Out in the Garden

Taco Soup

Believe it or not...IT'S SEPTEMBER!!  Those cooler temps are on the way!  I LOVE fall...it's my FAVORITE time of year!!  Along with those falling temperatures that invite us to pull on our favorite sweaters, collect pumkins, go on hayrides and build bonfires comes my desire to make wonderful, hearty soups and stews!  One of our family's favorite cold weather soups is Taco Soup!!  Oh...it is yummy, stustaining, it's even attractive to look at in your bowl.    I hope you enjoy it!!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

TACO SOUP

1 lb. ground beef or chuck
1/2  med. onion - finely chopped
1 lg. bunch of fresh cilantro - finely chopped
4-6 jalapeno peppers (depending on your taste buds & stomach lining!) - finely chopped
2 15-16 oz. cans kidney beans (UNdrained)
2 14-15 oz. cans whole kernal corn (UNdrained)
1 15-16 oz. can black beans (optional)
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 pkg (1-1/2 TB) taco seasoning
1 c. water

~ Brown beef, drain; add onion, peppers, 1/2 of the cilantro and cook until onions and peppers start to get tender.
~ Mix everything together in a dutch oven OR crockpot.
~ Heat through in dutch oven for 45 min. - 1 hour OR in crockpot for 2-3 hours on low.
~ Top with shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese, sour cream and corn tortilla chips crumbled like crackers.

***The Eglu*** A Traveling Chicken Coop

So I've been searching for plans for chicken coops.  In our search for a home here in NYS, I'm trying to keep in mind we'd like some land in the country to have chickens, goats, etc.  Sounds silly to those of you who know doug and I in real life, BUT we've always had this dream.

Thing is, he works in the city limits and finding a small homestead or a home on a small piece of land within our budget, has proved to nothing more than trying.

We won't let that get us down though.  If the good Lord wants us in the city limits, then we should plan accordingly.  Some cities allow chickens.  In fact, some allow chickens, just not the loud roosters within the city limits.

With that in mind, I've been looking for regular chicken coop plans AND small city type chicken runners that can move.  You can imagine my surprise when I found a site by OMLET that sells Eglu's.  Yup, IGLOOS for chickens are made from energy efficient polymers using modern construction techniques and at the end of its life it can be 100% recycled. 

Take a Look at their Brochure online in PDF

Above you'll see a guide to keeping chickens. The little girl is SO CUTE and the eglu is in the picture.  I just found the little girl to be so precious that I had to post this.

My one true concern with this is in the harsh Upstate NY winters, how the chickens would get on and not freeze to death.

This is where you avid homesteaders come in.  What do you think?  Have any ideas on what to do in the wintertimes?  Have any other ideas or plans?  How bout plans for bigger size coops if we do find a home with some land?

Let me know your experience and feel free to comment.

Blessings!

Rebekah

*** Barak Says HE has more experience than Sarah Palin...Who's right? You do the math! ***

Barak was in office 767 days when he announced he was going to become president.

Sarah Palin was in office 635 days when she announced she was going to be a candidate for Vice Presidency. If they get the presidential slot, she'll have 24 MORE days experience on January 20, 2009 when she'd enter Vice Presidency than Barak if he became president.

Since Baraks Candidacy, he's raised about 21million dollars a month for his state.

Sarah Palin? As Governor of Alaska she has 1.025 BILLION. That's right, BILLION, she's been handling which is 47 TIMES as large as Baraks.

Barak Obama has 2500 Employees working for him.

Sarah Palin? Handles 77,000 employees which is 31 times as large as Barak handles.

SO, if Barak, as he's stated on the news recently, is more than qualified with experience to be president of the United States, then Sarah Palin is 31 to 47 more times qualified than Barak. You do the math!

YOU as an individual American Citizen have a Freedom and Right to vote for whomever you want.  YOU have that right and really the OBLIGATION to your children and children's children, to uphold your duty as an American Citizen.

I don't care who you vote for!  Democrat, Republican or a Third Party you have an obligation and freedom from our Founding Fathers, to participate in electing your government leaders.  Take time to educate yourselves on all parties candidates running for office and REALLY look past "special interest groups" who help to form your opinions without you really knowing it.  Find out what each candidate stands for and vote according to what YOU stand for.

What do you stand for?  Who do you stand for?  If someone walked up to you today and asked what you stood for could you answer yourself?  Or would you answer the way you were taught by someone else?

Understand that this is America.  We have certain freedoms that our Founding Fathers founded this country on.  One with pride and accomplishment.  In helping others and learning to be neighbors even if we disagree with one another.

President George Washington said that if we become "Party Oriented"  instead of Americans United, we would falter as a Country of freedom. 

United we stand, divided we fall.

Use your freedom to vote wisely.  Vote for The United States of America and not by Party Loyalty.  Enjoy that freedom. Some don't have it. 

Blessings to you everyone!

Rebekah

Cathing up

I'm behind over here, basically I've been posting on my homeschooling blog, and can't decide if I should close this one or keep it. I don't have much to share here, unless I just share eveything from my HSing blog.

This was on August 26th or 27th

So tuesday evening my ds was outside playing, like he does. Although lately its been other tings, more like riding bike and such. He had to turn the water on for my patch of sod in front of the house, the only grass that's really green, the rest looks brown and crusty thanks to no rain.

Anyway I looked outside to see where he was and much to my amazement there's my almost 11 year old playing in the mud, well kind of, not like smack dab in the middle....lol.

Here is what I saw....

In the end he made a stream flowing into a pond of sorts. This area of our driveway collects water anyway when it rains so its not like he made this....lol.

Then he came in to tell me he found soemthing, this is what he found.

And here he is capturing the toad. I don't know why since I may have a boy but he's so not a bug/creature boys....lol

So there you have an exciting moment of my life with my son.....lol

Gearing up for fall and one project, two project.......

I can't believe it is already September...where did the time go?  We are now on our 4th week of school and things are going great!

We are now gearing up for fall we have many projects we would like to do before winter sets in....One thing is we are going to build a greenhouse to start our  veggie plants in. It is going to be  big so it will be a lot of work but we are excited to get started......The second project is our chicken coop I am not sure if it will get done before spring but we are hoping:) If not I can wait until late spring:) We have most of the wood its just getting started:)

We have been pricing dwarf goats we found a male for $65.00 which we don't want but we are looking into maybe getting two females. That means we are also looking into electric fences. We are going to have to get educated on that:) The goats that we are looking at only weigh up to 25 pounds...I know really small almost the size of a small dog:) Although they will be small they still might try to get out so we will need to figure out what to do about that?  

We have had the best year of fruit ever! We have lots of great pears and the peaches are wonderful. We have lived in our house for 9 years and this is the first year that we have had real fruit! I will have to learn how to can fruit:) I hope next year will be as good.

Our garden is still doing well. We bought some brocolli over the weekend and hope to get it planted this week. Our lettuce is about ready to be picked:) I will miss the garden when it starts getting to cold. Hopeful next year we will have the greenhouse up and then we can look at all year gardening:)

Many blessings,

Ma

How Did You...

We found out when we met the Gregg and Sono Harris family. They used to live in Dayton, Ohio and they led me to the Lord, introduced me the that handsome man in the pic who would later become my husband and told us that they homeschool their son. Yep...the cute little kid in the pic is Josh "I Kissed Dating Good-bye" Harris when he was about 8 years old! He was my little buddy and the 1st homeschooled kid I'd ever met.

... KW

Back from Vacation!

I always feel pushed and pulled in both directions when it's time to come home from vacation...ESPECIALLY when we have been to one of our favorite places!

We LOVE going to Lakeside, Ohio - on Lake Erie - every year.  A family that is some of our best friends has a cottage in Lakeside that we go to every year.  And...every year...even though it is one of the hardest places for us to leave...it's always so good to walk into our own home.  Isn't it funny how the Lord gives us such a heart for our homes?  The whole way home I am internally whining because we have to leave the cottage and our daily walks along the lake shore, the fun vacation food (diets DO NOT EXIST on vacation!), sight-seeing, cool lake breezes even on hot days...and then as soon as I walk into my home I'm so glad to be here!

The Lord is good in giving us a heart for our homes.

Here are a few pics of Lakeside...

Jenna outside the cottage.

This was in 2000 at Marblehead Lighthouse...just east of Lakeside.

I'll have to scan some more recent pics of our trips.  Hope you enjoyed these.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

*** Palin says 17-year-old daughter is pregnant ***

In my process of researching Sarah Palin, I'm finding more and more about her "human side".

I've been hearing rebuttle to my blog post on my general blog from bloggers who have legalistic views about women needing to be at home with their children so that they can be "good mothers"

I even received an anonymous post containing crap (not information) pertaining to feministic views of women from a skinhead website which is not only racist in origion, but contains hatred toward women, minorities and religions other than their own.

After deleting that paticular comment (any comment in my blog is subject to deletion ESPECIALLY if they don't have the gutts to put a name) and not responding to such hatred to give it more fuel, I decided to relax a bit and figure out what I could say.

In my recent findings today, Sarah revealed to everyone that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant and plans to wed.

Here comes the uproar I thought for a minute!

It's a shame that not only is there hatred left in this world, but that people would hide behind legalistic views to condemn people in Jesus name.  I am NOT one of those people.

I am a hardworking homemaker who after talking with my husband, is able to stay home and work for the needs of my husband and home...with one day having the blessing to stay at home with my own children.  I don't take that for granted one bit!  I came home during a tough time in our lives when Doug needed me here.  We learned how to live within our means on ONE INCOME and have since never turned back. I understand that there are many other women who would LOVE to do so and can't OR just feel their calling is in the community to make an impact on the world.  Whatever the reason, I respect that.

But as a Christian woman, there's one thing I WILL NOT DO.  I will not judge those other women who choose to work for the common good of their families and in Sarah Palins case, she's also working for the common good of America.

Like any nurse, poliece officer, pastor, soldier, Dr., Trash man and other workers who leave their families daily to work odd schedules so that people can live according to custom, and have the healthcare and emergency needs, it is NOT my job to judge another. I am also reminded by God Himself, when He tells us in His word that only HE can judge. That we will one day be judged by Him.  I can only imagine what He'd be saying to those who blatently judge based on their own idea of what people should be doing. 

~ Knock, knock. "Who's There"?  God says at the door.  It is I God, You know me!  "Ah, The one who felt compelled to take my place" says God.  Well Lord, You say here, here and here that I, um, erm.  "Did I not say Love thy neighbor as you love yourself?"  "Do you not know that if it weren't for me, you'd be in hell?"  "Do I not say in my commandments there is no other God accept for me? " God says.  "Then Why my child have you condemned others?"  ~

It makes me MAD when people hide behind legalistic views in the name of Jesus to spread hatred and belittle working women (or anyone else for that matter)  who in most cases these days, MUST work to keep their families afloat.  The book of James talks about each child of God having a God-given gift. Not everyone has the same gift.  Some have the gift of teaching, some the gift of giving, some a gift of ministering, and the list goes on and on and on. 

If we do not know what Gods conviction and will is over another, who are we to think that He hasn't a plan for Sarah Palin.  Maybe her gift is not only her family, but to share her testimony of trial and triumph with a hurting nation.  Someone who will listen.  She is human and is NOT God.  But she sure has a heart of compassion for the people in her community and country.

So back to her 17 year old daughter.  There is no doubt that this will be a tough road for her.  But she has something many other girls her age may not have.  The support of a loving mother and father. 

Sarah can understand what it's like to be a "working mother" . She also can understand teenage pregnancy first-hand as well as raising a child with special needs.  She wants whats best for her family and her country and is willing to tick her own party off if that means they're using taxpayers money to pay for frivolous things.

Does she have issues in her family right now?  Yes!  Is there any one person dumb enough to say they're absolutely perfect in every way?  I don't think so.

I absolutely LOVE to educate myself on candidates.  Truely there is no perfect candidate out there that agrees with ALL of my beliefs.  Until Palin was nominated as a possible VP nominee I was actually thinking of voting third party because I'm so sick of two parties that represent NONE of "We The People".

Now, I am more interested in educating myself on Palin, NOT because she's a woman (I'd have rather of had Condy Rice as President if that was the case) but because she fights for Us.  Granted we'll be learning more before we actually make a choice, but darnit!  I'm not going to make my choice based on false Biblical beliefs.  I know He wouldn't want it that way.

***In closing, Sarah Palin is dealing with reality right now.  I do not condemn her because as many with teenage children understand, you can't control their outcome. You can give them great morals and a loving home as well as a God fearing one, it's up to them to make the right choices.  What I'm focusing on, is how Sarah handles this in hopes that she will use these obsticles as a testimony to others.  It is without a doubt a teaching moment.  I'm sure one that her dear daughter would have loved to learn outside the media. 

And to all you working women out there.  I'm proud of you all and lift you up in prayer for each hard day you fight.  I'm not a feminist.  But I believe in femininity. I'm proud to be a woman and proud of the accomplishments God has enabled us all to accomplish.  We each have such a different gift and what an honor it is to individually use them in His honor.

Blessings everyone!

Rebekah

Outpost Bath House

Inspired again by a book I picked up last week.  Outpost, Unleashing Your Inner Wild     by Mary Jane Butters. I just had to make a bathhouse.

It will fit the claw foot iron tub that I want to add this fall, its over at Mom's down in a deep valley by the creek. Snakes and weeds keep me from getting it now and oh the hill side. Fall project, can't wait to soak in it tho : )

I have to shore it up add some sheet curtains that I can open and close easy, don't want to surprise a trespassin hunter and scare em.

The night stand for night bathin, its close to the pine tree , really a nice place to soak in a tub if your goin be outside bathing. The washtub is sittin high because of its drain pipe. I need to bust a hole in the floor so it will sit level.

I picked the sunflowers from the garden, oh this is looking so girly but I just love it. Now that lamp worked really good for awhile then it stopped working, further notice I seen the wick was short and the fuel was low, hate when that happens. So Outpost supplies will be in order next shopping day.

This old pan will be nice to use for tossing water over ones head and backside. The grandkiddies will have a blast in the outside bathhouse. I'll put em all in there when I get the iron tub, save from tot'in water ; ).

I'm finding old stuff that I have kept for years, they are working out great in the Outpost. Heres an old iron chair that is perfect for sittin in while shavin your legs, or maybe scrubbin the grandkids. DH says for scrubbin his back, I say, heck fire scrub my back.

Thats homemade soap (not mine) and a knitted washcloth (now thats one I did). And take a look at that icecream maker, didn't have all the parts but sure makes for a good towel holder.

Oh bringing up the wood and nailing , the weather a bit warm, (hot). I had to sit a spell , have a cold pop. I found this little seat down in my junk pile too. Great for sitting on and wiping the brow.

Put up a clothes line to and washed the vintage apron and hand stitched cloth for wipin your hands on at the wash station by the outhouse.

The first night Sis stayed. I butchered out a couple of young roosters earlier and we cooked them on the firepit.

A bit about eating chicken I raised from a day olded. You know I don't really like to eat a chicken I just took out a few hours ago. I know my grandmother did it , chicken every Sunday, 365 days a year. But me, I'd rather not. I like to wait awhile, get the chicken out of the freezer and then cook. I thanked the roosters for giving up their life and very grateful for food that I can raise for my family and know what we are eating. I thank the garden for its life to, growing and death that it gives to us as well. Meat eater or not, everything we eat has life that we take so we can live and Blessings for it should always be.

DH joined us, he had no problems with eating the young roosters and we had our evening meal. Chicken, bake beans, potatoes,cooked onions ( cooking onions in foil will make you go crazy with hunger, I think its the best kind of smell when cooking oustside). Oh and some collard greens. Camp coffee too.

Its just plain fun fixin up some grub in the chuckwagon. I just love it.

I brought up this old iron kettle that I use in the fireplace at home, its perfect for heating up water to do dishes and now bathing : ).

Well we sat around the campfire and had coffee and talked of plans for a harvestfest in the woods. Sis wants to decorate the trails with spooky stuff for the kiddies, not to spooky tho. I like the Autumn look. So we'll do both. Her side, my side.

Time to call it a day. So DH headed home to watch some TV and sis and I played battleship that she brought over. Haven't played that for a very long time lol. She beat me so one game was enough of that.

I will be bringing up games that will be fun to play when sitting in the Outpost. I love the game of chess, my favorite and sis is the only one who knows how to play, but she doesn't like the game. Gosh she was the one who taught me how to play, maybe because the student passes up the teacher . : ) But for sure got to make a checker board out of an old stump, and sometimes put the chess pieces on it, just incase a chess player comes mosing through.

After sis sunk my battleship we wanted to get some reading in. By golly I read a book and finished it this weekend by Hannah Hinchman. Little Things In A Big Country

It has a lot of illustrations, makes for reading a book fast : ) But oh what good ideas for doing my own journal and watercolorings. Brought up my watercolors to for some outdoor painting. Gosh I think I have moved to the woods.

We had a good nights reat, sis had her fan on, so heard mostly the night sounds of a fan going :/. Cooked up a good breakfast , bright and early. And oh that coffee in the mornign outside, soem kind of good I tell ya.

Oh DH came up for breakfast, I think he could smell it cookin and had the perfect timin down just right, he took my eggs I was cookin for myself.

Everyone left when mention the bathhouse. So I was on my own to whip something up. So I worked onthat project and even had some time for reading.


All gathered at the campsite later in the evening. We popped some corn out on firepit Sunday night. Best shut that lid for we'er hit!!!

Oh does that look good and I don't think I burned any.

I didn't bring up a big bowl so had to use my dish pan for the popcorn, it was clean.

Sunday night I camped alone. I almost had DH going to stay but come to find out he was just going to get into my beef jerkey stash. I smoked him out on that and booted him out of the camp : P. He had been cutting wood and was in some posion ivy , so he didn't want to scrub up in the bathhouse , so home he went .

I almost had Coal our lab mix stay but she barks at critters and I do want see critters. Got to see a Screech Owl fly in our camp, oh is it little and so cute. It just looked down at us. To dark to take a picture. Theres a bird that few right by me and landed close , i yet to ID it. It is dapple brown,gray witha very long beak. Not a woodpecker for sure. I almsot thought is was a young owl at first, then when I seen the beak, wow what is it? A Pinocchio owl!!!

Our Coal is a great pup, loves the trails and jumping in the pond. Almost catches the frizzbie (sp), brings it to me everytime and lets go without a struggle.

I love this shot of her,even tho its fuzzy, its how she is always on guard and aware of her surroundings. She is laying by the Outpost tent.

Here she is laying down by my foot next to the campfire. I think that is sweet but she is really there because she knew I tossed on some bacon for breakfast and she remembers. But still it's nice to have a fur friend that is close.

We had beautiful Labor Day weekend. Mom and sis are coming up tonight for a wiener roast and some outdoor coffee. We'll get some for ol time stories from Mom and her campout days.

But even though we have fun my famlies thoughts and prayers are for those in the hurricane Gustav area. So we will be talkin about that at the campsite for sure. I always wonder if our family would up and leave or stay. Everyone has to do what they feel they need to do. If not prepared and how prepared is enough makes you think of your own area. The two weeks without eletric power sent me on a mission to have things on hand, like my lantern that was short on fuel yesterday :(, oh well back to the drawing board and planning.

Take good care, sure glad you stopped by
Blessings and safety for all.
linda

Up-Date on Thesis!!

I am excited to say that before we left for vacation that my pastor/dean e-mailed me and said that he really liked my thesis.  I also found out that I will be graduating w/HONORS!!!  WOOHOO!!!  Oh, how I would like to show my high school teachers THAT bit of news!  lol 

Another cool thing...our friends - whose cottage we were staying at - came up to the cottage the day we left.  So, we had lunch w/then before we headed out.  The husband of that family is also on the board of directors of the little seminary I'm attending.  He said that they had a meeting just before they left and that Joe (our pastor/dean) even commented to everyone about how good he thought my thesis was!!!  I am competely shell-shocked!  My biggest worry was that it wouldn't be "academic" enough.  Maybe I'll post it sometime...but it's LOOOONG.  We'll see.

Thanks SO MUCH for your prayers!!

Blessings, Kim Wolf