Living the Simple Life

Asking for a few prayers, its been along week

Good Evening, it’s been another long week here and I for one am glad to see the week draw to a close and the holiday to be upon us. We have spent the last few days getting the hay baled, it is done but we only had the two of us my husband and I to do it all. Usually our son in law helps us but his father passed away on Monday night very suddenly and most unexpectedly. He was on 57 years old had a heart attack as he was sitting down to dinner. My daughter and son in law have been busy helping his mother get through the arrangements and all so my husband and I have been taking care of little Noah and trying to support all of them, while trying to beat the rain and get the hay done. They say god never gives us more than we can handle at one time, I guess that is  true but I hope our family has time to catch our breath collectively after this past week before the next thing comes along.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Good Morning!

 My husband, our daughter and son in law, baby Noah and I all left yesterday morning and took off to the Peoria Zoo, for Noah’s first zoo visit. It is so much fun watching little ones see and experience things them for the first time. We had a wonderful day and packed a picnic lunch to enjoy at the zoo. On the way home they guys treated us to supper out, so we wouldn’t have to come home and cook, it was a lovely day and as my grandma used to say it was a day to make memories.

 So it is Monday morning; and I have plenty to do today, I have laundry soap to make, some raspberry streusel muffins to bake and an hour or so worth of ironing that needs to be done. The critters have all milked and fed and turned out for the day so I guess I better grab a cup of coffee and get busy.

Have a great Monday!

A perfect afternoon for a dip in the pond

Hollyhocks growing out next to my summer kitchen

Good afternoon, it is another hot day here in the Midwest but at least the humidity is not as bad as it has been the past several days, for that we are all very thankful. My husband had the day off today so we made our fist cutting of hay for the year, it was a bit late for a first cutting but it looks good, so we are keeping fingers crossed and praying the rest of the growing season goes well for us. The garden really loves the hot weather and we should have some fresh zucchini and cucumbers this weekend, I can’t wait! The lettuce had to be pulled, because of the very hot weather, it was getting really bitter but that is okay we just planted more green beans in its place and planter the rest of our onions sets we had to fill in the empty spaces, I hate seeing a bare spot in the garden!  

 I am heading down to the pond for a cool dip, so have a wonderful afternoon and don’t forget to count your blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Good Morning from a hot and humid Midwest

The Bee Balm is gowing in my herb garden

It’s still very hot a muggy here, I cannot decide which is worse having all of the storms or having this heat and humidity, I guess it doesn’t make much difference some things are just not in our power to change or control so we just have to go with it and keep on smiling.  

The garden sure is loving all of this hot weather everything out there has brown a foot in the past week, and of course that is a good thing. I got the last of the asparagus cut this morning and it is in the canner as we speak, after that more peas. The strawberries are starting to slow down a bit but we are still getting more than enough to feed both families and the rest we put into the freezers for a treat this winter. There is noting like strawberries in the dead of winter to brighten up a dreary day. The zucchini and cucumbers are absolutely loaded with blooms so before to much longer we will be up to our elbows in both of those and then it will be pickle making time!

Little Noah got into the pool for the first time this summer last evening he really loved the water b8ut, I had no doubts he would as he loves a bath more than any other kid I have ever seen, I told his mom to just hope he continues to feel that way, as kids grow up much faster than you can ever imagine. I can remember taking her for her first swim and it really doesn’t seem like it was nearly 20 years ago this summer, time sure does fly!

I need to go check the canner so I better get busy, please take it easy in the heat today and don’t forget to Count Your Blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Sunny Sunday/ June 21, 2009

At long last I have time to sit down at the computer, it’s been a long week but hopefully things are going to calm down now. Our beloved 4 year old Jack-A-Poo tripped me a week ago last Thursday night and I ended up breaking 3 toes on my left foot with two of the being completely separated form the foot. That was a trip to the ER, an over night stay at the hospital and surgery the next day. Back home once again and trying to hobble around and get all of the gardening done along with the canning and freezing was bad enough and then…… the storms came. We have had some terrible storms this past week here in the Midwest. We are luckier than some I realize as we so have back up power by the way of our solar and generators but one still has to be mindful of energy consumption when their is no grid power. We did not sustain any heavy damages but we had a lot of limbs down and a few dead fall tress came down in the timber which will be added to the wood pile for winter heating. The gardens here a bit flat for a day or so but the sun is helping them to straighten back up so I think they will be okay.  So as of right now we are backup and running and the storm damages heave been cleaned up. Some in the town nearest to us have not had any power for several days and have lost all of their frozen foods; I hope and pray that the bad storms have moved out of the area for awhile, because we could all use a break from them. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have had to deal with heavy damages from this latest batch of storms.

My foot will heal with time and I am getting pretty good at hobbling around, my family is thinking it may be time to put me into a bubble!

Have a wonderful Sunday, a Happy fathers Day to all and don’t forget to

Count Your Blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

A Soggy Good Morning to All

Good Morning from a wet and soggy Midwest; the skies are grey and the rain is pouring right now, it looks as if the rain is setting in for the better part of the day.  It looks to be a good day to get some sewing done and do some baking before the heat comes in behind all of this rain. My sourdough starter is ready and we are down to one leaf of sourdough French bread in the freezers so time to do some baking.

We had a good weekend, my husband surprised me with a mini trip this past weekend, we went to Peoria which is not to far from here to do a bit of shopping and stayed in a nice hotel. We don’t get away very often and he said there was no particular reason for the trip, he just thought I could use a break; he is a keeper for sure!

Yesterday we a day of pea picking (no pun intended) and canning peas I think I can still smell a faint smell of peas in the kitchen. So it is official, canning and preserving season has officially begun here. I sure do love seeing those pantry shelves filling up; last night after supper we went out ahead of the rain and picked a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of strawberries, they will be going into the freezer this afternoon.

 I hope all have a wonderful day, stay dry and safe if you are in the path of those storms brewing out there and don’t forget to count your blessings!

Sunny Saturday afternoon

Good afternoon, we had a few showers roll through this morning but right now it is a sunny day here in the Midwest. The rain did not amount to much so we got out in the gardens and got a lot of weeding and hoeing done. I noticed that in the next few days we will get our first batch of strawberries, there is nothing like fresh strawberries and fresh cream!

Little Noah aided by grandpa saw his first frog today down by the pond and he was very excited, so now Grandpa says we need to go into town and find him some toy frogs; I have to giggle as I think all of the new toys are more for Grandpa that Noah!

The flowers are all blooming and growing well, I just love this time of year when everything is growing and there is so much color everywhere you look here are a couple of pictures from around our place;

Ivy in an old watering can on the steps to the back deck

And some flower by the entrance to the garage

I hope you day has gone well and that you have a great evening. Don’t forget to be grateful for all of your blessings today!

 ~Hugs Shannon~

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Lots of time on my hands

 I had to have something to help me pass the time away while I was in the hospital for so long so here are a few projects that I worked on.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Good Morning, an apology and time to catch up over coffee

Good morning, it has been such a long time since I was here at Homesteadblogger, but now that life has resumed some kind of normalcy (normal for around here) I wanted to drop in and catch up on what every one has been up too.

The spring has been full of ups and downs for us here, after my fall and being in the hospital for a blood clot I retuned home thinking all was well, only to fin out it wasn’t. I had developed another blood clot in the same leg and this time it took over a moth for them to treat it. Let me tell you if you have never been in the hospital for that long; it to darn long! But after a bit of surgery I am right as rain once again.

My daughter Summer is finished with her collage classes for this year and so I now have more free time to work out in the gardens and be outside. Little Noah is growing like a weed and is into everything, it is hard to believe he will be a year old at the end of August; time flies so fast! Summer took over the soap and egg business for me while I was in the hospital and she sis a wonderful job, I don’t know how she kept up with everything the way she did but I am so proud of the woman she has become. Speaking of out little home business we have actually doubled our customer base since this time last year, in this economy I feel that is something to be proud of.

The gardens are all doing wonderfully and canning season has begun here as of this week. The spinach has been producing like crazy and so far we have pout away 47 pints of spinach, I just love seeing those shelves filling up once again!

I hope all has been well with everyone here and I am looking forward to getting caught up on all of the happenings with my friends here. I hop I am forgiven for being gone for such an extended time.

Have a wonderful day and don’t forget to count your blessings today!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

I am back home again!

Yes I know I went missing again, I was back in the hospital and had to have some filters put into my leg to take care of the dern blood clots I got from falling in the barn. Long stay in the hospital but I have been examined from head to toe and the blood clots have all been taken care of and I now have a clean bill of health, thank  goodness. I must remember to be very careful climbing around out tin the barn, my husband says no more ladders, no more loft climbing, but I am sure he will soften up sooner or later. Spring really is here and some of the sees that were planted by my daughter and son in law are beginning to poke their heads through the soil. I can’t wait to get out into the gardens and get the plants set out and get the rest of the planting done. I did get some sewing done while I was laid up in the hospital, it made the time go much faster. Here are a couple of samplers I did for a friend;

I hope all of been well and I am looking forward to doing a lot of reading and catching up !

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

I'm back home and glad of it!

Good afternoon, sorry I have been missing for so long, but I had an accident here at home and ended up in the hospital for over a week. I was up in the hay loft in the barn moving some square bales around and I lost my footing coming down the ladder and fell backwards off of the ladder to the barn floor. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds and I was pretty sore but I just brushed my self off and went about my business. Later on the night the area of my soreness started to get very swollen and warm so I went into the ER to have it checked out, and it is a good thing I did as the fall had caused a blood clot to form in my leg. So mystery solved, that is where I disappeared to but I am home once again and doing much better, I hope everyone here at HomesteadBlogger has been well and that all are enjoying spring. I am off to do some reading and catching up around here.

Have a wonderful evening and don’t forget to count your blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Teething babies, sewing projects and spring is here or is it?

I started this post yesterday, Monday when I got the frantic call from my son in law that Noah was crying and he couldn't figure out what was going on, gotta love new dads. Noah was teething and dad didn't realize or think to give him a cold wash cloth or a teething ring to chew on. I giggle about it, when he is not around but we have all been there, being a new or first time parent and not knowing what to do. Tyler is a very good dad, so if you read this Tyler its okay things will get easier!

Monday;

Good afternoon, I hope this day finds everyone having a wonderful day. This past weekend was a strange one as far as the weather goes, we had warm temperatures on Friday followed by rain, sleet sand snow on Saturday and back to sunshine and warmer temperatures today, don’t ya just love spring! LOL

Noah’s daddy had the day off from school and work today so he stayed home with spend the day with his son, so I am at loose ends today but am rapidly fining ways to put the time to good use. I baked a triple berry pie this morning and I have 6 loaves of whole wheat oatmeal bread in the oven baking now, the laundry is all caught up and I am cleaning mini blinds on the windows in out lower level, thank goodness they are not too many, since it is one of my least favorite chores. 

Tuesday evening, Teething crisis is under control, the widows are washed and of course it rained last night, spring is defiantly in the air, at least I know they were washed! I did get to spend some time at the sewing machine last night and today while Noah was asleep and I got my nieces Easter dresses finished and 2 aprons completed too so slowly but surely I am getting caught up on my sewing projects.

I hope all are having a goof week and if you are having good weather get out and enjoy it, my prayers and thought are with those that have had to endure the severe weather and floods this past week. Have a wonderful evening.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Rainy day chores

We are having a very rainy and cold day here in Illinois today, According to the weather reports we are under a winter storm warning and we should expect anywhere from 4  to 6 inches of snow later on tonight. Someone must have forgotten to tell Mother Nature that it is supposed to be spring LOL!  We had planned to spend the day outside using the power washer and wash down the deck and the patio furniture but I guess we will let the rain get a head start on that job for us. So I spent the day in the kitchen baking hamburger and hot dog buns, oatmeal, cranberry and white chocolate cookies, a pan of brownies and 4 loves of whole wheat oatmeal bread. Rainy days are good for something; I always seem to get a lot of cooking and baking done.

My husband has been down in his workshop sawing and hammering on something secretive in there, I have no idea what he is up to but I was told the workshop was off limits till he gets finished so now I am more curious that ever to see what he is working on in there. I just love surprises!

Have a wonderful evening and don’t forget to count your blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Monday Morning Coffee Break

Good Morning, it is a soggy morning here in IL today but I have the critter chores finished up and a blueberry pie in the oven. Noah will be here in a bit but I thought I would sit down here and have a cup of coffee with all of you before things kick into high gear around here for the day.

Friday and Saturday were perfect spring days, I got a lot of outside spring chores done and we even got the gardens tilled too. It was good to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. The leaves are all raked up and been put into the compost pile, the sticks and twigs are all cleaned up also. Next up is getting out the power washer out this coming weekend and getting the deck washed and getting out the patio furniture out.

Summer returns to classes today so Noah will be back here at grandmas this week, I have missed having my one on one time with him this past week, and so we will try to get back into our routine this week.

Have a wonderful Monday and a great week ahead.

Many Blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Good Morning , I'm home!

Good Morning, It is good to be home! My daughter had spring break from her college classes this week, and I was planning on spending the week doing some yard work around here. But when Summer was over for lunch on Monday we decided to take  a 3 day mini vacation instead or working. So Tuesday morning we loaded up the car and baby Noah, Summer and I left for Indianapolis. Not you usual hot spot for vacation but I had an aunt that I was very close with pass on, and I had not had the chance to go by her grave and pay my respects for over a year so we drove to Indianapolis and took some beautiful springtime flowers to her, I know she loved bright spring colors so it seemed appropriate. We spent the rest of Tuesday doing a bit of shopping and stayed the night before heading out on Wednesday to Arcola, Illinois. We spent the rest of Wednesday and most of yesterday there seeing the sights and we did a bit of shopping too. We finally got in last night about 9:00 and I was very happy to get to sleep in my own bed. I enjoy going with my daughter from time to time and just spending time together, my mother passed on when I was only 23 and we never really had the chance to bond as 2 grown women so the time I get to spend with my own daughter as an adult, seems more precious to me.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

A busy day and moive night!

Good evening, it’s been another busy day here at home; my husband had the day off today so we spent most of the day outside working. We cleaned gutters and washed down to solar panels, burned some leaves and twigs after we raked and cleaned up the yard and finished off the afternoon by doing a brake job on my truck; I think that is a full days work, in my book it is anyway!

The chickens are producing more eggs than ever before so I need to get busy and get some recipes looked up to use up the extra eggs, even after my egg deliveries in town yesterday I still have 5 extra dozen, look like we will be having quiche and custard this coming week. I will probably whip up some French toast and put it in the freezer as well, as it is always nice to have that readily available fro those mornings when there just isn’t time to get a good breakfast on the table before everyone heads out the door.  Does any one have and good recipes for lots of eggs? If so please feel free to share them.

It’s movie night here at home and we have a couple to choose from I am voting for Fireproof it is such a good movie that yes I would watch it over again and I think my husband is wanting to see Australia, so who knows we may end up watching them both!

Have a great evening and don’t forget to count your blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Catching up over warm cookies

It’s been another busy week here at home and I am really, really looking forward to the weekend. We have had over 5 inches of rain since last Friday which sent the rivers, creeks and streams out of their banks in our area. When the creek goes out of its banks the only way for us to get out is through the timber and along a field, not a trip you want to make with out 4 wheel drive that is for sure. The good thing is that the pond and the wells are full so as with anything that Mother Nature throws at us, there is a good side and a bad side to it.

The baby chicks are running all over the place now and are so much fun to watch during the day, but they are a bit of a challenge when it comes to getting them back inside for the night, it seems like we always have 6 or 7 that don’t follow the rest inside. The sows are putting on weight and the cattle are growing too ,it is spring on the farm and everything is growing like it should I am just impatient about getting into the gardens but here in Illinois it is way to early.

It s time for me to go start the supper dishes so I will leave you all with some fresh snickerdoodle and sugar cookies along with fresh milk and a pot of chamomile tea, enjoy your evening and don’t forget to count your blessings.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

New critters and spring is on the way!

It’s been a busy few days here, Bess one of our goats gave birth to twins, a buck and a doe and it was a very difficult birth, for awhile we were not sure if she was going to make it but she and the kids are doing fine now. Of course I was here alone when she was giving birth but, my neighbors came to my rescue and help me out, thank you Ron and Sharon for coming to my aid . Our new additions past few days tally up to  2 new goats and about 4 dozen new chicks running about so it has been very busy here as you can all imagine, such is life an the farm.

Spring is on its way, I can tell as the pollen count is climbing every day. I am not to happy with allergy season being upon us but I am happy and ready for spring, green grass, the trees budding out and planting season! I cant wait to be able to get out there in the dirt and start planting!

 Have a wonderful afternoon and a great evening

Many Blessings!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

Just checking in, and feeling a bit better!

 I just want to drop in and say good afternoon, I am beginning to feel a bit better, as the fever broke last night. It has been a rough few days but hopefully I am on the mend now and will get to feeling better soon. My husband took a few days vacation to be here at home to help me out by taking care of the critter chores and Noah while Summer was in school, I thank god every day for my husband and all he does for all of us!

I can't wait to get out into he green house later on this afternoon, as Summer reported that a lot of out seeds and poking their heads though the dirt, this is the first year we have had the green house and the first we are raising our own plants from seeds for such things as tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and such so we are all excited at the what is going on out there. The weather is still cold but I think we are already for spring to arrive.

I hope you are all well and have a fantastic weekend, many blessings to all!

Thank to all who sent well wishes to me this past week.

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976

I'm calling in sick

I'm sorry I didn’t get yesterdays post up, I have been coming down with a bug and today I went to the doctor and he confirmed my diagnosis, strep, yuck, and double yuck! So bear with me for a few days while I try to kick this bug.

Have a wonderful evening!

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. -- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976