Yesterday was my youngest son, Isaac’s, birthday!!He turned 12 years old.The years have really flown by and I am amazed that my baby is 12. He is my easy going, polite, considerate and generous son.He loves his air soft guns, bow and arrows, and building tree forts (he currently has a big tree fort in the making in the favorite tree!).. he also will open car doors or store doors, offer to help where he can.. just an all around gentleman.His latest interest is in ballroom dancing.Leanne has been taking lessons now for several months and has been teaching Isaac a few basic dances and he really enjoys it.He goes to the ballroom with her on occasion and when I stop in with Leanne all the instructors and even some of the students come to tell me what a little gentleman he is and how well he dances!They really seem to enjoy it when he comes and gets out on that dance floor.. LOL..
We celebrated his birthday with quite a houseful.He had three of his friends here, plus a few other friends and family..had to pull out a second table to serve dinner.. but it was lots of fun!
Here are a couple pictures of my boy and his special day..
My husband takes two sandwiches to work every day.Typically I was using lunch meat.He liked lunch meat and it was easy and convenient for me.But it was not great for the budget or a healthy choice either.Lunch meat is processed and full of non healthy ingredients and loaded with sodium.
So here is what I have been doing to cut the cost of purchasing lunch meat and improving health while I am at it!
When I started I took a whole chicken and cooked it in the crockpot.When it was done I deboned the meat and chopped it up into small pieces.I divided the meat into 3 containers.One I used the week I made it and the other two went in the freezer.To make a sandwich I took the chopped chicken meat and added a little salt, pepper and mayonnaise to it.I used this chicken spread for the week.My hubby loved it and I loved the savings.
Sandwich meat can run anywhere from $3.00 to $6.00 per pound (and up, but that is the range I have paid).I buy about a pound or so a week.My chicken cost me about $5.00 and I had enough meat from it for 3 weeks.
The second type of sandwich meat I made was beef.I will have a harder time giving you an accurate cost calculation on this because we buy our beef from a local farmer and buy a whole cow each year.But I can tell you what I did.I put a small beef roast into the crockpot (I will guess maybe 4lbs) and let this cook for a good long time… until the meat was falling apart.I then removed bone and fat and chopped this up and was able to divide it into 4 containers (I figure about 2 cups of meat is what I need per week).I used it the same way I used the chicken. I added salt, pepper and mayonnaise to the chopped meat and used this to make sandwiches.I also added a little Dijon mustard as well and that gave it a really nice flavor.
The cost of this meat would be determined by how much you paid for the roast.You can use an inexpensive cut of roast like a rump roast or a chuck roast to do this.
Putting the meat into the freezer also means that I have the added bonus of this being very convenient (one of the reasons I liked lunch meat).After cooking just one chicken and the roast I ended up with enough lunch meat for 7 weeks of lunches.
My camera is full of pictures, but I never seem to have the ambition to hunt down the cord to find it.
Life is busy here at home. Paige had a birthday. She's now 5yo! For her birthday, she wanted fish. So, we bought a 10 gallon aquarium set up and bought 5 little guppies for her birthday. She was thrilled! Two days ago, we noticed that the tail fin of one of the fish was a bit cruddy looking. It didn't look like ick, but a different kind of fungus... though, I have yet to figure out what that was. I had some ick/fungus treatment, so treated the tank. We noticed another fish has some small white dots (ick) on her tail fin. The two seem to be fairing well, still alive, but still with problems. The one's tail is about falling off... but the one with ick looks much better. Neither appear sluggish. However, the male guppy died while we were at church and he wasn't showing any sickness at all... very odd! We have a 15 day guarantee from the pet store, we simply need to bring in the fish and a water sample... which is fine... we'd like to know what the problem is, if there is a problem. We've tried guppies before, they are supposed to be some of the easiest to keep up, but we never have good luck with them. We've had a 50 gallon tank years ago and had fish and raised fish and ran that for years... with a variety of fish, even delicate and aggressive fish mixed together (the trick is the size of the fish when introduced!)... we rarely had problems with fish getting sick. But guppies ??? I think it must have something to do with the make up of our well water that may be the cause of the problems... Hopefully we'll get it figured out, soon!
Lambing has been going on at our house. It is a strange year for me. We learned that sheep can carry something that can cause "me" to abort my own baby. My husband has asked that I don't help with the sheep until I've delivered the baby. So, I sit and listen to the days events. The sheep duties fall completely to the girls... no longer am I able to go out and swing lambs or untangle them from mom... it's all up to the girls when Dad is at work. I feel bad, but I see growth in the younger two. Kate has been handling the sheep confidently for years... but the other two never attempted to learn to swing a lamb or "go in" and untangle lambs. Chelsea helped with a breech birth the other day and was so thrilled everything went okay. Megan has taken charge of making frequent rounds during lambing and has been there to save two lambs with sacs over their noses. They are doing well, even without my physical help.
I am trying to accomplish some things around the house... while I've got energy and the ability to do them. The bathroom is officially finished! Dh wishes there was a chair in it, to set his clothes on as it is his dressing room in the morning... so that he won't wake me up. However, we really shrunk the size of the room, and there really isn't room for a chair or bench or any seat, really. We actually still need to put up a full length mirror, but we're waiting for it to go on sale before purchasing.
Megan painted her room a deep burgundy color. It turned out very nice. She worked on it for days. She had a little trouble with the ceiling/wall border... hitting either side with the wrong color. After two days of touch ups... she finally got it to where she liked it. Over time, we will likely replace curtains and bedding so it matches; we're simply going to make do for now.
We've had some bookshelf shuffling going on. Megan didn't want the wall bookshelf on her bedroom wall anymore, as it limited arrangments for the beds. We took it down and put it into another room. I then loaded it with "school books", removing those from a shelf in our bedroom. When DH has a bit of indoor time again, we will move that shelf into Megan's room. In the process, I decided to paint the room the wall shelf got placed into. I got two walls completed, with help from Kate, where I couldn't reach the point of the ceiling, even with the ladder. I then started on the wall of cupboard doors and got way-layed at that point. The first cupboard, I emptied out and put Paige's play toys in there. Her stove/sink and doll cradle are in there... it's like her own little "house"... and great thing for me is the toys are out of the way! She can play with the doors wide open and we can shut them and the tea parties and other messes stay inside the cupboards. When we moved that, it meant moving the "puzzles" into the shelving in the room where her toys were previously stored. We've had company, so I haven't finished the project of painting, but hopefully this next month it will get done in time for me to start working out in the garden.
Oh, I also set up the crib and the baby dresser (haven't filled them, just got them out of the closet and made room for it in our room). We have a LARGE bedroom so it fits nicely in there. I just realized that the closet is near empty and I can move all the comforters and spare blankets into the (crib) closet that I took out of Paige's play cupboard! Yay!
Well, it is about time to make some milk for the bottle lambs. I can at least do that in the house, even if I don't go out to help with them.
Cooking With Food Storage cookbook, compiled by Preparedness Brings Peace Blog, free online! Talk about a great resource to get you started on using your food storage for daily purposes :o)
Storing food and other items is essential these days. Even if you live in a tunnel and don't think there is to be any issues within the world at large, or that the economy will continue to lower itself into levels our generation is not familiar with dealing with...there are still storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and more that plague our food delivery systems as well as the food sources. No one is untouched by the effects of the world around them. Being prepared is just daily life anymore.
But, some people simply don't understand the concept of food storage and preparedness. Some merely think it's purpose is to weather a storm. True enough, it could be just that for your family. They stock some canned goods, maybe some bottled water and a few candles and they pat themselves on the back with a job well-done.
Still others will go a bit farther and stock up some packaged MRE's from a survival shop. They have gallons of water stored away, seeds (non-hybrid and heirloom, of course) and other things. Again, patting themselves on the back for being aware and prepared.
These are all good things, don't get me wrong, but remember those folks who went into prep mode before Y2K? Remember all the great bargains to be found the following year when they sold all those items? Or some who probably, even now, have the odd can of tuna or stray box of hamburger helper still sitting in a back closet somewhere...
They've prepared boxes and cases of food, buckets of grains and beans, containers of water and what-not and then simply put them into a closet or garage and never think of them again, waiting for a bump in life to bring them back to mind. Something happens and they go for some beans and powdered milk, or some wheat to grind and find mold, bugs, sour powdered milk They didn't gather information about proper storage and it's all been for naught. All that planning, all that money...it's useless.
Or time comes that the pantry is needed (storm affects, financial issues, etc.), and you pull a bag of dry beans and a box of powdered milk out and...stare blankly at it sitting on your counter top because you have no clue how to cook any of it, or have any ideas for recipes to make.
You have to USE food storage. Food is alive -- or at least it should be :o) You are going to have supplies that simply sit and wait for use, sure, but your food storage needs to be used on a regular basis. Having 15 boxes of powdered milk tucked into the pantry is a good thing...until 2 years from now when it's starting to turn and sour on you and it's now barely a treat for the chickens and hogs.
Use it, rotate new to the back and old to the front, gather recipes....all these things are what make up a smart food storage and pantry system. Especially the gathering of recipes. All that powdered milk is great, but honestly, how much are you really going to drink in a reasonably amount of time? Gather recipes to baking and other cooking using that powdered milk. Gather recipes for those beans. Start making notes in your favorite recipes about subbing in some of those powdered eggs.
So...back to where I started. Preparedness Brings Peace has the Food Storage Cookbook online. It's a great start for putting those pantry items to use.
We have some family things going on and I probably won't be posting until next week, unless something is already archived for posting (LOL...can't remember if I've set anything up!) Enjoy! Maybe I'll come back next week with the Big Menu we set up :o)
This is a neat site, basic, good information on all sorts of things, from starting to prepare on a tight budget, to storing food and water. I haven't looked through the rest of the pages at the site yet, though.
Cooking With Food Storage cookbook, compiled by Preparedness Brings Peace Blog, free online! Talk about a great resource to get you started on using your food storage for daily purposes :o)
Storing food and other items is essential these days. Even if you live in a tunnel and don't think there is to be any issues within the world at large, or that the economy will continue to lower itself into levels our generation is not familiar with dealing with...there are still storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and more that plague our food delivery systems as well as the food sources. No one is untouched by the effects of the world around them. Being prepared is just daily life anymore.
But, some people simply don't understand the concept of food storage and preparedness. Some merely think it's purpose is to weather a storm. True enough, it could be just that for your family. They stock some canned goods, maybe some bottled water and a few candles and they pat themselves on the back with a job well-done.
Still others will go a bit farther and stock up some packaged MRE's from a survival shop. They have gallons of water stored away, seeds (non-hybrid and heirloom, of course) and other things. Again, patting themselves on the back for being aware and prepared.
These are all good things, don't get me wrong, but remember those folks who went into prep mode before Y2K? Remember all the great bargains to be found the following year when they sold all those items? Or some who probably, even now, have the odd can of tuna or stray box of hamburger helper still sitting in a back closet somewhere...
They've prepared boxes and cases of food, buckets of grains and beans, containers of water and what-not and then simply put them into a closet or garage and never think of them again, waiting for a bump in life to bring them back to mind. Something happens and they go for some beans and powdered milk, or some wheat to grind and find mold, bugs, sour powdered milk They didn't gather information about proper storage and it's all been for naught. All that planning, all that money...it's useless.
Or time comes that the pantry is needed (storm affects, financial issues, etc.), and you pull a bag of dry beans and a box of powdered milk out and...stare blankly at it sitting on your counter top because you have no clue how to cook any of it, or have any ideas for recipes to make.
You have to USE food storage. Food is alive -- or at least it should be :o) You are going to have supplies that simply sit and wait for use, sure, but your food storage needs to be used on a regular basis. Having 15 boxes of powdered milk tucked into the pantry is a good thing...until 2 years from now when it's starting to turn and sour on you and it's now barely a treat for the chickens and hogs.
Use it, rotate new to the back and old to the front, gather recipes....all these things are what make up a smart food storage and pantry system. Especially the gathering of recipes. All that powdered milk is great, but honestly, how much are you really going to drink in a reasonably amount of time? Gather recipes to baking and other cooking using that powdered milk. Gather recipes for those beans. Start making notes in your favorite recipes about subbing in some of those powdered eggs.
So...back to where I started. Preparedness Brings Peace has the Food Storage Cookbook online. It's a great start for putting those pantry items to use.
It's supposed to rain today. March 1st. Does that count as "in like a lion" in the folklore saying? I hope so. I should check out the Almanac and see what March looks like around these parts.
We have been busy this morning. Johanna made doughnuts for breakfast, that and bowls of oatmeal and a glass of milk and we were off and running. Well, really, there was some running before that. Morning chores dictated a feed store trip first. Someone over-fed dogs and goats here this weekend, and didn't say until yesterday we needed more feed :o( So, the day started earlier than breakfast.
After getting the kitchen tidied and middles/youngers started on some workbook pages, we dig right back in and made another mess. We have the menu ready for the week...that included needing lasagna noodles, and some of another size for a tuna casserole. Lasagna noodles are drying on the end of the table, fettucini size are hanging in the kitchen. We also have a couple pans of brownies and 2 of the applesauce snack cakes in the works. The game plan for the week is simple: (I can share recipes, but they are just plain and basic stuff...)
I don't 'plan' lunches as those are usually leftovers or sandwiches. Breakfasts are standard fare here with limited choices....oatmeal, eggs of some sort (could be fried, scrambled, breakfast burritos, etc), biscuits & gravy, pancakes or granola.
I just walked through the recipes we just did up and went with what was already in the freezer. LOL...I'm full of ideas right now after writing out all those recipes! Donna...thanks! I will definitely check out Staples next trip to Tupelo and see if I can find those recipe holders. I'd love to have them organized into some sanity at least :o)
We are trying to stay ahead of the rain and get another round bale forked into the barn loft, too. That's always fun. The weekend was spent doing some 'spring cleaning' outside in the yard. This is about the only time I will tackle anything like serious raking. There are vines of all sorts around here, some ivy, some poison oak, honeysuckle, some like a hummingbird vine...and somewhere in all of that, there is one that has kicked my behind 2 years in a row now and broken me out in a horrible rash. I'm not a 'doctor' kind of person normally, and I don't really do much OTC stuff either, but after battling that rash on my arms, legs, shoulders and face for a month or better without finding the slightest relief, I went to the Clinic and ended up with 3 rounds of steroid shots and antibiotic creams. It was NOT fun and I won't repeat it this year. I'll work my behind off out there until the tiniest of buds begins to show then forget it -- those vines can take over the world for all I care.
Rachel, the goat, had her abscess again -- not totally uncommon when you lance one. Well, in the middle of other things, she decided to try climbing through the cattle panel and into the goat pasture with her buddies. She rubbed that abscess just right and popped it back open. UGH UGH UGH. Definitely not what I needed to happen. It was still "contained" but UGGGHHHH! We had to drop everything and deal directly with her and the cleaning. The pen was scraped down past several inches of dirt, although there was enough bedding in there the small amount of gunk that dribbled out never made it to soil...her fencing was scrubbed with bleach and rubbed down with alcohol...and the lump was squeezed, prodded, suctioned and any other manner of draining we could come up with. It's packed with a Betadyne-soaked gauze strip and was filled with peroxide and Betadyne before that. She is duly annoyed at her humans now, and will be segregated longer thanks to her impatience.
I am beginning to check over the other ladies out there and it appears we have no more babies this season, unless someone pulls a trick rabbit from their hat :o( Guess it's for the best only having 1 in milk with all these troubles with abscesses, but still, it's a little sad.
Well, Dewey has a PT appointment in a bit, time to get back to moving forward. My cell phone decided to pop its roller ball this morning, so I'm essentially phone-less. Not a bad thing, but I miss the ease of mails and notes. I put it away and will get it off to be repaired soon.
Rice Pads are now back in stock at my country store.
I use to sell them regularly and they were very popular.My daughter Emily was the one who made them.When her life got busy she did not have time for sewing them any more.
Now, my youngest daughter Sierra and her friend Makayla have picked this project up.They have been spending many evenings and weekends sewing up rice pads and are doing a great job!
Dallas has been under the weather the past few days. I think its a mix between sinus and a chest cold. Poor thing can't seem to shake it. He's been doing his schoolwork all along though and it makes me feel glad to get a glimpse of the reliable, determined man he will be.
Bethany woke up this morning also not feeling well. We gave her some Tylenol and a glass of orange juice and she is resting comfortably in her bed with a warm washcloth over her eyes. I also gave her another pillow for under her head so she is propped up a bit. Her throat is hurting a little bit and if it continues she will take a spoonful of honey (her favorite remedy for a sore throat).
Cody and Charlie both seem to be doing fine. Charlie's back is feeling better and I'm praising God for that! He's recently taken on some more tasks at his job and has been working very hard. He's also been making smoothies to help with his calcium intake. I can see a difference, he looks much healthier. :-)
I am spending my morning sitting by the fire while crocheting....
Our Journey Into The Country - A Faith Walk