Mama to 6~The Large Family Logistics

Hanna Has Left The Homestead!

Wow! What a difference a few hours can make. Ms. Hanna has left the building! None too soon for me. It was a LONG night.

As I blogged earlier this morning the power was starting to flicker. It went off and then came back on a few times. I am so surprised that we never lost power. I am so thankful too that the power stayed on.

I am thankful that the storm was not as bad, as it could have been. Just listening to the Hanna's winds outside make you so thankful to have a home for protection. You just never know how these storms will turn out. God is so good!

It is a mess outside. No downed trees to speak of. We will have to go walking through the woods later and see what that looks like. There are just a lot of leaves stripped from the trees and small branches everywhere.

I can remember after Hurricane Fran in the 90's, going outside and smelling nothing but pine trees. Those are the trees that took the most damage during Fran's reign around the homestead. It was just remembering Fran that got me out of bed so early this morning. (She was a HORRIBLE hurricane.) It's amazing that simply smelling something can bring back so many memories.

One really good thing has come out of this storm. I cooked all day yesterday to prepare for power outages this weekend. I have 3 meals already cooked and in the fridge to be consumed. That means that I don't have to cook dinner for 3 days, just heat and eat! (thanks again for the idea Violin Mom!)

Well, I need to get off here and get some cleaning done. Thank you Jesus for sparing us! To God be the glory great things He has done and is doing!

Thank you again for all of your prayers! You are all a blessing to me!

Bless all who pass this way!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

Hannah Is At The Back Door LITTERALLY!

It is 5 in the morning here in southeastern NC. Hanna has just made landfall and is blowing full force. I couldn't sleep with all of the noise that is going on outside. The winds are at 45 mph sustained. I am sure that the power will be going out soon. It has been flickering for the past few hours.

Imagine standing on the shoreline of the beach. You hear the roar of the ocean as you stand next to it. That is the sound that I am hearing right now in my house. The storm is so noisy! The winds gust and the trees are bending. It is a frightening scenerio.

It is only that know my Lord is in control that I feel at ease. Jesus is so good! He has this storm in the palm of His hands. Praise His name!

Please continueto keep us in your prayers!

Bless all who pass this way!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

Gustav and Summer UPDATES!!!!!

WE HAVE ELECTRICITY AGAIN!  There were several "Thank you, Lords" and "Hallelujahs"  spoken (loudly) around here by my hubby and I when the power came back on yesterday at 5:pm!!  I even found out today that at least one of our grocery stores is up and running and has replenished what they lost.  So after being shut in for days I'm off to the bank and the store today.  I hope I never take those things for granted again...try going for very long without your bank, grocery store or gas station...

As for my daughter, Summer, she is expected to be in the hospital on into next week we know.  They are trying to reach her Urologist but haven't been successful due to the phone systems being down in the city where he is.  They have found that one of her kidneys is not emptying like it should.  It's emptying at about half the speed her other one is and there is a blockage.  That's probably why she's been swelling so much.   All along it's been kidney stones and infections but now kidney function?  That worries me a lot.   Poor thing.    Thank you for remembering her in your prayers.  God bless you for that!

Mrs. Sarah Palin

Graphic courtesy of www.allposters.com

For the past 2 weeks my husband and I have been engrossed in politics.  Yes my friends, it's the Olympics all over again!  Now that both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention are at an end the question is, who do you vote for?  In whom do you put your entire trust and faith to be a qualified person to run one of if not THE most powerful nation in the world?  Do you believe that Sen. Barak Obama or Sen. John McCain will run the country very well?  What if the Vice-President will have to step in as President.  Who do you believe will be most qualified to run our country, Gov. Sarah Palin or Sen. Joe Biden?

There is quite an uproar in the Christian community about Sarah Palin.  Being a Mother to 5 and a wife to 1 is she hurting someone by being VP?  Would she be putting the country at risk by not getting sleep at night because of her infant?  Would her husband be resentful for being the stay at home Dad and she gets all the glory?  Would she be able to take care of her grandbaby, baby, husband, and run/help run the entire country?  And, is she breaking rules instructed to her in the Bible by not letting her husband be head of household and she stay with the children?  This is what Doug Philips and Vodie Bauccham are saying.  If you are interested read Dr. Bauccham's blog post about Mrs. Palin http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2008/8/30_Did_McCain_Make_a_Pro-Family_Pick____.html.  

My "current" view on this is that I think Mrs. Palin is a great speaker, a beautiful lady, smart and ambitious, and is doing what she thinks is best for our country and her family.  However, I do have concerns.  But, quite frankly, what is the alternative?  The alternative of Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden are certainly not suitable.  I have quite an intense dissatisfaction with Mr. Obama's views and think he will ruin America's, well what's left of them, moral fiber amongst other things.  So, maybe Mrs. Palin may not be putting her family first as dictated by God, but the actual possible President, John McCain will be the one running the country.  Unless something happens they will get my vote.

Blessings,

~Farrah

Final Storm Preparations & Oh Yeah, The Ants Were Right!

 Family & Friends~

It seems that Hanna is heading our way. We are now under a Tropical Storm Warning/Hurricane Watch. The forecasters say that we should "feel" the brunt of the storm during the early morning hours of Saturday.

 I like it much better when these kind of storms come in during the day. Just listening to howling of hurricane force winds with no lights on in the house is a scary experience.

We won't evacuate for this storm. We'll ride this one out. We made it through Fran with 120 mile an hour winds. Hanna's winds are expected to stay between 65-75 mph. We feel safe enough where we are and that's about 45 miles from the coast.

Now, that other storm out there, Ike, looks to be a different storm altogether. If that one keeps up its wind speeds and heads our way, we will be evacuating. We live in double wide mobile home and know that winds in the excess of 120 would tear our home apart.  Sweet Lord, please keep all of us safe and in your hands!

Here goes the list of the final preparations:

Wash all clothes
Bake some brownies (hurricane comfort food)
Clear the yard of all debris
Put up all of my hanging baskets
Clean the house  (I do that all the time)
Get ice and fuel (hubby is taking care of that)
Fill tubs & washing machine with water (for flushing toliets)
Precook extra meals to be put into the coolers for dinner if power goes out
Make up extra gallons of tea
Get radios fitted with new batteries

I really should have paid more attention to those ants that invaded my home earlier in the summer. They really are a sure sign of a hurricane in our area. They have ALWAYS shown up in the house, everywhere, before hurricanes come. I should have listened to hubby. (Read my post about the ants from earlier this summer. Trust the ants people!)

 Please keep us all here in southeast NC in your prayers. I know that The Lord is in control of all. I just get a wee bit apprehensive when these storms come our way.

Bless all who pass this way and for those who are in the path of this storm, stay safe!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

Chocolate Stars.............

are a fond childhood memory!  Today hubby had a Dr. appointment so we were off to Topeka for most of the day.  I went to Goodwill while he was at the Dr. office, more on that in a minute, we then ate a very late lunch and went to the grocery store.  In passing the candy isle I noticed right on the end a bag of chocolate stars.  I mentioned to hubby when I caught up with him that I saw them and hadn't seen them for a long time and didn't even know if they still made them.  Ok, we stop at another little store on the way home to check out any specials they might have and you guessed it, I saw another bag of chocolate stars...............I really am not looking for chocolate stars, honestly.  I said, "there are chocolate stars again".  Next thing I know hubby has grabbed a bag and we are on our way to the check out.  (Not too fast, I ran into an old friend and we had a nice little chat.)  So on the way home we snack on......Chocolate Stars!!  Now, for the meaning behind this story.  When I was little and my folks and I would go to Emporia shopping Mom would buy chocolate stars and we would eat some on the way home.  My Daddy really enjoyed them.  So they brought back a very fond memory for me. 

Well, I had a great Goodwill shopping trip.  I found 6 pair of slacks in various colors that fit me!  I tried on a couple more that didn't fit perfectly so put them back.  Most times I would be happy enough with the way they fit and made do.  I couldn't believe what was available today.  Also got 2 knit tops and a pretty little soap dispenser for the bathroom for 68 cents. 

The phone rang this morning with the news that our chicks were at the post office.  We had plenty of time to get them settled in before having to leave.  They seemed pretty happy when we got home, had only lost one.

I was very thankful that they did not come yesterday as the weather was COLD!   It was 52 when I got up and never got above 57 all day!   Today started out pretty chilly, but this afternoon the sun came out and was really nice later.

That cool weather made for a nice day to work in the kitchen.  I made 6 batches of grape jam, it is yummy!  Got 6 peach pie fillings frozen.  And one ready to use tomorrow.  Also am working on 14 day sweet pickles this week.  I hope to get apples picked tomorrow.  However since we were running around today, I didn't get any baking done for Saturday's Market..........so tomorrow will be a busy day.  One good thing (I guess) is that we don't have produce to get ready now.  That really takes a lot of time to pick and wash.

Better get to bed as I need to get up and going fairly early in the morning.

Country Blessings,

Marilyn~at Heritage Hill Homestead

Elderberry Jelly

I made Elderberry jelly today and its the first time I made jelly that didn't come out. Now I've been told you can re-batch it but does that mean I have to add pectin again or what? I could use some help here..Thanks..

Brenda

Summer's last days...

  The weather has been blustery and rainy here the past few days on the homestead. It hasn't been this cold since April!  We have had temps in the high 50's and low 60's...... so unusual for NW Missouri in early September.  I am ever so thankful for the moisture, as we needed it. The grass was beginning to become brown up and the last few days of rain has "greened up" everything again.

No doubt about it.... fall is on the way!  Did I mention that fall is my favorite season of the year? The colors are spectacular here in October ~~ our homestead has a good 25 acres or so of Oaks, Maples & Walnuts.... so the colors are something to behold. I am looking foward to that.

On the home front we are busy, busy renovating our "parlor"...... it's not too big of a room ~~ about 15 x 16 or so..... but it faces south and gets lots of sun, and overlooks the woods and fields. This is a favorite place to sit and read on a cold winter day. We have stained the new wood windows, and have painted the cieling and installed a new light/fan. We are almost done with the wallcoverings..... I chose a very "old fashioned pattern"..... it actually looks like the original pattern that we discovered under the sheetrock! It makes things look very "old" and I am excited about that!

I apologize that I have been remiss at posting photos of our recent renovations. Life is so full with schooling, renovating, and all the other "stuff" that this mama has to do each day. I am finding I am only able to blog a few times each week as life is simply filled to the brim. ( No complaints here)

In the kitchen we have been busy baking some fall treats...... the weather put me in the mood for pumpkin pies! So, this afternoon my eldest daughter and I were busy making some for desert. I am so happy to share that my 13 yr old daughter has truly mastered the knack of making homemade pie crusts and does a superb job! She is going to be such a blessing to her future husband and family! She loves to help me in my homemaking endeavors and she is a precious helper to have around!

The pumpkin candle is burning........and the air does have a nip to it in the evenings now.

Supper is in the oven ready to serve....... a hot pan full of swedish meatballs.

It's that time of year...... when smells fill the home........

Well I am off to spend the evening serving my beloved family.

May God bless each and everyone of you!

~ gloria ~

Why again did we buy pigs.....

Oh, yes, it's part of this whole self sustaining lifestyle we are trying to lead.  Well, the pigs are getting bigger and they love and I do mean love to try to get out of their pen.  My honey built them this nice big pen in our barn that keeps them sheltered from heat and rain.  Do they appreciate all of his hard work?  No.  I guess the grass is greener on the other side , as they say.  So honey has been doing all sorts of fence mending, LOL, to try to keep these little devils in.  They are still so small that they can squeeze their little bodies through the hog wire.  So yesterday hubby wove barbed wire through the holes.  Well, this was the scene this morning.

I think Betty and Wilma were getting the best of him.LOL

So now the love of my life, has wood pallets lined up all over the pig pen.  It looks horrendous but oh well.  It's just until they are too big to squeeze through the holes.  We will soon have our garden spot fenced in so that they can graze on it.  We will have a door on the side of the barn for them to go in and out.  That way they will have shelter and be tilling and fertilizing my garden spot. 

We fared very well from the hurricane.  We got lots and I mean lots of rain.  My yard is a sopping wet mess but it could have been so much worse.   Here's a pic of the horses yesterday.  I think they were just tired of the rain but they wouldn't get out of it.

We have had so much going on here since the buying of the new homestead.  We love it so much here.  Here is the hammock that my DH put up for us before the rain came in.  The kids love it!!!  They will take their pillows and blankets out and read a book in the hammock.  I hope to see them out there a good bit between now and winter.

Since the purchase of the house, groceries and gas have tripled.  This has really dipped into the budget.  We have not had the resources to buy all of the supplies that we have wanted for the new homestead.  However, we did read in the Market Bulletin this past week that a guy wanted someone to come and take down a shed and do the cleanup and you could keep the materials from it.  Dh went over to look at it today.  It was an old smoke house.  So he and our son will go start to take it apart in the morning.  We are so thankful.  We will be using the siding for our garden shed and hopefully the roof will be used for a new chicken coop this spring.  We hope to triple our flock but we will need a new coop.  This will put us on our way. 

Like I said, we have had a lot going on.  One thing as of late, is our muscadines and pears are ready and I have been making jelly and jam.  I am so thankful for what the Lord has provided.  These will make wonderful Christmas gifts on a very tight budget.

I hope you are all doing well and bless you!!!

Freezing My Easter Eggs

All my hens are laying now.  I just love all the different colors I get each day.  I knew I'd be getting pastel blue, green and pink, and of course brown and white, but I'm loving the deep olive green eggs.  Those were a surprise to me.  Look at that tiny brown egg in the basket!  I put it in the pot when I was boiling eggs for potato salad and egg salad today and snapped a picture of it in a teaspoon right before it got salted and peppered and popped in my mouth!  Mmmm-good!

I was beginning to get quite a number of eggs in the refrigerator so I knew it was time to freeze some.  Recently I have cracked bunches of eggs into a big bowl and scrambled them, added a little salt and poured them into a freezer bag to keep until I needed them for a scrambled egg breakfast. (or supper!) 

Today I wanted to freeze them individually to use in recipes like cakes, cookies, pies, so I emptied out my ice trays and cracked an egg into each section and this time added a pinch of sugar and broke the yolk of each egg.  {Always remember to add a bit of salt or sugar before freezing.} Once they're good and frozen solid I'll just pop them out and put them into a freezer bag.  This will keep me in good supply of farm fresh eggs even if my hens stop laying for a time.         Just eggcellent!