Dd (19) and I are also wanting to learn to make soap this year as well as the different kinds of cheese that AnnaBelle's milk will provide. (We have the butter making down.) Thankfully, I have a good friend who has so much experience with these things, that she said she is willing to take on this "greenhorn." What a blesing it is to have people come into your lives, by the will of GOD to help others.

One of the other experiences I had this past week as a "greenhorn" was that of butchering chickens. I went to my friends house last Saturday and we had a "butchering party/fellowship." I helped them pluck the chickens after they were dipped in the water. I got to see the whole process from the slitting of the chickens throats to the actual gutting of the birds. I really wasn't sure that I could handle all of the blood and the smell. But when we actually got started it wasn't so bad. It also helped that the temps. outside never got over 34*. That helped keep the smell down. (I now know why they do their butchering in the dead of winter.)

We took a break at noon (after starting at 9:30) to have some lunch. The other ladies bought soups and desserts. I bought tea and cornbread. It was the best fellowship meal that I have had in so long. It reminded me of the days when there were hog butcherings and the whole community got together to help one another and have great fellowship too. It was just so nice to be around other people who think the way you do. What a blessing indeed!

Well, the rest of the day will be spent in the kitchen. I have butter to make. I also have a lot of baking to do. I have some buttermilk that is going to go bad so I decided to make several dozen batches of buttermilk biscuits to go in the freezer. I also have almost 5 dozen eggs in the fridge that will be turned into french toast for breakfasts. I have been trading milk for eggs. Our birds are only laying 2 maybe 3 eggs a day. So every time I give milk away, I am getting eggs. Now, that's what I call a good trade :- )

Time to get off here and get the day started. Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Morning Family & Friends! It's starting out to be a beautiful prelude to spring with the warmer temps. we have been experiencing. Instead of the mid 40's, we have actually made it into the 60's (which is actually our norm for this time of year.) So with 60's abounding and the spring birds singing more and more, it just makes me one happy homesteader.

There is a lot to report on the homestead. The first is the 5 inches of snow we recieved a week ago. That was the most snow we have seen here in over 10 years (maybe more.) It started falling on a Friday night and kept going until the early morning hours. I kept my curtains opened in the bedroom with the outside light on just so I could see the beautiful snow falling. Let's just say that it made for a LONG but a beautiful night.

We had so much fun outside playing in the snow the following morning. We even made a 7 ft. snowman that the kids called Frosty Farmer. He had his pitch fork and his cowboy hat to complete the "look." (I'll have to post pictures soon) It was a lovely day and we were all so thankful for the snow that THE LORD sent us.

We have also been getting ready for spring planting. We sowed 2 flats of broccoli a little over a week ago. They are coming up really well. They have definately done much better than last years seeds. We also added some lettuce seed to the flat which is something we have not done before and they too are coming up very well too.

The garden area will be tilled up this weekend and the potatoes put into the ground. I wanted to expand the garden but will need to wait until we can get it plowed under and have it worked on. That will be a blessing. All good things take time.

This is the first year that we have not added any fruit bushes or trees. We have 8 or 9 blueberry bushes and 2 blackberry bushes. We still have the two strawberry tiers. Only one looks really good this year though. Anything that I can get off of them is a blessing. So I will be thankful for whatever THE LORD provides us with.

 We lost a chicken a week or so ago. I am pretty sure it was the hawk that got it. It was so sad. It was one of our Americaunas that we got last year. The poor thing was not even a year old yet and already turning out to be a great layer. So all in all we lost about 4 chickens this winter. One to a hawk ( I think) and the others to plastic. Yep, the crazy birds ate the plastic covering on the door to the coup and it killed them when they couldn't digest it. So needless to say, no more plastic to keep the cold winds out in the chicken coup.

School is moving along quite well. We are pretty much on schedule and I am thankful for that. I will be ordering their yearly CAT tests this week. We will probably test the 3rd week in April. I am also looking forward to this years Homeschool Conference. I missed last years conference and so need the refreshment that the conference brings each year. It is like a revival for the Homeschooloing Mom's heart (mine any way.)

Oh, I almost forgot! We are finally starting to make our own mozzerella cheese! We started that last week and boy, is it ever good! It only takes abosut 45 minutes (start to clean up) to make it. It takes a gallon of milk to make about a pound.( I should have started this sooner.)

So now we are able to produce the following here on the homestead:

milk
butter
cream
buttermilk
ice cream
ricotta cheese
mozzerella cheese
fresh eggs                      (What a blessing all of this is!)

Well, I need to go and get started with the days work. Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Morning Family & Friends! It's another beautiful day on the homestead. It is raining and cold but a beautiful day nonetheless. This is the day THE LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. I am feeling so much better today. The week started off, well, kind of low but GOD is faithful and true to HIS word.

Earlier this week Hubby had to take his yearly physical for work. He was really dreading it. He thought for sure that his cholesteral (sp?) and blood pressure numbers were going to be up because of AnnaBelle, or should I say AnnaBelle's milk. He has been drinking at least a 1/2 gallon of raw milk since the middle of May (- the drying up time.) Anyway he was sure that all of that milk was going to raise his numbers through the roof. You know what? His numbers actually dropped 30 points!

The nurse asked him what had changed since last year. He told her that he has started drinking raw milk from his cow. He also explained that since we got the cow that his physical labor had improved due to having to be outside more. It even improved with him chugging all of that milk and eating fresh eggs every day. She just looked at him and said, "interesting." Hmm? Could it be that our  great-grandparents knew something we didn't?

Let's face it. Back then, those people worked and worked hard. Just as GOD said to Adam," you will work by the sweat of your brow." Yep, interesting indeed!

Anyway, back to homestead happenings. Yesterday DD (19) and I went to town for some grocery shopping. I have been able to keep "the big" shopping down to every other week. Since doing the pantry challenge, I have found out that I had about 2 months of meals in the freezer/pantry from stocking up. What a blessing. I went through it again last night and have a menu for the rest of Feburary minus the non-foods and veggies/fruits. This is really saving us money in the grocery budget.

We also went to the fabric store yesterday. Dd (19) took her time looking through the pattern books as I looked at everything else. I am not a crafty person and sewing is just not what I do. DD (19) though is very good at sewing. We priced some denium material. She is wanting to make herself a blue jean skirt. They had a lot of modest patterns that she could use and considering the prices that you pay for modest blue jean skirts (if you can actually find them that is) making her own would be a better deal. Dd (19) says that the fabric stores are like candy stores to her. I am glad that she enjoys the arts of yester year. They will come in handy down the line.

Oh, I found a show on Net Flix that sounds *interesting.* It was on PBS some years ago and is called Pioneer. It looks to be kind of a reality show about people who are willing to give up their lives and try and live like the original homesteaders did. They have to do everything themselves as if they were homesteaders from the 1800's. I'll let you know how it turns out. I might even learn something myself.

Well, time to go and get the bread made. I haven't made any in so long and the thought of the yummy aroma it makes while cooking, is just what this house needs on the beautiful day THE LORD has made.

Bless all who pass this way!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Morning Family & Friends! The sun is shining and the day has dawned beautiful. GOD is so good and ever to be praised for HIS infinite creation. Ain't GOD good?

Well, I for one am so glad that the sun is out in all of its glory. It brings heat into the windows and dries my clothes outside. (I LOVE the fresh smell of clothes hung outside.) With the calling of more wet weather in the coming week, I am so thankful for the rays that it is sending today.

I got the 2 lbs. of butter made yesterday. I really think that I need to invest in an electric churner. Right now I use the electric mixer. It gets kind of hot after the 3rd quart of cream. It would also be easier to churn a gallon of cream at a time instead of a pint at a time, which is all the mixer will hold without making a really bad mess.

I seem to be enduring a slight *burnout* when it comes to school lately. We are very much on schedule which is a blessing. I guess we have gotten into such a *rut* so to speak that I need to liven things up around here. (A unit study is starting to sound really good about now.) Any ideas?

I am reading King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable to DS (10). He seems to be enjoying it. Swords and knights are just his thing. Actually, anything that can be pointed at some one and then shot is a good thing to him. Wow! Boys are so much different than girls. But then, isn't that the way GOD meant it to be? A very good thing in my opinion.

We will be getting some new material for DD(19) in the next few weeks. She made me an apron for Christmas and I need some more. I have a bad habit of using my shirt to wipe my hands on while cooking. So from that you can see why I need the aprons. They have some patterns on Sense and Sensibility that I would like her to make. They are the long apons that cover most of your clothing. Old fashioned (which I like) but very useful in the kitchen.

DD (16) is busy working on her piano pieces for competition later on this month. She has 4 that she is doing. She has done only 2 in the past. All said and done, she is doing very well with her music. Now if she would only get more used to playing for people.

Well, I need to go and get some work finished. Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Morning Family & Friends! Long time, no blog. Guess I just haven't been in the writing mood lately. Just call it the *winter time blahs*. Just doesn't seem that I have much to share. Well, that was until today. I'll try and make this an informative entry.

My days activities include the usual with school and just keeping things running around the home. Cleaning, cooking, baking, educating, butter making, and referee (my least favorite.) Alas, how blessed I am though to be able to be home and take care of my family. I am so blessed!

Not much more going on today. A plain and simple day in serving THE LORD through serving those who come into my path. Today it is that of my family (and anyone else THE LORD sends my way.)

Chores to Complete:

Butter Making (at least 2 lbs.)
School (of course)
Piano lessons for DD (16)
I will also try and finish the book I have been reading

Did I say this would be an informative post? Oopps!

Happy Homesteading!

Posted in Recipe Collection

2 c. plain flour
1 c. butter, softened
  1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. finely chopped pecans

   1/4 tsp. salt
  confectioners sugar

Posted in My Faith

(Psalm 31:23- 24)

 O love THE LORD, all ye saints:for THE LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
Be of good courage, and HE shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in THE LORD.

May THE LORD keep you and bless you this beautiful Tuesday morning!

Posted in On the Homestead

Well, I decided that it was time to do the Pantry Challenge. With Hubby's hours being cut short, now was THE time to do it. We have been eating out of the pantry and freezer for a week now. I even have a months worth of menus written out with what I have in the pantry.

I couldn't believe that I actually had a months worth of food in there. What a blessing indeed! I knew that the extra stocking that I was doing would eventually come handy and boy has it ever :- )

I usually spend about $75-$90 a week for groceries. I only spent $30 this past week. The *extra* money I would have spent on groceries went towards bills. My goal is to do the same thing for the next 3 weeks, that is to spend only $30 and use what I have in the pantry/freezer for our menus. LORD willing, it will all work out so the money that I would have spent on groceries will go towards bills that HAVE to be paid.

Anyway, I am going to try to post this weeks menu to the *T* :- ) Posting it, prayerfully, will keep me on track.

In coming up with menu ideas, I made up a months worth of meals starting with breakfast-dinner with daily desserts too. I had the most problems coming up with the desserts. So I went to my Mennonite cookbook and came up with over 10 different desserts using the ingredients that I already have. We might actually come out good on this challenge by trying new foods ;- )

Well, thats all for now. It's time to get back to the kitchen for the lunch clean up.

Following Chores For The Rest of The Day-

Finish school
Skim cream from yesterdays milk
Make butter
Make dinner
Water AnnaBelle
Let the chickens out
Collect the eggs (if I come out with 2 I'll be happy :- )
Go To Church for Wednesday's Service

Not nessesarily in that order ;- )

Have a blessed day in THE LORD!