TNMomof3

Wednesday on the Homestead

Posted by Crystal Miller
06:25, 2008-Dec-16 .. 4 comments .. Link

I played around with the idea of making lasagna for dinner. It is one of Tobin’s most favorite dinners and he has been working 6 to 7 days a week lately so I figured he would enjoy it. But then I looked in my fridge and saw leftover pot roast and leftover cranberry chicken and leftover rice.. so the lasagna will wait until tomorrow night (and Tobin will appreciate it then too!

) and tonight will be stir fry with my leftovers. As I type right now I have 6 loaves of bread rising in my oven and Isaac is mopping the kitchen floor. When he is done I will start working on my dinner preps.

The weather is crisp and cold out! Last night was in the teens and with the wind chill it was down in the single digits.. pretty cold for these parts. The snow that fell never amounted to much on Sunday and yesterday the sun came out in time for me to snap these pictures…

Tomorrow they are predicting more snow. So Emily and Leanne headed into town this morning to do some Christmas shopping. Emily has a couple weeks off from her nanny job and is taking a break from studying. Her next test to study for is pre-calculus and she is not ready to tackle that one until after the holidays. I posted a congrats to Emily blog post the other day for finishing her first and second year of college in less than 8 months and someone asked me what degree she earned. She has not earned her degree yet, she has finished to the half way point now and is working towards a bachelors degree in accounting. She should be done sometime next fall if she stays on track.

As soon as my son has had time to recover I am looking forward to asking what homemade food he would like to eat when he gets home.. anything mom makes he might be craving? I will find out! And Emily wants to ask what kind of homemade goodies he wants so she and her sisters can do some baking for him! Looks like he will be getting lots of special attention while he is home.

Now it looks like my clean kitchen floor is about dry so I am off to make dinner and finish baking my bread. Have a great evening on your homesteads!

Simple Classy Christmas Gifts

Posted by HSB Front Porch
11:26 AM, Dec. 16, 2008 .. 2 comments .. Link

Brick and mortar stores have simple gifts CHEAP. When I say cheap, I mean that they have learned that gift baskets or sets are used in abundance. However they have put together either the cheapest products at what may seem like a reasonable price or have put a few choice pieces together at a premium price; neither of which are personal or make for a classy gift. Here is a list of easy to put together handmade gifts which have a minimal investment, but have a classy and personal touch for all the people on your Christmas list.

Bagel/Pita Chips
Biscotti
Felt board pieces
Coffee Spoons
Meat Rubs
Pre-decorated scrapbook
Popcorn Seasonings
Sachets
No-sew scarves
Herbal teas
Instant oatmeal packets
Cookies & cocoa
Note cards
Recipe scrapbook

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~Contributing Writer~

Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!

He is back in the USA!!!

Posted by Crystal Miller
10:29, 2008-Dec-16 .. 17 comments .. Link

Woo Hoo.. my US Army soldier son Richard Miller is now officially back in the USA. He landed in Ft.Bragg on Sunday afternoon after a 17 hour flight. His 15 month deployment in Iraq is done!

He will be home to us in a week!

Gifts and Crafts for the Gardener

Posted by HSB Front Porch
09:44 AM, Dec. 16, 2008 .. 0 comments .. Link

Looking for a gift idea for a gardener, or maybe a craft to keep little hands (or your own) busy this season?

How about the SeedSavers calendar? I know at least one gardener who would love to find this under the Christmas tree !

Seedsavers also has some interesting New for 2009 items- the Himalayan Poppy (it's blue!) caught my eye. I do love poppies, though. I got seeds for the gorgeous Tasha Tudor heirloom Lettuce Poppy for my birthday!

If you would like to share a gift from your own garden or stash of seeds, here is a link for printable seed packets. Seeds are a great gift for veteran gardeners, and just might be the start of a new hobby for someone who has not yet been bitten by the "garden bug"!

How about making some paper cards or ornaments that you can plant! Thrifty Fun has how-to's for making "seed paper". If time allows this year, I plan to make some little heart ornaments with poppy seeds (of course) imbedded in them. This would be fun for other occasions, as well- like Valentine's Day if I don't get my Christmas hearts made .

I think these seed balls would be fun to make; but I'm not sure where you get the terra cotta clay.

Another fun "seedy" craft for the kids (and big kids) to make and give is seed tape.

For more gift ideas for the gardener on your list, see Emily Compost's Gardener's Christmas Wish List. I particularly like the gift certificate to be a "worker bee" for a day !

For a great gift for gardener or cook, how about a bar of Farmhouse Kitchen Hand Scrub from Hick Chicks Soap Barn? I haven't tried this particular soap yet, but the Buttermilk Rosemary and In the Raw soaps are fabulous! Can't go wrong with the lip butters or lotion bars (I LOVE the Gingersnap one), either.

That's just a few little ideas to get you inspired.

And...if you are a gardener yourself, you now have a few fun "gardeny" things to create during the cold days of winter when it's too cold to get outside and dig in the dirt.

Christmas Blessings to You and Yours,

Catherine

Candy Bar Fudge

Posted by HSB Front Porch
05:13 PM, Dec. 14, 2008 .. 0 comments .. Link

I got this idea from a lady online and tried it recently. It was delicious. I do have a kitchen scale to weigh out the candy bars, but you should be able to chop up the candy bars to get 2 cups. The recipe calls for 12oz and I used a 12.8 oz bag of Snickers Bar mini candy bars and ended up removing about 2 or 3 of the bars to get the 12 oz. This recipe is just basically a marshmallow fudge recipe that I have converted into a candy bar fudge recipe.

I am giving this fudge away as gifts. My plan was to cut the fudge up into squares and put them in round gift tins that you can purchase just about anywhere. Then my daughter Emily had a great idea. She suggested lining the gift tins with saran wrap and just pouring the fudge into these instead of the 9x9 pan. How easy is that!

Then we both had the idea that you could probably do two layers.. just put wax paper and maybe another layer of saran wrap over the first batch and pour the second batch on top after the first batch has chilled.. that way the recipients has more than one type of fudge to enjoy.

Candy Bar Fudge

4 Cups mini marshmallows

2/3 cup milk (I used half n half but evaporated milk would work and regular milk would probably work too)

1/4 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups (12 oz.) chocolate semi-sweet morsels – I used chopped up candy bars in place of the chips as stated above

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine marshmallows, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a large cooking pot. While stirring bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring and boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and candy bar pieces (which ever you are using). Stir very well until candy bar pieces are melted. Pour into a 9x9 pan that has been buttered. Chill.

Crystal Miller

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/quiverfull

http://crystalscountrystore.com

Updates from the Homestead

Posted by Crystal Miller
11:54, 2008-Dec-14 .. 1 comments .. Link

Well “old man winter” is here.. the temp is 25 and we are currently having the first snow of the year. So far it’s just a dusting which I am happy about.. but since it is still falling and the weather man is predicting more we will see how it all ends. Right now I have a fire going and the house is toasty and I suspect I will be keeping that going all day and through the night. Jacob brought in LOTS of wood

(guess he deiced to make sure I was very well stocked.. no heading out into the snow and cold at 4am for him!

)

We finally got our Christmas tree up and the house decorated! Yea! It looks so festive in here now. Yesterday I got my daughter’s Christmas package all wrapped and packed up so tomorrow when Tobin and I head into town for our date night we will drop it off at the post office. I have all my Christmas shopping done (I admit that I only went out once to shop.. all the rest was done online.. I just love the UPS man this time of year! LOL) and I am down to 2 sewing projects left to complete and then gifts to wrap and I am done!

Now it is time to move onto my Christmas menu.

No church for us this morning due to the snow and slick roads.. so we have a day to relax, listen to Christmas music and maybe do a bit more baking. Emily and Leanne were adventurous last night and made peppermint patties.. yum.. hope they freeze all right because otherwise they will be gone before we know it! LOL.. so far we have made great progress in getting our goodies in the freezer. Here is a recipe similar to the one she used: http://homecooking.about.com/od/candyrecipes/r/blcandy6.htm

I made some snickers bar fudge the other day and it turned out delicious! I now want to make some butterfinger fudge and milky way fudge. I got the idea from a lady on my message board. You use chopped up candy bars in place of the chocolate chips. It works great! I used my scale to measure out the candy bars to make sure they equaled the right amount. You may be able to just chop up the bars and sub 2 cups of chopped bars.. I did not measure it out after I weighed it to see if it was about the same.

Marshmallow Fudge aka.. Candy Bar Fudge

4 Cups mini marshmallows

2/3 cup milk (I used half n half but evaporated milk would work and regular milk would probably work too)

1/4 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups (12 oz.) chocolate semi-sweet morsels – I used chopped up candy bars in place of the chips as stated above

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine marshmallows, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a large cooking pot. While stirring bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue stirring and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla add chocolate chips or candy bar pieces (which ever you are using). Stir very well until chips or candy bar pieces are melted. Pour into a 9x9 pan that has been buttered. Chill.

I am giving this fudge away as gifts. My plan was to cut the fudge up into squares and put them in those gift tins that you can purchase just about anywhere. Then Emily had a great idea last night. She suggested lining the gift tins with saran wrap and just pouring the fudge into these instead of the pan. How easy is that!

Then we both had the idea that you could probably do two layers.. just put wax paper and maybe another layer of saran wrap and pour the second batch on top.. that way the recipients has more than one type of fudge to enjoy.

Today’s winter menu will be food that warms and nourishes! I will be making a pot of soup of some type and probably dinner rolls and serving this with my winter salad. I call it my winter salad because fresh veggies get so expensive this time of year and I typically try and avoid the pricier ones.. so my winter salads consist of romain lettuce, spicnach, chopped red cabbage and grated carrots. The salad keeps well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days so we make up a big batch of it and a double or quadruple batch of homemade ranch dressing and we are set.

The goats need extra attention now too. The temps will be dropping down into the teens and that means checking on water supply regularly to make sure it is not frozen or replace it if it is. I am also giving them a little extra grain to help keep them warm. So Jacob will be in charge of that job and I will make a pot of hot chocolate for everyone this afternoon who has to go out and brave the elements.. they will have something to look forward to when they come in!

Stay warm & dry this Sunday on the homestead..

Yea for Emily!!

Posted by Crystal Miller
09:45, 2008-Dec-12 .. 8 comments .. Link

She did it! She passed her Biology CLEP test on Wednesday and now has officially completed two years of college! She is on track and so excited. She joined College Plus! in April, took her first test in May and is now done with two years worth of college credits by December! Way to go Emily!! We are extremely proud of her

. Once again I just have to say how satisfied we are with College Plus! and I recommend them to anyone looking for a cost and time effective way to earn a degree… all from home.

Breakfast for Pennies

Posted by HSB Front Porch
10:40 AM, Dec. 9, 2008 .. 1 comments .. Link

This is can be a crazy time of year. You may need to alter your schedule to accommodate those activities that you don’t have on your calendar at other times of the year. One thing you don’t want to skimp on is breakfast, since it is the meal that may very well get your family through the day, while keeping the tummy grumblies at bay. But putting together a breakfast that is warm, nutritious and tummy filling can be a challenge. Those little instant oatmeal packets are an excellent way to meet all those needs. But if you want to simplify AND be frugal with your breakfast consider making your own instant oatmeal. It’s simple and frugal!

Instant Oatmeal

4 c instant oatmeal (available for pennies at bulk food stores)

1 c brown sugar

1 c sugar (sucanat & trubinado work, too) + 2 tsp of ground cinnamon

Place ingredients in a large zip style plastic. Shake to mix.

Pinch of salt

When ready to make breakfast, place ¼ c mix in a microwave safe bowl with ½ water. Heat 3 minutes. Stir and allow cooling for a few minutes. Alter to suit taste.

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~Contributing Writer~

Tuesday Happenings on my Homestead

Posted by Crystal Miller
02:06, 2008-Dec-9 .. 3 comments .. Link

Today’s Menu

Breakfast

Oatmeal

Apple slices

Whole wheat toast and homemade peach jam

Lunch

Split pea soup (leftovers)

Corn potato chowder (leftovers)

Peanut butter toast (if not enough leftovers to go around)

Apple slices

Dinner

Chili bean soup over brown rice

Green salad

Dinner rolls

Baking/cooking/preparations in the kitchen to do today:

Make dinner rolls

Make pumpkin muffins – (now they will be leftover oatmeal muffins instead.. we had a couple cups of oatmeal left from breakfast)

Make double batch of homemade ranch dressing

Make chili bean soup this afternoon

~Soak brown rice (done)

~cook 3 cups red beans (cooking right now)

~cook 1 pound hamburger with onions, divide and use ½ for tonight’s chili and put other half in the freezer for another meal

The rest of my to-do list:

Package recent orders from my country store and get them in the mailbox

Bag and label laundry soap

Finish grocery list for tomorrows shopping

Work on Christmas gifts

Wash kitchen floor by hand (I call it my super duper clean the floor job) and then do it again with Mop&Glo.

Oversee kids as they do the daily chore list (done)

School with kids (not much hands on here for me.. they all know what they need to do) (currently being done)

That’s what my Tuesday on my homestead is shaping up to be!

Sew an Apron!

Posted by HSB Front Porch
10:32 AM, Dec. 8, 2008 .. 2 comments .. Link

I have been making aprons for Christmas gifts this year. I thought I would share a really unique, cute, fun and easy apron pattern with you. It is called the “4 Corners Apron”. You can purchase the pattern from Vanilla House Designs http://www.vanillahousedesigns.com/p132-four-corners-apron/ If you have basic sewing skills you will find this pattern is not difficult to make.

Here are a few that I have made recently: