Homestead Haven Beginnings

Taking a bloggy break

This blog has been a real God send to me. I love each and every one of you  that visit me. I feel as though we are good friends that I can share anything with. With that said, I must confess that I am having some personal issues in my life right now. My mom is haivng her good days and her bad days. I have hospice coming in several days each week now. All the court issues have been taken care of as of last Wednesday, so now I have full power of attorney over her, I guess you can say, Life.  Now I have to make some serious decissions that I really don't think I'm ready to make. And to top all of this off, my dh tells me that he is no longer happy and is thinking along the lines of divorce.

   I try to post uplifting, helpful, and homesteady post, but I can honestly say that I feel as though I am a fake here.  I don't like being  the type to bring others down with my problems so I tend to keep alot locked inside, which isn't really good for your health. This is probably why a couple of weeks ago when I went for my 6 month checkup the doctor had to put me on high blood presure meds. Hummm wonder why, LOL.

   So now that you know I'm a big faker, and that my life is not as shiney as I tend to lead on, I feel I need to take a little break for now. I'm not sure how long, I may  post more often than I think I will  right now, but just in case, I  wanted to let you all know that if I don't blog for a while, it's cuz I'm off  dealin with "Life".         Love you all........God bless

A Hubby Tag

As you all know, one of my most favoritest subjects to blog about is my Honey. Well, I found this hubby tag over at Jen Ig's blog

Here goes....

1. Who is your man? Tobias aka Toby aka My Honey

2. How long have you been together? First date- 12 days shy of 19 years. Married, 17 years, 6 months and 20 days (yep, we still say Happy Anniversary every month on the 5th)

3. How long dated? 1 year, 5 months (we married on the same date as our first date, the 5th)

4. How old is your man? 47 (9 years older than me)...but in my eyes, 28

5. Who eats more? I'd like to say him...but lately, he's not had too much of an appetite...

6. Who said "I love you" first? ME...I was in love the first time I saw him...even moreso the first time we talked...and oh my, the first time we kissed, well let's just say, I knew it!

7. Who is taller? Definitely him....poor guy has to bend over to kiss me..and let me tell you, he spends a good deal of time bent over doing just that ...or I find a stool and he doesn't have to do that...

8. Who sings better? Again, definitely him. Love his voice!!!!

9. Who is smarter? Once again, definitely him. He's the most well read person I know.

10. Whose temper is worse? Depends on the situation.

11. Who does the laundry? Since I'm the wife, ME!

12. Who takes out the garbage? That's a man's job (unless, of course, your Honey works till early morning and you are letting him sleep in)

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I never know which way you'd be looking...from the end of the bed...Honey.

14. Who pays the bills?  Well, he makes the money, I send it off to pay the bills

15. Who is better with the computer? Depends on what we are doing....some things, me, other things him.

16. Who mows the lawn? Again, this is a man's job..and my man just happens to love to cut grass. Or he weedeats while Thomas mows.

17. Who cooks dinner? Hmmm....why are these jobs not easily defined? Me, of course, I'm the wife, remember?!

18. Who drives when you are together? Honey mostly. Unless he's tired or just wants to take in the scenery.

19. Who pays when you go out? Well, again, he makes the money, I spend it.

20. Who is most stubborn? Depends on the topic

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Most definitely Honey. He's so quick to apologize it's not even funny.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine..they like to come live in our front yard. We LOVE it when they do that!!!

23. Who kissed who first? In my dreams, me....in reality, him.

24. Who asked who out? Well, our first date started out as just two friends going to a new mall together...then we went to lunch together. Then we went back to get his truck...and the most awesomest kiss ever took place...then he asked me out to the movies... So officially, Honey.

25. Who proposed? I would have proposed a month after our first date, if not sooner. But, that's the man's job (again with the not knowing of the jobs...), so I patiently waited for him to do so.

26. Who is more sensitive? Depends on the subject. Overall, me, but there's such a sensitive soul inside my Honey that most people have no clue is there.

27. Who has more friends? Me, only because I have more time and don't have a job to go every day. My favoritest friend is my Honey.

28. Who has more siblings? Tie...I have two brothers, he has a sister and a  step brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family? We both wear pants...but the "pants of the family" goes to Honey, as it should!

30. How did you meet? On the phone first...I worked at a Firestone store, he worked at a parts store. I loved talking to him on the phone. Once I found out he wasn't already taken, I was quite excited to meet him in person at the store one day. Then we spent time together at church. So, we always say we met at work and church. Isn't God great?!

Well, that was fun!!!

Why do they grow up so quickly?!

While we were eating supper (without Daddy ), Mary showed me her corn on the cob and asked what the red was. It looked like blood to me, so I asked her to show me her smile. Sure enough, there's a hole where there used to be a tooth! She's lost a tooth at the youngest age of my four children. She's quite proud of that missing tooth!

So, we called Daddy to tell him. He was so happy to hear her sweet little voice. Sure do miss him at supper time. We've always been a family that eats supper together every night. We get a kick out of magazine articles that recommend a family eating together at least two meals per week. HA! Well, it sure is different eating supper without Daddy. We don't like it much and will be oh so happy when he's home at night again!!!

Talked to Mom as well. She got to talk to Mary and Natalie. Natalie sure takes after her big sister. As soon as she starts talking on the phone, she starts walking. For Rebecca, it's walking and waving her arms around. While we were in NY, she made a phone call...but we were at the pool, so she had to go to the patio area to be able to hear. She was just standing there, so we knew she hadn't gotten through yet...then all of a sudden, the arms were going, so we knew she was talking!

Last night I overheard a conversation between Rebecca and Mary that just made me so proud. Mary tried on my glasses and thought she looked oh so cute. Then she tried on Rebecca's. Now, Rebecca's prescription is at least twice as strong as mine. When she got them on, she asked Rebecca how she could see with those glasses. Rebecca asked her how she could see without them. So, Mary answers....

APPARENTLY, I DON'T NEED GLASSES.

Now, I ask you, how many five year olds could use the word apparently correctly in a sentence? Yep, that's my babe!!!

Our realtor came today. We're not ready to list, but are thankful for the visit. Gave us some ideas as to what to do to get ready to list and when the best time would be to actually list for sale. Also he gave us a figure for an asking price that he felt we would be able to get. It's not as much as we had hoped for, but much more than what we paid four years ago. Now, the job is to get things cleared out of here, make some improvements and see where we stand in a few months time. It is exciting to be in the moving mindset again.

I'm about to update Quicken. Payday tomorrow!!! Have a great evening!

Raspberry Cobbler

I finally made the raspberry cobbler..I asked for help..Now here is a picture.. It came out great.I aslo have raspberry swirl ice cream on the side..

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Before I baked it in a 9x9 pan

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It's all baked off

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Already to eat with raspberry swirl ice cream.. that was dessert tonight and we also had the burgers with homemade buns..

Homemade hamburg rolls..(Picture's)

Today I made my first hamburg rolls. They didn't come out to bad ..Next time I think I will make them alittle fatter..It made seven rolls..What I did was take my favorite bread recipe put it in the bread machine on dough cycle. When finished shaped the rolls somewhat and baked them in oven for 30 minutes on 350.

Blessings Sister Brenda

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This is the dough  and then I rolled out my first burger bun..

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Second they are all baked off. Once they are baked cool and put alittle butter on top and split in half

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Here is the burger all done ready to eat..

Come back soon!

Hikes and picnics go well together

Ah, another beautiful, breezy day today. Mid-70’s with none of that horrid heat of the past week that kept our ancient window a/c chugga- gugging.
Ahhh, I sit with the breeze ruffling the ends of my hair and contemplate the blissful energy-savings of not running the contraption.
We have so enjoyed this cooler weather. Mr. Steady had a church softball game Tuesday evening and we quite enjoyed watching and visiting with our church family.
On Wednesday, Mr. Steady and I both took the day off for a special family day at our local nature center.  We explored their special exhibit as well as their gardens, butterfly house and a couple of great hiking trails.
Tomorrow is suppose to be another day like today.
And there was a picnic lunch.
Created by yours truly in a fit of inspiration.
l didn’t want to do the same ol’ same old but wanted my family to know they were special. And how better to tell your family how special they are than with food?
I mean really!
First, I decided no paper products! Its not because I want to go green- although that’s a good 3^nd best reason- but because I wanted my family to feel special (and paper plates doesn’t exactly say “You’re special”) and because my momma gave me the most wonderful little picnic basket filled with cups and silverware and enamelware plates and red checkered cloth napkins.
Now we still had good ol’ sandwiches and the kidlets chose bologna- but Mr. Steady and I had yummy thick slices of ham (from the freezer) with garden fresh lettuce and tomato.
There was chunk cheese.
And of course, chips.
Grapes.
Homemade bacon ranch macaroni salad (something I whip together that Mr. Steady and Maiden just LOVE).
Raspberry Lemonade.
And the bestest little pies ever.
The kids named them Baby Berry Pies.
Aren’t they sweet?

Little graham cracker crusts with a generous dollop of Bavarian cream and topped with farm fresh black raspberries.
Delish.
Only thing that would have made it better (or gilded the lily) would have been a dollop of fresh whip cream on top.
I’ve noted that for next time.
We were so full from such a delicious lunch that we ended up scrapping my meal plan for supper and had a small batch of nachos instead.
While hiking we spotted two wild turkeys plus various birds, a chipmunk and Maiden swears she almost stepped on a snake.
We didn’t see the snake but Mr. Conductor and I found four snake skins nearby.
Very cool.

Photos: Kiddos and I after our last hike. Enjoying a Baby Berry Pie.

Backyard Sustainable Agriculture

This is a good video for those interested in sustainable agriculture.  It is particularly helpful for those of us who are renting or have limited space.

Anyone here with advice on this subject, please share it with us, too!  This is something our family and a few good friends are looking at putting into practice in the very near future. 

Blessings,

Catherine

Freezer bread and butter zucchini chips

Another recipe from the classic zucchini cookbook.. Note I haven't tried these recipes yet but will soon..I might do these this weekend..

From our kitchen to yours.

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 Freezer Bread and Butter zucchini chips

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4 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 onion thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground turmic

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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1~Combine the zucchini,onion,and salt in a large bowl.Toss to mix and set aside for at 2 hours.Drain but do not rinse.

2~In a nonreactive saucepan,combine the vinegar,sugar,turmeric,celery seed, and black pepper.Heat just enough to dissolve the sugar.Pour over the zucchini mixture . Toss to mix.

3~Pack the zucchini and brine into freezer containers,leaving about 1 inch of headroom.Label for up to 6 months.

4~Defrost in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving..

Makes about 4 cups..

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Please note!!!!!  Slice Zucchini as thin as possible A food processor or mandoline yields the best results..

This can also be used to make freezer pickles.. 

Enjoy!

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Sister Brenda

Zucchini pancakes Recipe..

I know its that time of year where we all have zucchini ..I've had a few folks ask for recipes and I got thinking..I have a  cookbook its name is The Classic Zucchini Cookbook..By Nancy C Ralston, Marynor Jordan,Andrea Chesman..

My plans is to start listing recipes here to share..Now I haven't made any of these myself ..But I plan too..I will share a recipe now ..And plan to do more tomorrow.. Enjoy..

From our kitchen to yours..

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Zucchini Pancakes

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2 medium sized zucchini grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk or more as needed

2 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups pancake mix

1-2 teaspoon butter

use maple syrup for serving optional

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1~ Comine the zucchini and salt in a colander. Toss to mix and set aside to drain for 30 minutes.

2~In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the eggs,milk and oil . Beat well,stir in the pancake mix and set aside torest for 30 minutes.

3~Squeeze the zucchini to eliminate any excess moisture.Fold the zucchini into the pancake mixture. If neccessary add a little more milk to think the batter.

4~Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium -low heat.Pre-heat the oven to 200F.

5~On the griddle melt a teaspoon or two of butter.When the foam subsides,ladle the batter onto the griddle.Adjust the heat as needed so that the pancakes brown on the bottom in 2-4 minutes.Flip the cakes and cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes.Place on an ovenproof plate and keep warm in the oven while you use the remaining batter to make more pancakes. Continue until all the batter is used.

6~serve hot with maple syrup if usings

Serves 4-6

Variation:To make savory zucchini pancakes. Add 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese to the batter and proceed as above.

Enjoy!

2008 Perseid Meteor Showers are coming!

Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show.

"The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute."

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is far away, currently located beyond the orbit of Uranus, a trail of debris from the comet stretches all the way back to Earth. Crossing the trail in August, Earth will be pelted by specks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere at 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a flimsy speck of dust makes a vivid streak of light when it disintegrates--a meteor! Because, Swift-Tuttle's meteors streak out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

(Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live. )

Serious meteor hunters will begin their watch early, on Monday evening, August 11th, around 9 pm when Perseus first rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.

A warm summer night. Bright meteors skipping overhead. And the peak is yet to come. What could be better?

The answer lies halfway up the southern sky: Jupiter and the gibbous Moon converge on August 11th and 12th for a close encounter in the constellation Sagittarius: sky map. It's a grand sight visible even from light-polluted cities.

For a while the beautiful Moon will interfere with the Perseids, lunar glare wiping out all but the brightest meteors. Yin-yang. The situation reverses itself at 2 am on Tuesday morning, August 12th, when the Moon sets and leaves behind a dark sky for the Perseids. The shower will surge into the darkness, peppering the sky with dozens and perhaps hundreds of meteors until dawn.

Above: The eastern sky viewed during the hours before sunrise on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.

For maximum effect, "get away from city lights," Cooke advises. The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. (Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.)

The Perseids are coming. Enjoy the show!

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