City Girl Longing for a Homestead...

New member of the family

I would like to introduce you to Ms. Gabby Ella Bella.

Here she is lounging on the couch.

Trying to be cute.

Getting a belly rub from her "brother". lol

Look at those ears!

This is Bella, my birthday gift from my DH. We had a daschund years and years ago who was sadly ran over by my DH's work truck one evening. I have wanted another one for a really long time. I find them to be really smart and loving. And protective when needed.

Hope everyone is having a good summer.

Nancy

Help, suggestions and tips needed!

We have three LARGE fig trees here on the farm. They have produced lots and lots of figs. Of course that is not what I need the help with.LOL I need the help with the beetles that are taking over the figs. Lots and lots of beetles!!!!  How do I get rid of these? And is there something I can do next year to prevent them BEFORE they come? This is my first year with fig trees and I really don't know anything about caring for them. They are old and established so I don't need help growing them, just a way to keep the beetles away, and any normal yearly care they night need.

Thanks to all,

Nancy

A "throw together" supper

Ever have one of those nights when you didn't want the same ole thing and decided to see what you could whip up with what you have around? Well that is what I did tonight. I got tired of the same ole same ole and decided to see what else I could do.

On hand I had andouille sausage(a spicy sausage from LA.), red onion, cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, bell peppers, shredded colby jack cheese, and jalapenos. So what did I do????  I threw the sausage on the flat cast iron griddle, sliced some red onion, halved the cherry tomatoes, sliced the bell peppers, and diced some jalapenos and grilled them on the same griddle with the sausage. While that was grillling I put the shredded lettuce in a bowl, then sliced the sausages in rounds and added that on top of the lettuce, layed the grilled veggies on top of that and sprinkled with the cheese.....mmmm  mmmmm good.!  I made enough for dh and I and we both enjoyed it.

Of course all my "throw togethers" do NOT end up as yummy....there were some "throw aways" from time to time.....but hey, ya gotta try sometimes right? LOL

Nancy

Son's birthday menu w/recipes

Well my ds's birthday S.W.A.T party was yesterday and all went well. The "kids" had fun(I say it that way because they all are 16 and over, boy they grow so fast) with the S.W.A.T part, they set up senerios and played them out. There would be terrorists who had hostages and the S.W.A.T team would go in to rescue them. Sometimes they were in the woods, and a couple of times in the barn. They really enjoyed themselves and I am always happy when they use thier imagination and are outside instead of sitting in front of the tv playing video games. LOL

While they were playing I was doing the cooking. I got a few recipes I had never made before from a magazine and went to work on them. The menu included a few "salads" but it is hot here in GA. and I wanted something easy to make and cold to eat.

The menu included:

grilled bbq briskit

new potatoes with a butter/chive drizzle

blt noodle salad

carrot and raisen salad

itialian cucumber/tomatoe salad

black forrest parfiets

pound cake, blueberry parfiets

birthday cake

I made everything except the birthday cake.

Here are some of the recipe in a basic quicky format(so I won't have to type to much.LOL)

bbq brisket: pour liquid smoke over briskit, sprinkle with celery salt, garlic salt, and onion salt. Wrap in aluminum foil and put on heated grill for three hours. Remove from foil and put back on grill for 20 or 30 minutes to "brown"   When mine was done I sliced it and let everyone add the bbq sauce when they served themselves.

New potatoes with butter/chives:  wash potatoes, peel one strip of peeling around middle only, boil till tender, meanwhile melt butter, add salt and chives and garlic salt, transfer potatoes to serving dish and drizzle with butter mixture.

blt noodle salad: boil spiral noodles as directed on box. cook some bacon and crumble into small pieces, slice cherry tomatoes in half, add to noodles with ranch dressing and mix. cool in fridge till time to serve.(I also added black olive slices to mine and left out serving it on lettuce like recipe called for)

itialian cucumber/tomatoe salad: slice cucumbers, and half cherry tomatoes. Slice some red onion. Add all together and toss with itialian dressing. Chill till ready to serve.

carrot/raisen salad: slice carrot thin, add raisens. mix with mayonaise, a couple of teaspoons of sugar and a couple of teaspoons of milk. Chill

black forrest parfiets: layer chocolate pudding, cherry pie filling and whipped cream into dishes(for this I used clear plastic cups for easy clean up) Chill

pound cake/blueberry parfiets: cube up some pound cake, layer cake, blueberries and vanilla pudding into dishes(also used plastic cups here) and top with whipped cream. Chill

Well that is a quick recipe posting.LOL   Everything was rather simple and easy to prepare. The longest being the grilling time on the briskit. Everything else was ready when the briskit came off the grill and was ready to serve. I didn't go into all the recipe details, like mixing the pudding or making the whipped cream, the boxes tell ya how to do that! LOL

I would love to post pics but cannot find my camera's usb cable so am not able to load my pics onto the computer for now...sorry. But I have to say the plates looked lovely and colorful when they were full of the food! LOL

Thanks for visiting.

Nancy

Win a great gift from Homestead Originals!

Win a bar of our FANTASTIC Farm Fresh Oatmeal Soap and our signature slotted hardwood soap shelf!

How do you win? Leave a comment with your first name and email addy, so I can contact you–that simple.  Want 2 chances to win? Post this contest on YOUR blog too….and comment with the link, your name and email addy.

We’ll draw the winners name outta ye’ ol’ hat July 31st!  To Enter , you must leave your comment over here at this link....CLICK HERE :)

Lisa 

STOP THAT THIEF!

This couldn’t be my precious children doing this! *gasp!* nah….I thought this was a husband move for sure….alas, I caught the little thief, red handed!! 

I was close, not my husband, but his son! Okay, my son…..but I couldn’t believe it! My husband says to take it as a compliment, he loves your homemade bread….just to prove he loves it….he did it again the next time I made bread, he knocked over the 25# bag of spuds I had there as a deterent, and used them as a step!

He’s so darned cute, it’s hard to get mad….lol!  Guess if I want prefect loaves I’d best find a new place to cool them……up much higher!

Nah….I’ll just leave ‘em low….gives  a good feeling that even the 1.5yo appreciates Mamas homemade bread, even if he is running thru the kitchen grabbing hunks and running away….giggling all the way

Homemade Bread anyone?

Lisa

New & Gently Used Books and HS Curriculum FOR SALE

FOR SALE : Tons of Books, CD's and Curriculum that I need to clear off my shelves--all priced to move!  Paypal. Media Mail shipping or expedited shipping and/or insurance at buyers choice/expense.

HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM (all BRAND NEW!)

Polished Cornerstones by DOORPOSTS—BRAND NEW!  $45.00

KONOS In a Bag : RUSSIA (full kit! brand new!)  $25.00

Veritas Press ; GENESIS THRU JOSHUA (like new with cards!) $20.00

Art Basics for Children - Visual Manna $10.00

Visual Manna's Master Drawing  $10.00

Barker Creek's :Draw Write Now Book 6 Animals & Habitats $5.00

Rod n Staff English 9/10 Teacher Book only—BRAND NEW---$15.00

Rod n Staff English 2 Teacher and Student books $15.00 set (these are used--but still in goodshape!)

ABEKA : Our America Student and Teacher Book Set  $10.00

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY PRESS : Our Fathers World Student & Teacher Book Set $10.00

Bob Jones Press : A Servants Heart : Bible Truths 2 TEACHER EDITION $15.00

Books: (Used--but in good or great shape!)

HISTORY OF US : Liberty for All BOOK 5; Joy Hakim $7.00

Savage Sam : Fred Gipson $2.50

From Submarine to Steamboat: Robert Fulton (hardcover/dust jacket) $5.00 (brand new--!)

Story of Liberty (BRAND NEW!)  $10.00

Mama’s Torah   (BRAND NEW)   $5.00

Alice in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll  $2.00

The Race : Golden Filly Series Book 1  by Lauraine Snelling $1.00

Eagles Wings : Golden Filly Series Book 2  by Lauraine Snelling $1.00

Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling : Dr. Brian Ray  $2.50

Homeschooling:The Journey is the Reward : Pamela Berthume $3.00

If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy : Lindsey O'Connor $3.00

The Purpose Driven Life : Rick Warren (hardcover/dust jacket) $3.00

Walking Wisely : Charles Stanley (hardcover/dust jacket) $3.00

The Kingdom Series: Kingdoms Quest Book 5 : Chuck Black $3.00

Civil War Ghosts : Daniel Cohen $2.50

Left Behind : Tim LaHaye / Jerry Jenkins $2.50

Just Like Jesus : Max Lucado $2.50

Molly Saves the Day (American Girls Series) $2.00

Happy Birthday Kirsten (American Girls Series) $2.00

Black Beauty (shorter childrens version-hardcover) MJ Carr $1.00

The Sleepytime Ponies Trick a Trickster : Lana Jordan  (hardcover/dust jacket--signed by author) $2.50

The Tightwad Gazette II : Amy Dacyczyn (Hardcover) $2.50

Nightlight For Parents : James Dobson (hardcover/dust jacket) $2.50

The New Nation (A History of the US) Teaching Guide 3rd Ed. $5.00

Super Science Concoctions: Jill Frankel Hauser $4.00

Water Dance : Thomas Locker $2.00 (Hardcover)

Manatee Winter : Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld $2.00 (Hardcover)

The Children’s Book of Home and Family : William J. Bennett  $5.00 (Hardcover)

Millstones & Stumbling Blocks : Bradley Heath $5.00

Message of the Mountain: ABEKA Book $3.00

These Books are from a set-- beautiful leather bound, silk ribbon bookmarked, gold paged classics! $5.00 each OR $30.00 for all !

Michel De Montaigne Essays

The Ambassadors: Henry James

Henrik Ibsen Plays

Candide : Voltaire

Swann's Way : Marcel Proust

The Annals : Tacitus

Faust : Johann Wolfgang VonGoethe

CDs  (ALL BRAND NEW!):  $3.00 each

Hey Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek Level One, The Reader, Level Two : GREEK N STUFF

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made : ANSWERS IN GENESIS

Hi I'm Riff!  (Barney CD)

World Book 2001 Encyclopedia

Sabbath Rest- No Greater Joy

Rainy Day Art (over 30 hands on projects)

Families of Costa Rica

Thanks for looking~

Lisa

Lisa@HomesteadOriginals.com

Contest!

Okay---so who wants to win a copy of the BRAND NEW Summer issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? It's HOT off the presses....not even in stores yet! :) 

 Well.....I have a few copies I'll give away, each day until July 31st!  So how to win? Just CLICK HERE to leave a comment with your contact info so I can get a hold of you when you win!  We'll draw a name each morning (actually, my 1.5yo son will) out of a hat and post the winner. 

Enter everyday, post on your blog and leave me the link in a seperate comment for an additional entry too :)

 Thanks for playing along!

Lisa

S.W.A.T

My son is turning 18 next monday. He has just graduated high school and in august will be going to test to become a state patrol dispatcher. He can't be a patrolman till he is 21 so he is going to be a dispatcher for the three years till he can go to the academy to become an officer.

We have decided that his big b-day theme party will be S.W.A.T. In honor of his wanting to be in law enforcement(someday he wants to make it to S.W.A.T).  His friends are all gonna come to the farm, bring thier airsoft guns(plastic bb type guns) and have a good time tracking each other down. They will have the barn, a shop, the woods and the pastures to use. They will be at it for hours I am sure. LOL

While they are playing I will be cooking up a birthday dinner.  I am thinking a bbq'd briskit, new potatoes, and some other sides(I am still planning), and of course cake for dessert, and maybe a black forrest triffel(sp). I just saw a recipe for that in a mag. I bought. Sounds good!

I hope they will have fun, and that the dinner turns out good.

Should be a great day of fun.

Nancy

Berry picking,4th of july, stitches and chickens!

That is pretty much my last two weeks in a nut-shell. LOL

My mom came down for a visit and we spent hours and hours picking blackberries and wild cherries. She made a blackberry cobbler for the 4th of july gathering and put the wild cherries and the rest of the black berries up as jelly/jam.  There is still plenty of berries and cherries left to be picked and I think my ds will be making homemade wine with some of them.

The 4th of july gathering went wonderfully...we had 40+ people here, but it all went smoothly. The menu included hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken wings(with my homemade sauce), chips, baked beans, cast iron dutch oven potatoes(cooked by my cast iron cooking bil), cherry pie (by my niece), blueberry pie(me) and blackberry cobbler(mom), hashbrown casserole(by sil) and various other sides. It was plenty of food, plenty of fun(including swimming in the lake, 4 wheeling, shooting, motorcycles) and plenty of family and friends.  It did storm right about dark, but it passed quickly and fireworks were still enjoyed. And when we brought out the birthday cake for my mom and passed it around with icecream a food fight ensued, started by one of my brothers and most of the nieces and nephews. All in all a good time was had by all.

A few family members stayed overnight and we were packing up and cleaning up on saturday. Since it had stormed the night before we didn't get around to the watermelon...so mom and I were cutting it late saturday morning when the knife slipped and went right into my thumb. It sliced halfway across the top of my knuckle and I knew right away I was gonna need stitches, so it was wrapped up and off to the emergancy room I went. Almost 2 hours later I came home with 15 new stitches down the outside edge of my left thumb. It was almost a two inch long cut, and it bleed so profusely that the nurse had a hard time stitching it. She ended up doing one long running "whip type" stitch, wrapping it 15 times. When she was done the protective pad she had put under my hand had a blood spot the size of a dinner plate. Who knew a thumb could bleed so much? LOL

Two days later it was time for our chicken delivery. We have 6 chicken houses and since I was out of commision for  a while my dh, ds and two of my sons friends who work for us took care of setting up the houses and dumping the chicks when they arrived. It was hard for me to stay out of the chicken houses because I felt out of control and didn't know what was happening. I wanted to  make sure everything was being done so I kept calling on the cells and "reminding" them of what needs done....I think they were ready to strangle me by the end of the day.LOL

Today was a trip to the dr's office for a look at the stitches and see if they could come out. But there was a part of the cut where the skin had been overlapped when stitched and needed a bit more time to heal so the stitches stayed in...I have another appt. on tuesday to see if it will be ready by then. I had cut some nerves and my thumb  has some numbness to it, and when I touch certian parts of my forarm I can feel it pull from under my thumbnail, almost like the feeling of over extending a tendon.

So that was my last couple of weeks...although not 100% wonderful, still mostly good!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th, and continue to have a great summer.

Nancy