Today was Logan's first day at pre-school, actually it was just milk and cookie day.  We were only there about  1 1/2 hours but he really enjoys school.  We arrived and he found his "hook" to hang his coat, he is in the 3 day class this year and we have to walk 1/2 of the hallway to hang his coat.  Last year his "hook" was about 6th on the wall, this year it's last because his last name starts with a "Y".  So it was cute to watch him look over the wall for his "hook".  We then went into their classroom and had "play" time for about a half hour or so and then we sat down and had milk and cookies.  This year there is 16 children in his class, almost doubled from last years class.  That is there limit and usually they have some that drop out for one reason or another.  But he just LOVES school and is looking forward to going on Friday.  I am thinking of asking some of the moms to have a day or two each week to walk out the park, we'll see if anyone wants to or not before the weather starts getting to cold to walk.  But usually we can walk almost up till December most of the time. 

  I made a triple batch of oatmeal cookies when we got home this morning.  Those are John's favorites, so he'll be happy.  I think tomorrow I will try and make a chocolate chip pound cake.  Tonight for dinner is steak on the grill, baked potato's, fresh green beans from the garden and salad.  I may make an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, we'll see.  After dinner we have Logan's soccer game and I want to run to Weis and get some sale items that end today.  I was lucky and got 10 FREE sarah lee bread coupons, and I still have 4 to use by Saturday, so I will get the other 4 tonight and toss them in the freezer.  Also they had Edy's dibs snack packs for $2.99 and you get a $2 grocery coupon with each pack you bought, I have gotten 8 so far and want to get 3 more tonight, I use the $2.00 catalina towards the next pack for $2.99 and pay 99c for something that normally sells for $4.99.  And they are delicious.. yummy, although I have only eaten 1/2 pack that Logan hasn't wanted.  I am finding it harder and harder to find "good deals" at the grocery store.  I really can't believe the prices of things and I have cut down drastically at the store because of it.  Even doubling or tripling coupons that I use to get things for FREE I now find I have to pay something for.  And if I don't really use it I cut down to a few instead of buying 10 of something I might only get 3.  But that's ok, we are down to less children now then we had last winter so our budget has been less for food buy about 50%.  I did see some good deals at Weis tommorrow I will be getting napkins for FREE and Dishliquid for FREE.  But to get food anymore FREE is much harder to come by.  But I am still lucky to be able to get what I do get because of double and triple coupons.  I didn't make it to superfresh though the last time they tripled but hopefully I can make it next time.

  Well I need to go I think I will take the kids on the bike trail that they built behind our house in the new housing development.  They enjoy riding bike back there and it's in the mid 80's today and tomorrow it may hit 90 so we will enjoy the warm weather while it's here.

Have a great day..

Lisa

WOW what the internet will provide.  Back in 1981 I had a "molar" pregnancy.  You know I NEVER looked up exactly what it was.. and I am sort of glad I didn't..  I would have been scared senseless.. Here is what I found... and the last part of having 1 out of 100 pregnancies, I DID NOT KNOW.. I was in the hospital of university of PA for 8 days after my "procedure" didn't work and I was told then not to worry, I actually don't know what I would have done if I thought I would have another one.. but God is good and I had two additional children.. I did need the Chemo treatment which was  very scary at the age of 21.   I found this very interesting..

Molar pregnancies are an uncommon and very frightening complication of pregnancy. The formal medical term for a molar pregnancy is “hydatidiform mole.” Simply put, a molar pregnancy is an abnormality of the placenta (afterbirth), caused by a problem when the egg and sperm join together at fertilization. The following is a brief review of this complicated subject.

Types of Molar Pregnancy
There are two types of molar pregnancy, complete and partial. Complete molar pregnancies have only placental parts (there is no baby), and form when the sperm fertilizes an empty egg. Because the egg is empty, no baby is formed. The placenta grows and produces the pregnancy hormone, called HCG, so the patient thinks she is pregnant. Unfortunately, an ultrasound (sometimes called a sonogram) will show that there is no baby, only placenta. A partial mole occurs when 2 sperm fertilize an egg. Instead of forming twins, something goes wrong, leading to a pregnancy with an abnormal fetus and an abnormal placenta. The baby has too many chromosomes and almost always dies in the uterus. Thus, molar pregnancies are “accidents of nature” that are not anyone’s fault. They are not caused by behavior, but they are more common in older women and in certain geographic locations. Also, although most molar pregnancies occur after a miscarriage, some occur after an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy or even a normal delivery.

Risk Factors
The incidence of molar pregnancy varies depending on where one lives. For example, in the US about 1 out of every 1000 pregnancies is a molar pregnancy. In Southeast Asia the incidence is 8 times higher. Interestingly, women from Mexico, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines have higher rates than white US women, who themselves have higher rates than black US women. Age over 40 is a risk factor for molar pregnancy, as is having a prior molar pregnancy. In fact, the chance of having another molar pregnancy is about 1 out of 100. The reasons for the geographic and age differences are currently unknown.

Symptoms and Diagnosis
Women with a molar pregnancy usually feel pregnant and complain of ******l spotting or bleeding. Many women with molar pregnancies develop nausea and vomiting. Some even develop rare complications like thyroid disease or very early preeclampsia (toxemia). Preeclampsia occurring earlier than 20 weeks is very worrisome for a molar pregnancy. The doctor or midwife more than likely will check them for a possible miscarriage, and may order or perform an ultrasound (sonogram). The pelvic exam may reveal a larger, or smaller, than expected uterus. It may also reveal enlarged ovaries, caused by non-cancerous ovarian cysts stemming from abnormally high amounts of the pregnancy hormone HCG. The ultrasound will often show a “cluster of grapes” appearance or a “snowstorm” appearance, signifying an abnormal placenta. If a baby is present it’s a possible partial mole, while if the baby is absent it’s probably a complete mole. Treatment consists of a D&C (dilation and curettage) of the uterus, where a small vacuum device is inserted into the uterus, under anesthesia, to remove the molar pregnancy. This must be done very carefully or excessive bleeding and blood clots to the lungs can occur. The placental tissue is sent to the pathologist, who looks under the microscope to make the final diagnosis. An HCG level, and sometimes a thyroid level, are also obtained. In unusual cases, where the patient has completed her childbearing, a hysterectomy may be preferable. Although most cases of molar pregnancy occur after a miscarriage, some occur after ectopic pregnancies or a normal pregnancy. Therefore, women with abnormal bleeding or a persistent cough (especially if it produces blood) should see their doctor for an HCG level to make sure they do not have a molar pregnancy.

Follow-up
After evacuating a molar pregnancy it is critically important that the patient see her doctor frequently, as molar pregnancies can recur. Follow-up usually consists of a baseline chest x-ray, review of the pathology specimen, physical examination of the ****** and uterus every 2 weeks until the uterus returns to normal then every 3 months for a year, contraception like the pill or shot with no attempt to become pregnant for 1 year, and, most importantly, weekly HCG blood levels until zero then every month for a year. As one can see, this involves a lot of trips to the lab and the doctor’s office! This is important because molar pregnancies can “come back” even after a thorough D&C. When they come back the patient may need chemotherapy to prevent the microscopic placental cells from spreading to other organs like cancer. Fortunately, this only occurs in about 20% of complete molar pregnancies; it is even more uncommon with partial molar pregnancies. Many women are frustrated when their doctor recommends waiting one year to become pregnant. This is actually important, because a rise in HCG levels may indicate a normal pregnancy when the patient is trying to get pregnant, or a recurrent molar pregnancy, which requires chemotherapy. To avoid this confusion we ask for a 1 year period without becoming pregnant.

Treatment for recurrent molar pregnancy
When the HCG levels drop then increase again it means that the molar pregnancy has grown from microscopic cells in the wall of the uterus to larger cells. These cells can act like a cancer, and metastasize (spread) to other organs, like the lungs, brain, bones, and ******. Treatment for recurrent molar pregnancy, called gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, or GTN, in medical terms, usually consists of a chemotherapy medication called methotrexate. Fortunately, methotrexate is a pretty “easy” chemotherapy on the system, and can be given as an intramuscular shot. Sometimes only 1 shot is necessary. In other cases, multiple shots, or even the addition of other medications, is necessary. Also, when GTN is suspected, the patient usually gets a CT scan of the brain, lungs, and abdomen, and a battery of blood tests. Again, weekly HCG tests are obtained until they fall to zero, then careful follow-up is undertaken for a year. Patients can expect an almost 100% cure rate using chemotherapy.

Future Pregnancy
Fortunately, the risk of having another molar pregnancy is about 1% (1 in 100). Most doctors will perform an ultrasound to make sure the pregnancy is normal when a patient has had a prior molar pregnancy. It is also a good idea to send the placenta to the pathologist after the delivery just to make sure there are not abnormal areas

This article was by:

D. Ashley Hill, M.D. Associate Director Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Florida Hospital Family Practice Residency Orlando, Florida http://home.mpinet.net/dahmd

Other Articles by Dr. Hill

   We had a nice Labor day weekend.  Saturday we did errands, a little grocery shopping and then we had a nice evening with a campfire and we made Smores.. YUMMY.  Our daughter Sue came over with her husband Bill and of course Jaydon and Logan.  We had a good time.  Jaydon was very surprised when we he ran around the house to the back yard and there sat a bike we purchased for him at a yard sale for $10.  Logan already had one that we got early in the season very cheap at Kmart on clearance, so we have been looking all summer for one for Jaydon and low and behold we found one.  Needless to say he was happy and spent most of the evening riding around the back yard.  Kevin, Stacie's boyfriend came too, Stacie had to take my niece to a concert at the Allentown fair, the Jonas brothers (SP?).  I here they are a big band for teenage girls.  My nephew and his wife Rebecca also came along with Kevin's brother BT (I don't even know his real name just that they call him BT).  BT and Kevin are twins but look nothing alike, it's funny.  Then when we were having smores we saw a big flash of light and our electric went out.. UGH!  It was out from about 8:00 to 10:30 but we spent most of the evening outside around the campfire.  We had a good time.  We plan on doing a few more before the cold weather hits.

  Sunday we went to my X sister in law's 40th birthday party/picnic.  We had a nice time, she had a few friends, some of her family and my family, my sisters family and my brother there for the picnic.  She bought a new TV and entertainment center and furniture, her living room was very nice.  I had made a peach pie and a salad as my part to take.  The peach pie dissapeared quickly and the salad was all eaten too.

 Yesterday we had a yard sale, UGH what a dissaster.  Not many came at all, we do live on a back road but it's only 1/2 mile from the main road and we did put signs out.  But come to find out our neighbor about 1/4 away toward the main road also had one and I don't think the people realized that we were having one too, so we plan on having another one in 2 weeks depending on the weather.  This coming weekend we are busy so it will have to wait, I just think of all the work that goes into this, and I figure I will put the stuff up on ebay maybe after this one and donate the rest of the "stuff" I can't sell.  I had 12 bags of diapers out at between $2.50 to $4 a bag and not a one sold.. I couldn't believe it, although most of the people that came were senior citizens and maybe that is why.  We are actually thinking of moving it up to my brothers in a few weeks, (But I still have to get his permission  to do this.  He lives on the main road so maybe we would have better luck there.  I did manage to make $65 though but was hoping for much more with all the stuff we had.  I hope we have better luck in a few weeks.  Then after we packed the things up we went over to my sisters house for chicken, ribs, potato salad and freshly made bread.  Everything was delicious.  We had planned on making steaks on the grill but that will be tonights dinner, with a baked potato and some corn on the cob.  Then our neighbor Joe came over to visit a bit when we got home last night. 

   I am hoping to start posting more things on my blog shortly, my son is going to school for computers and I am hoping he can help me re-vamp my blog.  My blogging friend Miki helped me set up this one ( Thanks Miki) but for some reason when I look at it some of the thing pictures have dissapeared and it's just big blank empty spaces.  I would love to put up a place to make a weekly menu and recipes.  I would love to figure out how to sell some of my stuff on here, I do see some blogs like http://www.cherryhillcottage.typepad.com/cherryhill_cottage/  who sells things from time to time on hers, although it isn't the same kind of things I would sell.  I like ebay and all but boy do there "fees" take a chunk of our money out.  My son has a punching bag and gloves he tried to sell at the yard sale he had paid $75 for it and put $35 or BO on the tag but no one was interested.  Does anyone have any idea's how to sell some things other then ebay.  My friend Chas http://www.homesteadblogger.com/chas/ sells on Etsy but that is homemade things and I do not have a talent for making anything as Chas does.  I do want to say on Chas' Etsy she has pumpkin decorations for sale and I can tell you they are beautiful I had gotten some from her last year and I can't wait to put them out for fall this year.   So if anyone has any idea's please email me or post a comment.

  Well we recieved our pellet stove.  Although it's not in, my sister got one put it up and we had looked at it yesterday when we were down and it's very nice.  Ours is a fireplace insert which her's wasn't but it is the same brand.  We were told that the pellets were in high demand so we bought 2 ton right away and we are so glad we did.  There are none to be found around us anyway and they don't know when they will get more.  They had told us that about 2 1/2 ton should take us through the winter, so hopefully somebody gets some sometime through the winter and we can buy 20 or so more bags.  I know next year we will be buying them in May probably for the following season to avoid this, although we had bought these in July.  I am really going to keep close track how much this saves us on heating costs.  We paid a fortune for oil last year and it wasn't even very cold here in PA so I dread to think of the cost if it would be a "COLD" winter.

   Well today Amanda was to start school and they are on strike, she is bussed out of our school district because she has MR so she was a little dissapointed last night.  They had "talks" yesterday and could not come to an agreement so they will be "closed" until further notice as per my phone call last night.  My neighbor (Joe's wife Lyn) is a teacher down there so we pray this is a quick and speedy thing although by law they can only stay out 21 days, now I am not sure if that is 21 with weekends or not but that takes us almost into October if it's with weekends and in to early October if no weekends.  What I gather out of our conversation with Joe is that they aren't asking for much of anything and there is one guy on the school board that isn't agreeing with what the teachers want.  This school district is one of the lowest paid in the state of PA and what I found is they are a great school district to deal with especially with a special needs child like Amanda.  I have learned so much since we adopted Amanda with special needs schooling and I thank the school district she attends for that.   She is in a "Life skills" classroom and LOVES school.  And she has learned so much because of them.  So I pray for a quick resolution to this.  Our school district doesn't start until Sept 8th so they still have a small bit of their summer vacation left.

   I am hoping to blog more when school gets going.  And like I said I am hoping to change my "blog" look soon if my son helps me . 

I hope you have a wonderful  day on your Homestead.. I plan on picking tomato's and peppers........ and more tomato's and peppers..

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

Another weekend camping out in the back 20. Weather again was nice, called for rain but we had none. I was so hoping for rain to see how the Outpost held up.

Sis joined me the first night camping and Dh came for the food. I cooked what is called a Cowboy Sandwich, one of a great many yummy recipes found in Pioneer Women  and boy was it good. Mom gave me her big iron skillet that is almost three time biggger then the one I had. You can cook bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and a pancakes all at once. Its a biggy and has been on many years of camping trips in our family , so very seasoned.

Plans for having grilled chicken, but I didn't get around to butchering out some young roosters. So the cowboy sandwiches did the fill and next weekend will be chicken.

Oh when 2 sisters get together:

Now we are sitting around the campfire having our breakfast when we get a brainstorm, love those : ). This outpost needed a chuck wagon. A place so I can leave pots and pans and not have to carry back and forth to the house. So we rigged up a chuck wagon using a hog fence and big ol wagon wheels that I had propped up against fence posts for decoration.

Sis and hubby helped get the main structure up and I was left to build the wooded parts of the wagon. I went through our old wood pile, brushed off the bugs and started hauling the wood to the campsite. I use the mower w/ wagon, easy and fun going on the trials to the outpost.

Sis made a comment about the cover I made "Ruffles on a covered wagon"!, Ok it's a girly chuckwagon     We all love the wagon wheels.

Heres an up close. For a make shift chuck wagon it turned out prettty good. Its open but it will be handy while I make up grub and good for washing dishes to. I thought of painting it but everyone says just leave it rough looking. I could not possibly improve on it , lol.

I have an old lantern that hangs in the middle for decoration. I use a working lantern and it glows warm and inviting in the night.

Heres those iron skittlets one that I had and the big one Mom gave me, I treasure that one.

I brought up some old cups to use for coffee, the tin cowboy cups sure gets hot, burns your lips and fingers. So these will be used for hot coffee and cocoa.

I love nails, they make great holders for cooking utensils. The old flour sifter I found at a neighbors garage sale this weekend for 10 cents.

Those gals on Mary Janes Farm   will have me wearin an apron yet. This apron I had tucked away for years and forgot I had some old aprons.

Gosh both my grandmothers wore aprons and they were tough women to.

And then I just got to have flowers around, so I cut some wild little blackeye susan type flowers. They sit in this real old iron bucket, rounded on the bottom.

Please don't look at the eletric cord on the side. LOL. Sister still needs her fan on when she hits the hay.

Theres other things from the house that are old looking that I brought up to the camp, if I keep up the house will be clutter free.

Being as the Outpost is a trailer and theres a step up you have to do to get inside, you have to be pretty well balanced or you'll go for a tumble , so I got out this tather bar, used for tieing up goats and stuck it in the hole on the tongue of the trailer, its a great hand gripper when stepping on or off the front of the tent .

This is an overall view of the camp with the new chuckwagon. We even made  a better firepit, bigger and heavier grates and iron cross bars for holding pans. Sis made some S's bars for holding the dutch oven that I will soon be getting.

Notice that I'm a chair short in this picture from my last one. Yep ol darling hubby flatten my vintage chair : (, sat in it and down it went , kind of slow motion. He was ok but could not say the same for the chair. I'll be on the lookout for these vintage chairs to add to the camp, but may have to go back to stump sittin. Stump sitting for sure for DH.

Sunday evening Mom and sis and DH came up for coffee and smores. Mom had not seen the Outpost and I think she wanted to stay and campout , but being almost 83 yrs she thought she might get a cold in her bones, gosh we took her on a rubber raft float trip and slept in a tent  on her birthday last year. But maybe another time she will like to camp out.

 I always love hearing of Mom's camping trips , mostly her family did it for food, fishing and hunting , and not really for recreation. How they had no tents but slept on the ground. Gramps made a stove out of an old wash tub with four holes , just like a stove. This was grandma's mission, cooking for 7 people on the trips. She was the head Cookie, and I guess now I'm the head cookie at my Chuckwagon Outpost.

Now one more thing to add , when your camping by yourself, don't read an artical of a cougar attack  . I have been confronted by a cougar twice, as you read early on my blogs. But when you read about attacks and you know there could be a cougar outside your tent, it gets a little weary.

The night didn't have the moonshine as last week, so dark and  my firepit was just a small glow of ambers. I had to go to the bathroom. Thinkin about that cougar and nature calling I popped my head out of the tent door and looked around and trying to make out shapes and all I could do was say shooo, oh thata work on a cougar, shooo.

I got my flashlight out cause I seen movement , shined on the critter, it was the feral cat , I couldn't even make it shoo. But I figured if the little cat was still around that maybe the big cat was not, I hoped anyway.

I read some more hunting adventures in a stack of magazines that my BIL gave me for the outhouse, oh no I was in the tent reading these, not the outhouse. But I read some camping adventures with brighter outcomes. So cougar , UFO's, and Bigfoot sightings are not to be read when staying by yourself. Oh and maybe snakes either!!!

Thanks for stopping by my long blog, come visit anytime , we'll be going on one of those trails walks soon so come on by.

Blessings and a great week ahead

linda

Just came in from tilling. I'm making a new Iris bed in front of the house. I received 122 + Iris in the mail today from my Daves Garden Co-op. I didn't think I would get them this soon, so I have been tilling like crazy.

It has been raining so the new ground was not to bad to work with. I need to add more dirt to the low spots tomorrow and start planting.

Tis morning started out with a walk on the trails, then the rain came. It was such a light rain soft on the cheeks so I did not hurry. These last few days have been just wonderful weather wise. I'm thinking of moving my fall decorating up soon.

In The Kitchen:

Canning all those cherry tomatoes in to tomato sauce.

Oh how they grow good but so many. Just got the right thing for em. A food mill. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half , let em cook to soften up the skins and toss in the food mill. Grind away

I'm thinkin my own version of V8 , yum

Back jars have whole tomatoes which I left the seeds in, I don't really mind the seeds. But I have seen some pretty jars at the fair that the tomatoes did not have a seed one, blue ribbon stuff I tell ya.

So more canning and freezing up thegarden harvest. I might make some pear honey this weekend, yummy

Butterfly & Bee Garden:

This I planted from seed and a new plant on the homestead. Seed givin to me from DG member.

Honey Bee Blue, Agastache. I also have some white but it has not bloom yet.

Summer heat has kept me from doing a lot of weeding so with the rains and cooler weather , its cleanup time in the gardens.

Brown bagging:

Yep sis and I are still bringing our lunches when we go into town, this is where we stopped and had lunch earlier this week. Its so peaceful and the ducks and geese swim along. The sounds of a motorboat in the distance. It makes for a lovely place to eat a meal.

Morning Dew:

Lots of heavy dews that helps from watering and lots of foggy morning to this season.

A couple of pictures I took, thought they were cool, first one is dew on the thinnest little weeds, almost hair like , so delicate with a tint of color

This picture is a dew drop on a rusted cattle fence. Why this? Well it reminds me of one of the stories my Dad would tell sis and I when we were little girls. He said that there was another world in a drop of water, one so tiny we could not see with our eyes. Little tiny beings all in a world of their own. I know it sounds scifi but back then he had us with our eyes open and looking at the smallest things with awe.

Heres a morning dew poem you might enjoy.

Morning Dew
by Robert Frost

How does it get there?
It just appears from nowhere
The morning dew comes down
And the sun starts to shine.

It's so thin and hardly moist
Like the air of a mountain
The morning dew comes down
And morning's officially begun.

It hardly ever comes
At the exact same time
The morning dew comes down
And clouds peak through the sky.

It never lasts long
Like the good things in life
The morning dew comes down
Meaning another gorgeous day.



All take good care
Many Blessings
linda

The Outpost happen this weekend. Got the popup trailer moved to the campsite and all set up.

Its a vintage trailer so it fit's right nicely with the vintage chairs and glider. I think I'll just keep em rusty looking, it fits the woods.

It looks and feels like this is the place it has always been, I just love it. Now for staying the whole weekend : ). Mostly the evenings and mornings.

The Hen Den needed cleaning and gardening needed to be done and a major cleanup on a junk pile that both hubby and I created, mostly dh,I keep my junk,lol. When you got a 20ft roll off dumpster ready to be filled with JUNK, you know its major.

Outpost: the camp

The Outpost is snuggled in between a small cedar and a larger one, I like the looks of the back of the tent as it peaks through the trees, it looks good from inside to and smells good as well. That fresh woods smell.

Now if theres an Outpost you gotta have an outhouse!!!

I did some cleaning out of spiders and such, it needs to have something else in there to warm it up, maybe a wooden toilet seat. Maybe an old picture or something.

Theres an old fashion lantern that we use and a can that holds toilet paper, no Wards Catalog or corn cobs. I like the city soft paper stuff.

Now this can says it all for holding toilet paper.

I like to wash up so heres the water hole right next to the outhouse.

Even tho I cleaned the can out it still had a bit of rusty water flowing out, its clear now.

Heres a vintage pillow case for drying your hands on.

Plans for a washhouse will be up and running this fall. until then I'll just have to throw a bucket of water over the top of my head for a bath.

I'm going to leave my basket of dishes up at the camp in the Outpost storage. Its full of cowboy cups and tin pans, no pastic or paper on this campout.

Outpost Day 1:

Sis stayed with me the first night, she played her tin whistle and we had the fire going and coffee on.

Being as I forgot to get hotdogs, sis had made a yummy spaghetti dinner over at Mom's, so we were full and the coffee hit the spot.

Now both sis and I are night owls but we were tired this evening. I guess its the warm fire and the cool night. But all that coffee we drank, what gives. So we turned in early, about 11:30, lol. and looked at the moon lighting on the trees and listening to the night sounds. It wasn't long before I heard a Zip Up and Zip Down, the coffee hit us both.

The sound of a tents zipper brings on the "Nature Calls" no matter how deep of a sleep your in or how late it is. So the outhouse was being use this weekend, big time.

After a sorta good nights rest we were up early hoping our backs were not out of wack sleeping on boards and pads. We seem to be ok. So breakfast was on.

Started the fire and put the coffee pot on then it was cookin time. Bacon and eggs w/ toast and jam.

The bacon is scrambled, oh I do wish I could have made straight bacon for the picture but it curled up fast , but it was still good eats.

I know theres a lot of grease but those eggs were good to.

Sis and I made up for it with a walk on the trails. We just missed the heavy fog but there was some still in the low spots. Its a great walk on the trails in the very early morning and fog is all around. You just hope nothing jumps out at ya.

We like to sleep with fans on in our own homes. I even got dh use to a fan. But I was opting for no fans or eletricity on this campout. But sis had to have her fan, so I drug up the cord and we had a fan and lights. Oh well!!!!!

We had a great time and she plans on staying at the camp once in awhile. We talked of the many camping and float trips we use to take when we were kids and just last year on a float rubber raft trip. Its fun remembering  ol times.

Outpost day 2:

Now this eveing I was alone. DH didn't want to campout being as he had to get up early and head to work so I was on my own. Just like it was back when I was younger and stayed in the woods in my old vintage trailer.

I didn't use the fan, had lots of covers incase it got cold. It got down to 50* so it was not bad at all.

I did use the lamp, I mean it was already up there so why not. It was good for reading, so after having a cup of coffee with Dh, he was off to catch the news and then to bed. So I sat and watched the fire for awhile and listen to the night sounds.  The moon was up and showing. It makes the trails light up so one doesn't even need a flash light to go on a moonlight stroll.

I had DH take are pup Coal back with him. I was concearn that if a critter got in the camp Coal would not let up. But then I think of our cougar sightings lately and wonder if it would be a good idea for her to be around, but I so wanted to have a good nights rest. So off she went with hubby.

Some years back I did two up front meets with a cougar over at our first homestead in the sticks. I was coming up the hill with a heavy rock (we didn't have wagons so it was hand carried if you wanted rocks up on the hill) so there it was , I seen the big head and shoulders of a cougar sitting there looking at me coming up the hill. I just froze. My mind was blank. I could not lift the rock above my head and toss it at the cougar, the worst I could have none was drop it on my foot. Oh that would be good hobbling along running from a cougar on my tail. Nope I just froze, cougar left thank heavens.

Oh no one believes ya when you tell of a cougar licking his lips at ya, Not a soul. Until the day the cougar sliced up one of our horses backside and the screams of a women in the night that brings the back of your hair on your neck stand on end. And then it happen again Mom and I were standing about 15 ft from our campsite and there the cougar walked right by. You guessed it, we froze, like 2 popcycles. And you know others didn't believe us still. Guess it takes 30 plus years and the Conservation to admitt there are cougar in our area. :/

So I carry a stick and stand tall when and if confronted with a cougar. Never ever run or you will be lunch.

So my campout was different staying alone and on alert just incase. It was a very quiet night which makes you really wonder why. Light sounds of crickets and frogs on the pond was about it. A hoot owl earlier and the moon shining through the trees made for a very nice campout.

Next weekend i'll be cooking dinner on the fire, DH says he'll campout then, lol. Food does it all the time. I got to buckle down the hatch at the Outpost incase we get rain.

Breaking camp is sad, but knowing I'll be doing this most every weekend until I can't stand the cold or I freeze first. I would love to camp out in the snow like I did many moons ago.

All have a great week and thanks for stopping by, join me on my next campout, bring your appetite cuz I'm sure theres going to be some good eats at the campfire.

Blessings
linda

OK I thought I would share some pictures of John putting the floor down in the kitchen...

Here he more of the floor down........

And then here is is making chicken wings YUMMY

And they surely were delicious!

And then below are a few with pictures, although the kitchen isn't finished, we ripped out part of the wall between my office and kitchen, we invested in a wood pellet stove and are hoping the warmth of the stove will heat our living room and my office-old dining room.  As you can see the back splash and painting still need to be done. Along with fixtures for the plugs and lights and a few other odds and ends..  But it has come so far since the other pictures I have shared.

WE had our "annual Picnic" last weekend, it was a huge success I am happy to say.. John even has a "job" lined up to finish a friends dining room, most people were just amazed at the talent my honey has for doing almost any odd job around the house.  A few people told him he's in the wrong business (he's a truck driver) and should be doing this for a living.  I agree, but at 48 years old he just can't see changing careers now. But a few side jobs would be great.  But he is so particular about the way things are done, he tends to be a bit slow because he wants everything to be "perfect" that he does and he really does come close to being perfect with anything he has done around here.  I can't see the imperfections until he points something out to me. 

  Tomorrow is our August camping trip, our 2 daughters and son in law and 2 grandsons are coming up for a few days and then it will be just John and I for a few days.  That's ok we like our "quiet time" too.

Then we return it's back to getting the kitchen worked on.  And I am planning a yard sale on labor day weekend, wish me luck.. I have wanted to do it a few times and then it rained.  I have the whole back bedroom with things priced and ready to sell, you can barely walk in it, and I could probably fill up 2 more rooms, hopefully next spring I can have a huge sale, depending on what sells in a few weeks.

I am sad to say I haven't gotten to any yard sales this year, we have just been so busy and our summer has flown by like many of yours has.

Well I won't be on for awhile, I hope to take some pictures to share on our vacation. 

Have a great weekend on your homestead.. we are..

Lisa

Hope you like sunflowers, got a few pictures of them to share. They are pretty again this year and I have different types.

This first group is a light yellow standing about 4 1/2 ft. New for me this year. Seeds came in a package called Autumn Beauty. I was surprised to see light colored sunflowers in a package of dark orange sunflowers. The birds will enjoy eating these seeds.

Heres one with a bummble bee checking it out.

Next two are the same color, I just like the way they look.

Now heres what I think Autumn Beauty looks like, a more darker color sunflower.

Now for those big boys, the Manmoth sunflowers, you need to put your sunglasses on when you look at these guys

Heres one curling and loaded with sunflowers seeds

This one is smaller but a nice yellow color

Heres how I feel after a day in town, all ready to call it a day.

When sis and I go into town we sometime pass a large area of Manmoth Sunflowers. We go in and they are all facing the East as the sun is rising and then they look as if they follow the sun as it sets in the west with their heads turned a bit as we head home. Now in the last week or so their heads hang down heavy with seeds. Soon it will be harvest time and nothing left but a stubble of what was once a beautiful sunflower bringing in the days sunshine and bursting with sunlight itself.

Hopes of another good year of sunflowers in that patch. Every year it happens and I never get tired of looking at the different stages it goes through.

Weekend plans:

Been clearing and cutting the paths bigger to get the Outpost popup trailer up in the woods. Sis is planning on camping out with me this weekend , while dh says he's stayin in his soft bed and TV :P. I bet he comes up for some hot outdoor coffee tho , who can resist that.

I was going to have a hot dog cook out but dang dab it, I forgot the hot dogs and buns . So I'll have to think of somethin' else for eats. I don't want to take an hour drive to get a hotdog :P, steak maybe but not a hot dog!!!

Might bring the telescope up to the camp for some star gazing , if we wait tell the fire goes down we should see the stars and moon, thats if its not cloudy. The moon has been beautiful the last couple of days.

So on that note I'm going to say goodnight cuz I feel like that sunflower tonight. I think I'll head over to Moms, sis is there and plans on cooking some outdoor coffee to, what did I say, "who can resist that"

Pic of that moon the other night, looks like fall doesn't it.

Have a great weekend and thanks for the visit.
Blessing
linda

Puddle Cake

1 1/2c flour

3T cocoa

1C brown sugar

1t salt

1t soda

6T oil

1T vinegar

1t vanilla (i didn't have any, so omitted it and didn't notice !!)

1C water

Sift dry ingredients in pan. (ok....i did it in a mixing bowl as I was making two mini loave) Make a "puddle" in the top of the mixture by adding oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour on water. Stir with wooden spoon till smooth.

**normally you would bake at 350F for 35-40min BUT BUT BUT I poured the mixture into two small loaf pans and steamed them for about 25 min I guess..........THE BOYS LOVED THEM!!! not much difference in texture either. I am so happy about this new "technique" granted, it isn't new, so I am having fun having my cakes again!!!! i wonder if this will work with biscuits and what other things it will work with.........hmmm.......