Homesteading Dream

Menu for the Week & Grocery List/Receipt

2012-02-10T11:30:00.002-05:00

Friday-
Breakfast- Baked Oatmeal, fruit, kefir
Lunch- Homemade chicken noodle soup, w/ ww bread
Dinner- Homemade mac n cheese, broccoli, salad w/ homemade dressing.

Saturday-
Breakfast- Baked dutch pancake, fruit, kefir
Lunch- Peanut butter, apple sandwiches, sliced raw veggies
Dinner- Baked beans in the crockpot, salad and ww artisan bread

Sunday-
Breakfast- Ham & egg bake (started the night before) fruit, kefir
Lunch- Egg salad sandwiches, raw veggies
Dinner- Spaghetti w/ meatballs, salad, ww artisan bread.

Monday-
Breakfast- ww stuffed french toast, fruit, kefir
Lunch- leftovers
Dinner- Ham, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, corn and ww artisan bread (Birthday dinner with the in-laws)

Tuesday-
Breakfast- Bacon, eggs, homefries, homemade ww biscuits
Lunch- Chicken salad wraps, fruit and water kefir
Dinner-Split pea stew in the crockpot, salad w/ homemade dressing, ww artisan bread.

Wednesday-
Breakfast- Cinnamon, vanilla granola with homemade yogurt, fruit
Lunch- Fried egg sandwiches, kefir smoothies
Dinner- Tangy pork in the crockpot, brown rice, roasted carrots, salad

Thursday-
Breakfast- scrambled eggs, ww biscuits, fruit, kefir
Lunch- Dill, yogurt cucumbers in pitas
Dinner- Venison steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and salad

Grocery List

Milk-raw- 4 gallons (from Upingil Farm.)

Sprouts-2lbs (from the Gill Greenery...awesome friends!)

Eggs- 6 dozen (At the moment our chickens aren't laying. We buy the best eggs we can get from the store in the meantime.)
2lb's of cheddar
White sugar (to feed the kombucha)
Oatmeal- 3 boxes
2lbs of navy beans
2lbs of split green peans
Peanut butter
Deodorant (for the hubby)
Broccoli
Green beans
Asparagus
Sweet Potatoes
Lettuce
Celery
Carrots-5lbs
Oranges
Apples
Frozen berries
Frozen OJ concentrate

And the Grocery Receipt...

24.00 Raw milk
6.00 sprouts

2.49 cage free eggs, 18 pack
2.49 cage free eggs, 18 pack
2.49 cage free eggs, 18 pack
2.49 cage free eggs, 18 pack
3.19 lb shredded cheddar
3.19 lb shredded cheddar
1.69 OJ concentrate
1.69 OJ concentrate
3.29 2lbs whole frozen strawberries
3.29 2lbs whole frozen strawberries
3.29 2lbs whole frozen strawberries
1.69 12 oz frozen blackberries
1.69 12 oz frozen blackberries
1.69 12 oz frozen blackberries
1.69 12 oz frozen blackberries
3.49 organic romaine hearts
2.00 conventional romaine hearts
3.29 12 pck of naval oranges
3.29 12 pck of naval oranges
1.79 5 pck of cucumbers
1.79 5 pck of cucumbers
1.69 celery
2 @ 2 for a 1.00 scallions...only they weren't scallions they were asparagus!
(They were supposed to be 1.99 a lb and I would have corrected the cashier if I had caught this at the store.)
3.02 for 3.05lbsof broccoli crowns
4.08 for 5.92lbs of sweet potatoes
2.50 Teddy unsalted natural peanut butter
2.50 Teddy unsalted natural peanut butter
2.50 parmesan cheese
2.00 BBQ sauce (a specific brand my hubby likes and requested.)
2.00 Old Fashioned Oats
2.00 Old Fashioned Oats
2.00 Old Fashioned Oats
2.79 5lbs of white sugar (for kombucha only)
1.19 for 2 6oz cans of tomato paste
1.19 for 2 6oz cans of tomato paste
1.19 for 2 6oz cans of tomato paste
.99 split peas
.99 split peas
.99 navy beans
.99 navy beans
2.99 hubby's deodorant

Total 120.60

I just wanted to add that our pantry is full of staples right now from a recent co-op order. I have coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, sea salt, hard and soft wheat berries, kamut and spelt berries, sucanat, cane juice crystals, raw honey, maple syrup, lots of ww pasta, tomato sauce etc. We also have pork from pigs we raised with friends, and venison from the buck Roy brought in this fall. All of these things make for cheaper weekly shopping trips, but I do have to routinely add to our stores of food to keep them up. :)You'll notice several freezer/pantry items will have multiples...

Romans 7:15

2012-02-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Romans 7:15 ESV

This verse really sums up our eating habits from the past several months. Our good intentions always seem to fall by the wayside of budget constraints, time constraints...and general laziness constraints :P It's time to take the reigns and this runaway wagon back under control! lol.

I'm pulling all of my friends out of the fridge (kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir) and starting a new Sal the Sourdough pet. Having a living kitchen has always been such fun for us, and I'm really looking forward to getting back into it.

I'm going to be posting my menu's, grocery lists and receipts here (for some accountability and maybe to inspire others?) Friends are welcome to (kindly) call me out if you see something on there that you shouldn't!

Living Psalm 23

2011-10-11T09:51:00.000-04:00

I have started this post a few times...only to delete it and start over ;)

My little blogging hiatus was not planned. I've been gently nudged from friends to write about what I was going through, but I really didn't want to use this blog as a place to whine or complain. lol. So I'm going to share the details as emotionless-ly as possible.

Back in August, my children and I went to the beach for a few days with my mother. We had a great time, but while I was there, I found a lump in my belly. My routine, yearly physical was already scheduled for the following week, so I tried not to stress and just let it go.

A week later, my Dr. confirmed that I had a large tumor in my pelvic area. They suspected that it was attached to my uterus, and set me up for an ultrasound the following day. The ultrasound showed that the mass was most likely attached to one of my ovaries, and it was quite large. The next referral was to the Ob/Gyn.

The Dr. was very professional, kind and knowledgeable. He set me up for some additional blood work and an MRI. The blood work would give a better idea if this...thing....was cancerous.

I need to stop for a moment and explain that I have a phobia of cancer. (Which I think many people probably share.) Cancer is a nasty disease that has taken several people that I loved dearly. As soon as I heard the terms "tumor" and "mass", I was terrified. I'm not afraid of dying, I know that I am saved. I know I'll be "promoted to glory" as one of our sweet pastors say, when that day comes.

The fear was for my family. I was hurting at the thought of my husband having to raise our sweet children alone. I was trying to think about how I would prepare my family, how to tell my husband it would be okay to love again if I die.

I went to the Lord (several times :) with my fears, and He brought me peace. "The peace that passes understanding" became a tangible, real thing to me. Even if this mass was cancerous, God loves me and He would carry my family and I through this.

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.." I felt like I was in the valley, with the shadow of death lurking over me. But God was with me and took those fears away.

The MRI showed that the mass was 14.5 centimeters in diameter and was hemorrhaging inside. The blood work came back with elevated levels, but not high enough that they felt the need to immediately refer me to an Oncologist.

Surgery was scheduled for Oct. 3rd. The Dr. told me he would begin the surgery laparoscopically. He was going to insert a scope, see what exactly what he was getting into, and he would take a small sample of the mass to send to pathology. If the fast test came back that the mass was benign, he would try to remove it laparoscopically. I was also warned that he would probably have to make a larger incision to remove the mass, and that I may end up having to have a hysterectomy and stay in the hospital three or more days.

My church family is the best. I have had these awesome people praying for me from the very beginning. Our prayer was that the mass would be a weird cyst, that it would be benign, and that the Dr. would be able to remove it laparoscopically without having to take all of my female pieces parts.

The Lord answered our prayers almost to the T! The surgery was completed laparoscopically. The mass was benign, and the Dr. determined it was a dermoid cyst that had ruined one of my ovaries and had started to adhere to other organs. He removed the cyst, and the one ovary. I was able to leave the hospital the same day!

The recovery has been slower than I had hoped, but I'm taking each day as it comes. A week later and I'm still pretty sore, but am slowly starting to move a little easier. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers, well wishes..and really yummy food :) I have my wonderful family around me, my friends and church family supporting me...to say that I am blessed is an understatement!

God is soo good, He is faithful, and He lovingly carried me through this valley and I right now, I am resting beside the still waters :)

Cast Iron...and My Personal Obsession ;)

2011-08-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Kelley and I'm a cast iron-aholic. There, I said it! lol.

I love cast iron. Let me but count the ways...

-Baking in the oven. (Cookies, pies, breads etc.)
-Roasting in the oven. (Meats, veggies etc.)
-Sauteing on the stovetop
-Frying foods. (The best eggs in the whole world!)
-Cooking soups and stews.
-Cooking over the campfire.

The lists and uses can go on and on! :)

The benefits to using cast iron are numerous too. Just a couple of my favorites...

-Cast iron is one of the oldest types of cook wear around. Chances are, your grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother (and so on) used cast iron! And in many families, those original pans are still around.
-If taken care of properly, it can last indefinitely, unlike the non-stick pans that usually have to be replaced.
-You can buy one piece of cast iron at a time. Garage sales, flea markets etc. are great places to find cast iron.
-Even if it's been neglected, it's easy to bring it back to a beautiful condition.
-Cast iron heats evenly and holds it's heat even after you've shut the burner off.
-I love the ability to take something from the stovetop and pop it in the oven if needed. Less dishes, less clean-up! (Not to mention you don't need to store as many pans!)
-And the best thing about cast iron is that it doesn't give off toxic fumes like the non-stick cook wear does.

Here are some of my cast iron pieces. There are some I use more than others, but they are all great to have on hand. A couple of things were purchased for me new ( a beautiful Emeril dutch oven, my bread pans, and my pie plates.) The rest of them were purchased at yard sales or flea markets :) I try to only by pieces that were made in the US, usually by Wagner or Griswold (though Lodge has some nice pieces too), and I won't spend a lot of money on them either. Many people are turned off by cast iron that is rusty etc., but not me. A little bit of elbow grease, some good fat and a warm oven will usually make even the ugliest pan shine ;)

(If you are thinking of buying some cast iron used, the only thing to avoid would be pans with a warped or pitted bottom.)

Here's how I restore and season my cast iron. (This is assuming that I'm starting with a grungy, used piece of cast iron.)

-Pre-heat the oven to 450*
-Next, I grab some steel wool and start scrubbing. I scrub the pan until it's nice and smooth and all of the old seasoning/grime has come off.
-Once the pan is clean and naked, I pop it in the oven. (I only leave it in the oven for a few minutes, this is just so that it completely dries the iron and it gives it a nice dark, uniform color.)
-I let the pan cool on the stove top until I can handle it again.
-Next, I lightly coat it with a fat of some kind. Many people use Crisco, but I can't stand that stuff and usually use lard or another natural fat. (I have found that olive and coconut oils are NOT the best for seasoning. Animal fats like butter, lard, and tallow seem to work the best and create a good, non-stick seasoning.)
-After lightly and completely (make sure you cover the handle, sides and bottom) coating the pan with a healthy fat, I turn the oven down to 400* and put the pan back into the oven for 30 minutes. (I usually flip the pan upside down in the oven.)
-When the 30 min. is up, I shut the oven off and allow the pan to cool in the oven on it's own. Once the pan is cooled, it's ready to be put away.

That's it! I routinely season my cast iron to keep it "healthy" and rust free. The only difference in the routine seasoning is that I don't need to do the scrubbing :)

Every day use and care is even easier.

While my pan is still hot from being used, I put a bit of water in it and return it to the burner it was on. I use a little scrub brush and gently swish off any particles of food that may have been left behind. (If I feel the need to sanitize the pan, depending on what was cooked, I let the water come to a simmer in the pan.) Then I dump out the dirty water, quickly rinse the pan and put it back on the warm unit. The heat from the pan and unit quickly dry the pan, and then I put a light coating of fat on the pan to keep up the seasoning. (I find paper towels are the best for this.) Once the pan has cooled, I put it away.

It is actually easier for me to clean and season a cast iron pan than it was for me to clean the old non-stick ones!

The bread pans are even easier. I coat the pans with butter before putting the dough in them, bake as I usually would with any pan, and then while they are still hot, I wipe out any moisture or crumbs. That's it! They get re-seasoned occasionally, and are so easy to use!

Is it any wonder that I love cast iron? ;)

-Easy
-Frugal
-Healthier (And the flavor is far superior!)
-Lasts a loooong time

Culturing for Health, For Life!

2011-08-12T08:16:00.000-04:00

One of the many things that God has been working on me with lately is our nutrition. Before I got sick, we had fallen into the summer rut of unhealthy, fast, and easy foods. With the heat, it was easy to justify hotdogs, and chips for a meal...and while on occasion hot dogs aren't going to kill you, they aren't going to lead to health and vitality either :P

I'm even more determined than ever to get back to basics of whole, nourishing foods since getting sick!

My darling children love to help me take care of the living cultures in our kitchen. Kombucha, dairy kefir, water kefir, and sour dough starter can all usually be found on/in our counter tops or cupboards. Towards the beginning of the summer, one of my daughters asked to care for the cultures...needless to say, disaster struck and we are starting from scratch with a few of our cultures.

That's okay though. This is the perfect time to get them all going again. The warm weather is encouraging happy cultures (especially the sour dough!) and it feels great to have a "living kitchen" again.

We are going to be starting some pickles, sour kraut and some lacto fermented salsa. I'm also going to dig the ole juicer out and start juicing up some fresh veggies and fruits!

If you haven't started any of these cultures, I think the easiest is the sour dough. I love starting mine with rye flour, but any flour will work. 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup un-chlorinated water, combine in a clean jar (that is big enough to allow for doubling once it gets big and happy..trust me it will grow!) Scrape down the sides, through a clean cloth over the top and secure with a rubber band. Leave it on the counter for 12 hours. In 12 hours give it a good stir and recover. From then on, twice a day, dump half of the starter into the compost and feed it the same measurements (1/3 cup flour, and 1/4 cup water) stir and scrape down the sides. Cover with cloth and rubber band.

In this weather, by day 5 you should have a happy, healthy new pet that will help to feed your family an easy, healthy, nutritious food!

Recipes to come.....

Summer Sicknesses...

2011-08-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

Being sick in the summer has got to be one of the worst things to deal with. I have strep throat, ear infection and what the Dr. believes in pneumonia. It has surely put a damper on my summer plans! I'm having a very hard time watching my garden go by, the lawn needing attention, schoolwork that was supposed to be done, food made etc.

For everything there is a season..and I guess this is my season to take it easy and heal. :)

Here are some things that I'm going to be blogging about soon:

-Women hunting
- Charlotte Mason education
-Herbs and nutrition
-Cast iron

Menu Planning...

2011-07-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

I've had several people (including "real life" friends) ask me how to menu plan. Today I'm going to share how I make a menu. :)

Most of the meals that we make have to pass a "criteria" of sorts...Easy, healthy, basic ingredients that we have on hand, and it has to taste good :)

Start off by writing (or printing out) a blank menu for the week (or month.) Be as vague or specific as you want to be. If you have never menu planned, start just with dinners. If you want to be specific, you can plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

I usually write on my menu any events that may be going on that week. Writing in our appointments, functions, etc. helps me to know how much time I may or may not have for any given meal.

The first step in menu planning is to take an inventory of the items you have on hand. Make an inventory for your freezer, fridge and pantry. See if there are any things that need to be used right away. (Even meat & veggies in the freezer need to be used up.) Come up with as many meals as possible with these items you have on hand. Plug them into your menu.

The next step is to take a look at your grocers sales flyer. If there is a really great sale on beef, then I think of the different meals I can make with that beef. (Roast, steak, kabobs, soups, stews, casseroles etc.) This is how I finish off my menu plan.

I also try to have one or two meals in my back pocket, ready to whip out on a crazy night. It's much better to have a home made frozen dinner, pizza, pasta etc. than to head to McDonalds.

Once you get a stash of menu's going, it's very easy to re-use different recipes. ;)

Summer 2011

2011-07-12T11:17:00.001-04:00

Are you enjoying your summer? Are you living your life to the fullest?

We are! :)

Here's a glimpse of our summer so far...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

One Year Ago...

2011-07-06T09:16:00.002-04:00

One year ago, I was more or less bedridden. I was confined to a mattress on our living room floor, barely able to walk.

Today, I'm back to exercising, gardening, LIVING!! I was able to play badminton and volleyball this weekend. I can't tell you how sweet each moment is and how much more it all means to me.

God is so good. He IS the great physician and His love and faithfulness amaze me every day ;)

Back From the Beach..

2011-06-29T15:06:00.003-04:00

My mother and I took my crazy monsters to the beach for three days. (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.)

It was a great trip, very relaxing and fun. We have 2 new favorite beaches, Old Silver Beach in Falmouth MA, and Horse Neck Beach in Westport. Out of the two, Horse Neck Beach was our most favorite!

Pictures will be forthcoming...after my sweet husband has a chance to fix my laptop cord ;) (It was mysteriously severed...though our children know nothing about it...and the animals aren't coming clean either :P

Busy, busy, busy!

2011-06-17T09:43:00.009-04:00

We have been soo busy just living lately! Between my family, school, home, yard and garden..whew ;)

Here's the new perennial herb garden..we have chives, rosemary, oregano, and mint so far.

One of the beautiful Foxglove plants a lovely neighbor shared with us...

We've been getting fresh strawberries almost daily! (I was so concerned that we wouldn't get anything from them after losing half of our plants last year.)

An aerial view of our "little" garden. The front 4 rows have another planting of strawberries (mid-season berries) then it's asparagus, rhubarb, heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, basil, dill, our new fruit trees etc. and you can see that half of the 1st strawberry patch is pretty empty...

And then there's the "big" garden... green beans, wax beans, Italian beans, lots of tomatoes, summer squash, onions, carrots, beets, popcorn, green peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, and muskmelon.

And then you can see our lovely clothesline ;) We can fit up to 7, large loads of clothes on these lines!

This summer will probably be more picture/video blogging. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? :)

Charlotte Mason Styles...

2011-06-09T08:48:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned before that we are striving to use the Charlotte Mason method for teaching our kiddos. Coming up with a course of study has been kind of difficult! Not because there's a lack of information out there to choose from, but because there's an abundance and I don't want to miss any of it :P

Our course of study was compiled using 3 different sites. Ambleside Online, Simply Charlotte Mason, and Tanglewood Home School Curriculum. The greatest part about finding each of these curriculum guides was that it made me realize, that even using the CM method, there are different ways of achieving the goal of educating our children.

Ambleside Online is very rigorous. We are using the Year 6 book schedule (with a bit of tweaking ;) for our soon to be 8th graders, and it is not going to be a cake walk for them! Against the advice of some of the Ambleside forum members, I'm going to do a combo of Year 0 and Year 1 for Karina and Adam. Adam is very young for Year 1, but I really do not want 3 different years going if I can help it. The other difference we are making is History.. we are going to have all 4 children learning History together. My decision to do this was influenced by Simply Charlotte Mason.

Simply Charlotte Mason also has an excellent, free curriculum guide. It tends to have a gentler, milder approach. I loved some of the book selections, and have added them to the ones we had on our list. I love that Simply Charlotte Mason advocates teaching as many grades/subjects together as possible.

We'll be studying Bible, History, Poetry, Composers, Artists, and more as a whole family. Many of the free reading books will be read out loud, together.

Tanglewood Home School Curriculum combined CM and the Classical model of education. The books lists were also excellent. We'll be adding some of these to our selections as well. Unfortunately it stops at the 8th grade.

There are many more forums, blogs, and websites that have been invaluable in forming our book lists. It's been wonderful seeing all the ways that people have interpreted Ms. Mason's writings.

I'm looking forward to seeing what "style" we will have :)

Tuesdays Tidbits...

2011-06-07T19:09:00.003-04:00

I'm going to keep Tuesday's posting for tidbits of what may be happening in our lives :)

*We are starting to wrap up the current school year, and will be rolling right into a new one.

*The gardens are looking beautiful and we're praying for a bountiful harvest!

*The strawberries we planted last year have lots of berries that are just starting to ripen. Though we started with 50 plants, we are getting just enough each morning to have a little with our breakfast. Next year should be much better with the newest batch of 50 we've planted. (Over 100 plants with the originals and the "daughter" plants!)

*The heat has suddenly hit New England (as well as some bizarre tornadoes?!?) Tomorrow's forecast has the temp hitting 96*! If you need us, you'll find us at the lake with our schoolbooks :P

*Fishing and swimming, mowing the lawn, broody chickens, lovely perennials....I love summer!

*Changes to our blog posts...we'll be mostly photo blogging. More info to come!

Spring Rolling Into Summer...

2011-05-28T08:21:00.004-04:00

Spring is quickly rolling into Summer in New England! We went from rainy, chilly days to beautiful, sunny and hot ones :)

With the new season, comes lots of changes for our family. Our current school year is in the process of rolling over into the new one. We have our garden planted, and now have to work on keeping up with it. Not to mention keeping up with the housework, cooking, and laundry :P Life is full!

Here's what our days are looking like now..

Wake by 5AM.
Dress and make breakfast.
Eat Breakfast and have Bible time (work on memory verses). (Daddy off to work)
Animal chores are done, and a quick tidy-up in the house.
Hang laundry outside.
Do cleaning chore of the day.
Start school around 8AM
Math
Language Arts at each childs levels (Phonics, grammar, reading, spelling, dictation, narration, copywork etc. )
Go outside around 10AM
Nature studies, work in the garden, play in the sprinkler...have fun!
Lunch and tea time at Noon. Read-a-loud time, poetry, composer or artist study. Foreign languages too.
Science or History.
Finish up any schoolwork by 3PM
Quick tidy-up before Daddy gets home from work.
Start dinner, kids have free time.
Dinner at 5PM
After supper clean-up (which my loving kiddo's do while I get to spend some quiet time with the hubby ;)
Bring clothes in off the line, fold them and put them away. Start another load.
Showers start.
Quiet free reading until bedtime. (1-2hrs depending on the night)
Kids to bed at 8PM, Mama to bed at 9PM :)

Our laundry schedule has changed too. We start a load of laundry in the evening, and in the morning it goes out on the line. If we have towels or sheets to wash, the are washed in the morning and hung right out on the line. All of the clothes get folded and put away in the evening. This probably won't work for us when things get colder (warmer clothes are bulkier, not to mention there are more layers etc.) but for now it's been working wonderfully.

I'm much more relaxed about my house...or at least trying to be! It's a work in progress. :) My cleaning chores are;

-Monday Outdoor work (clean vehicles, mow lawn, work in perennials etc.)
-Tuesday Bathroom
-Wednesday Living Areas and floors
-Thursday Kitchen
-Friday Grocery shopping & errands or baking day
-Saturday Bedrooms

So far, this is what's been working for us! :)

Trying To Be The Mama...

2011-05-21T09:10:00.002-04:00

that I believe God wants me to be.

What does that look like? To me, it means stressing less and loving and relaxing more.

I want to savor the moments with these children that God has given me. I want to curl up in the hammock with them and just read a book in the sunshine. I want to go on nature walks and hold those grubby little hands while they look for worms or salamanders.

How many moments have I missed because I was so caught up in the house that wasn't perfect, or the laundry that wasn't done, or the food that just has to be prepared right now.

We are called to be keepers of our homes. I don't want to give the impression that cleanliness isn't important, but the house will still be there in 10 years...some of these kiddos won't be.

I want our home to be filled with love, laughter and learning. If there happens to be some dishes in the sink or a pair of dirty socks on the floor, I'm okay with that ;)

2011-2012 Homeschool Curriculum

2011-05-16T12:28:00.010-04:00

For some reason, I've had a hard time planning out this years course of study. I'm not sure why ....other than that I've just been going in too many directions :P I think the other sticking point for me is that it's just dawned on me that my older girls only have 5 years of school left. That blows me away! I want to make sure that they are prepared for the "adult world" and that they have a firm foundation in the Bible...

Our curriculum for the year is a mix & match made to fit our family. Simply Charlotte Mason, Ambleside Online, Tanglewood School Curriculum, and Living Books Curriculum have all been wonderful resources!

So without further ado:

8th Grade-

Bible-The girls will be responsible for independently reading 4-5 chapters of the Bible each day during personal devotions. We'll also be working together studying Genesis-Deuteronomy alongside our history studies.

History-We will be studying the Ancients: Egypt, Rome and Greece using Truthquest manuals and lots of living books.

Geography-Map drills depending on the area and period studied. Our first focus will be on Egypt and Africa.

Current Events-Will be through reading the local newspaper as well as a few conservative news blogs.

Math- Saxon 87

Science- Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science

Nature Studies-

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
School of the Woods by William J. Long
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carlson

Biography's-
Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik
Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick
Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen

Literature-
The Little Britches Series by Ralph Moody
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Iliad- Tales of Troy by Andrew Lang

Poetry-
Robert Frost
Carl Sandberg
Alfred Noyes

Grammar & Composition- Language Lessons for the Secondary Child by Sandi Queen

Free Reading- This will be one-two hours mandatory per day, but the girls choose the books they want to read from this list:

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig
Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Blue Willow by Doris Gates
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Jungle Pilot: The Life and Witness of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador by Russel T. Hitt
The Von Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Little Women: Little Men: and Jack & Jill by Louisa May Alcott
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Penrod by Booth Tarkington
A Little Brother to the Bear by William J. Long
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew

Art Appreciation- will be the Simply Charlotte Mason module 1: John James Audubon, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, Carl Larsson, Maxfield Parish, P. Buckley Moss

Music Appreciation- again, we'll be following the Simply Charlotte Mason module 1: Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky.

Foreign Language- Spanish- Still deciding on curriculum..

1st-2nd Grade

(For Karina & Adam)

Bible- I will be reading 2-3 chapters of the Bible with Karina and Adam a day, having them each read individual verses as they are able. We'll also be working together during family study times.

History- We will be studying the Ancients:Egypt, Rome and Greece using Truthquest manuals as well as using several living books.

Geography- Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

Nature Study-The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock

Science- Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy

Math- finish Saxon 1 and move on to book 2

Phonics- Language Lessons by Sandi Queen-placement is still a little unsure.

Poetry-
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
Now We Are Six; When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne
A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa,

Literature-
The Aesop For Children by Milo Winter
Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Parables From Nature by Margaret Gatty

Free Reading- I'll probably read most of these out loud, and have the kids read sentences/paragraphs here and there.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
King of the Golden River by John Ruskin
Peter Pan by James M. Barrie
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pocahontas by Ingri D'Aulaire

Art Appreciation- will be the Simply Charlotte Mason module 1: John James Audubon, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, Carl Larsson, Maxfield Parish, P. Buckley Moss

Music Appreciation- again, we'll be following the Simply Charlotte Mason module 1: Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky.

Foreign Language- Spanish-La Clase Divertida 1

A bit too much to stick in my sidebar, so I'll probably just leave a link to this post.

Each afternoon, we'll be having "tea time" with our own, herbal teas. I have several china tea cups, a china tea pot, linens etc. & I'm planning on doing it up! We'll have our read-aloud time of day then. I'm hoping to slide in etiquette at the same time without them really realizing it :)

Soon, I'll be posting my planned daily & weekly schedules to make this all work...

This and That

2011-05-12T09:41:00.000-04:00

This has been such a full and wonderful week!

-On Tuesday, our little man Adam turned 5...a whole handful according to a good friend of mine :) We had baked, stuffed french toast with apple topping for his breakfast, pb &j's for lunch and then tater tot casserole. (All per his request :P) After dinner, we set up the tent and had a camp-out, complete with marshmallows. It was in the 40's overnight, but we stayed warm bundled up in the tent. We had so much fun!

-On Wednesday, my sweet husband turned 34. The kiddos and I took the morning to tidy the house, then we went birthday shopping. My hubby had given me some ideas the kids could choose from, and we had lots of fun searching the stores for the items. I bought him a welder, and some parts for the antique tractor he's restoring. The kids bought him a tackle box with a bunch of tackle to put in it, a fillet knife (in case he's successful and catches some fish :) some ratchet straps for his pick-up and a hand sander. Then we rushed home and made one of his favorite dinners. Chips-n-dip & buffalo wings for the appetizer, burgers on the grill, teriyaki stir-fried veggies, salad and french bread. Dinner was wonderful, and hubby loved all of his gifts.

Then Arianna and I had to rush off to church for worship team practice. We didn't end up staying for the Wednesday night programs so we could come home and have ice cream cake with the family.

Whew! Life has been so full these last few days :) These are the times I wish I could just hit a button and make everything slow down so I can savor each of these wonderful moments. I am sooo blessed!

I am so Blessed!!

2011-05-09T06:56:00.002-04:00

I had such a wonderful Mothers Day, and it just made me even more aware of how blessed I am!

My hubby let me sleep in ('til 5:45AM) and then oldest daughters brought me breakfast & coffee in bed (cinnamon, vanilla baked oatmeal..yum!) The older girls even helped the younger kids get ready for church.

Church was wonderful. I've started teaching our older children's Sunday school, and we had a great lesson yesterday morning. (We're working on this song, that teaches the 66 books of the Bible...fun!) The music/sermon were fantastic too.

Then I was able to go pick up my 4 year old nephew and 4 month old niece and take all the kids to the park for a picnic and some fun. We had our picnic in a field next to the river, had fun exploring and watching the ducks. geese and a huge swan, and then it was time to hit the park. The kids were all well behaved and had a blast. My only one regret was not having a camera...not that I would have been able to take pictures with a little bundle in my arms! ;)

By the time I had dropped my nephew and niece off and drove home, my husband had dinner going and a cake in the oven. Even though he had already given me a bouquet of flowers (and the kids gave me a beautiful indoor hanging plant) my hubby also picked up a rose bush for me on his way home! We ate dinner in the living room, and watched the PBS Colonial House from Netflix. (Neat program, bit there has been a few times we've had to have the kids turn their heads.) The cake was a delicious treat :)

I'm spoiled rotten I tell ya!

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T06:40:00.002-04:00

On Sept. 16th, 1997, I became a Mama at the age of 19.

I had no idea what I was doing, and doubted I could be the kind of Mom that my child deserved.

I cried, I prayed, I laughed, and prayed some more :)

The last 13 years have been the very best of my life.

I thank God today, and everyday, for giving me the children that have made me a mother....and I

thank God for my mother who showed me how it's done ;)

Our Homeschool Curriculum Journey

2011-05-04T08:50:00.007-04:00

I think this time of year is always kind of thrilling for homeschooling Mamas. There are all kinds of conventions and curriculum fairs to go to...a shiny rainbow of books to choose from at every turn. Not to mention the beautiful weather that promises that summer is right around the corner and with it, a new school year for many of us.

When we started homeschooling, I was so intimidated and unsure of myself. We used boxed curriculum for the first two years. :P For the next 2 years, I was more "eclectic" and picked and chose from many of the different publishers. Nothing "fit" what I was trying to do with my kids.

Unit studies were the next stepping stone that brought us closer to where we are today. Again though, unit studies just didn't quite "fit." I never liked the idea of forcing my children to relate one thing with another.

I didn't want learning to be boring. I didn't want them to have the kind of education that I had...memorize certain facts just long enough to pass the test, and next week you'll get another set of facts. I dreaded history, a subject I now love! I wanted my kids to learn from good books that would set their imaginations on fire. I wanted them to relate to history, as I had never been able to do in school. I wanted these people and places to come alive!

A wonderful family in our church uses Classical Conversations, and while I quickly figured out that it wasn't for our family, the classical model of education really intrigued me. In my research, I came across the Charlotte Mason style of teaching and had one of those "Ah Ha!!" moments.
THIS was what I was trying to do with my kids all along and hadn't even realized it! (You can read all 6 of Charlotte Mason's books online free here.)

There are many wonderful websites and blogs created by people who fervently believe in this method of teaching. They've been very generous sharing about different tips & techniques and I've learned so much. Google has been my buddy ;)

This year we'll be using a mix & match...all following the CM method, but the curriculum fit our family.

More to come....

Just an Average Jane

2011-05-03T14:15:00.004-04:00

One of the things I've always striven for with this blog is to come across as an average Jane. I have no authority on the subject of keeping the home, I'm in the "trenches" right alongside any other Mama.

I'm going to go through all of my older posts, and with a critical (and hopefully humble) eye, delete ones that I don't feel belong here.

I have a heart for old fashioned homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading. Those things will probably come through in my posts :)

Homemade Deodorant

2011-04-06T06:24:00.003-04:00

This has to be one of the easiest, do-it-yourself natural recipes you can make!

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (cornstarch will work too)
1/4 coconut oil
10 drops of tea tree or lavender essential oil (other oils work too, but do the research on them first)
An empty store-bought deodorant container

Mix baking soda, arrowroot powder, and coconut oil together in a bowl. It will have a paste-like consistency. Then add your essential oil and work it in. It should be kind of creamy. Use a spatula and scoop it into the deodorant stick. Pack it in there nice and tight. Put it in the fridge until it's solid. If there's any left over you can put it into a jar and just scoop some out with a spoon to apply it.

That's it! The coconut oil is the most expensive ingredient. This is a natural and very healthy, inexpensive deodorant!

Monthly Menu, Monthly Shopping and Food Budget

2011-04-02T17:46:00.005-04:00

Whew, that title is a mouth full!

Our grocery budget for the month is $400. Here's our menu:

1st Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, toast & fruit
Lunch: PB&J's
Dinner: Steak, potatoes baked with olive oil and herbs, salad

2nd Breakfast: Peanut butter toast
Lunch: Burritos
Dinner: Baked Chicken, potatoes, salad & bread

3rd Breakfast: Sausage gravy over biscuits w/ fruit smoothies
Lunch: Baked ziti in crockpot for church potluck
Dinner: Crockpot BBQ pintos, salad, cornbread

4th Breakfast: Breakfast casserole bake, toast & fruit
Lunch: Peanut butter and apple slice sandwiches
Dinner: Homemade mac n cheese, mixed veggies, salad

5th Breakfast: Baked, stuffed french toast with apple toppping (Double batch to send to work with my husband for his buddies.)
Lunch: Baked potatoes, salad, sliced fruit & kombucha
Dinner: Baked enchiladas, salad & cornbread

6th Breakfast: Eggs, toast, & smoothies
Lunch: Baked potatoes, salad and kombucha
Dinner: BBQ pork chops, baked potatoes, salad and bread

7th Breakfast: Baked pancakes, yogurt and fruit
Lunch: popcorn, cheese and fruit slices, salad & kombucha
Dinner: hamburger gravy, mashed potatoes, salad

8th Breakfast: Baked, apple & cinnamon oatmeal with yogurt & fruit
Lunch: PB&J's w/ sliced fruit & kombucha
Dinner: Homemade pizza or calzones, & salad

9th Breakfast: Apple fritters, scrambled eggs, & smoothies
Lunch: Egg or Tuna salad sandwiches, sliced fruit & kombucha
Dinner: Spaghetti with Italian sausage, salad and bread

10th Breakfast: Sausage gravy over biscuits, sliced fruit & yogurt (Double batch to send to work with my husband for his buddies)
Lunch: Biscuits, deviled eggs, & sliced fruit
Dinner: Parm. & garlic baked chicken, potatoes, and salad

11th Breakfast: Breakfast casserole bake, toast, yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Peanut butter & apple slice sandwiches w/ kombucha
Dinner: Beef & beef burritos, salad & cornbread

12th Breakfast: Baked, stuffed french toast with apple topping & smoothies
Lunch: Egg salad sandwiches, fruit slices, & kombucha
Dinner: Baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, peas & apple sauce

13th Breakfast: Eggs, toast & smoothies
Lunch: Baked potatoes, sliced veggies, & kombucha
Dinner: BBQ chicken legs, coleslaw, & pasta salad

14th Breakfast: Baked oatmeal, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: popcorn, sliced cheese & veggies w/ kombucha
Dinner: Mexican bake with nachos, raw veggies & dip

15th Breakfast: Pumpkin pancakes, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: PB&J's w sliced fruit & kombucha
Dinner: Homemade pizza or calzones

16th Breakfast: Apple fritters, scrambled eggs, & smoothies
Lunch: egg or tuna salad sandwiches, fruit slices and kombucha
Dinner: Spaghetti with Italian sausage, peas & garlic bread

17th Breakfast: Apple fritters to bring for the church breakfast potluck
Lunch: popcorn, cheese & fruit slices w/ kombucha
Dinner: Bean bake, cole slaw & fresh bread

18th Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, biscuits, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: Peanut butter and apple slice sandwiches, with kombucha
Dinner: BBQ pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes and corn

19th Breakfast: Baked, stuffed, french toast with apple topping and smoothies
Lunch: Deviled eggs, biscuits, sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Beef pot pie

20th Breakfast: Fried egg sandwiches, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: Baked potatoes, sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Beef pot pie

21st Breakfast: Baked apple, cinnamon oatmeal, with yogurt & fruit
Lunch: Buttered pasta, with garlic & parm., sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Taco beans, cole slaw and corn bread

22nd Breakfast: Baked pancakes, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: PB&J's, sliced fruit, & kombucha
Dinner: Homemade pizza or calzones with raw veggies

23rd Breakfast: Waffles, sausage, yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Egg or Tuna salad sandwiches, sliced fruit, & kombucha
Dinner: Turkey dinner with all the trimmings

24th Breakfast: Sausage gravy over biscuits, with smoothies
Lunch: Biscuits, deviled eggs, sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Leftovers

25th Breakfast: Breakfast baked casserole, toast, & smoothies
Lunch: Peanut butter and apple slice sandwiches, with kombucha
Dinner: Turkey wraps with herbed cream cheese, veggies and pasta salad

26th Breakfast: Baked, stuffed french toast, with apple topping & smoothies
Lunch: Egg salad sandwiches, sliced fruit & kombucha
Dinner: Enchiladas, salsa & tortillas, with raw veggies

27th Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: Baked potatoes, sliced fruit, & kombucha
Dinner: Turkey pot pie

28th Breakfast: Baked oatmeal, with yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Popcorn with sliced cheese & fruit, with kombucha
Dinner: Mexican bake with nachos, salsa and raw veggies

29th Breakfast: Baked pancakes, yogurt & fruit
Lunch: PB&J's with sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Homemade pizza or calzones, with raw veggies

30th Breakfast: Waffles, sausage, & smoothies
Lunch: egg or tuna salad sandwiches, sliced fruit and kombucha
Dinner: Beef stew in the crockpot with french bread

Whew! I also wanted to add that we get 2 lbs of sprouts every week (alfalfa & clover at the moment) and often make sprout salads instead of the sliced fruit or veggies. This will really round out the end of the month when the fresh fruits/veggies are a little more scarce.

_____________________________________________________________________

I'm trying monthly grocery shopping this month, and here's how that ended up.

5 x chicken leg quarter packages at .69 cents a lb
7 x breakfast sausage lbs
4 x brown n serve lite sausage
3 x bags of navel oranges
2 x 5lb bags of carrots
3 x celery
4 x iceberg lettuce
6 x loose leaf lettuce
1 x Broccoli crowns
2 x green cabbage
1 x bananas
4 x tropicana frozen OJ
4 x Cheddar cheese (2lbs total)
3 x lb bags of shredded mozzarella
1 x lb bag of shredded mexican cheese
1 x 1/2 gallon of half & half
1 x quart of half & half
2 x lbs of butter
2 x margarine
2 x whole milk
4 x 18 packs of cage free eggs
6 x cream cheese
1 x sour cream
3 x 2lb bags of frozen strawberries
1 x 1lb bag of frozen blueberries
2 x 2lb bags of frozen mixed veggies
2 x 2lb bags of frozen corn
1 x 1.5lb bag of frozen green beans
1 x 30 pack of corn tortillas
6 x flour tortlillas
2 x gallons of Wesson canola oil
2 x 12pck of toilet paper
1 x peanut butter
3 x Hunts spaghetti sauce
1 x Parmesan cheese
1 x tortilla chips
1 x decaf coffee
3 x salad dressing
2 x BBQ sauce
1 x Salada black tea 100 ct
1 x bell seasoning
1 x gravymaster
1 x B&M vegetarian baked beans
2 x grape jelly
2 x 28 oz tomato sauce
10 x contadina crushed tomatoes
1 x ziti
6 x thin spaghetti
2 x elbow pasta
1 x q-tips
2 x colgate toothpaste
4 x cream of potato soup
1 x old spice deodorant
1 x suave deodorant
3 x greenworks dish soap
1 x v05 hair mousse
1 x oil of olay facial moisturizer with sunscreen

Total of 270.60

Starting amount
$400
- $40 Hannafords (10 lbs of beef roast, and 10 x 3-4lb bags of apples)
--------
$360.00
-$270.60 Market Basket
--------
$ 89.40
- 22.00 our standing order for sprouts
---------
$ 67.40
- 10.00 Big Y russet potatoes ( .99 cents for 5 lbs, 10 bags purchased)
----------
$ 57.40

So $57.40 left for the month.

However, my husband made the executive decision to separate our milk from the grocery budget. We usually buy 4 gallons of raw milk a week and that ends up being $24.

(I'm not going to use raw milk for yogurt, or baking.)

Free Summer Activity Kit- Safe Water Science

2011-04-02T06:47:00.002-04:00

As most frugal moms do, I love freebies! Here's a neat one http://www.safewaterscience.org/worldwaterday/index.html It's a summer activity that teaches children about safe water. Did I mention that it's free? lol.

New England Spring...

2011-03-31T07:43:00.006-04:00

Spring is here in New England!

Our strawberries, tulips, lilies, and irises have all started to peep out of the ground. How thrilling to see some green!

We've spent a lot of time raking, and just general spring cleaning in the yard.

We're planning on doubling (or more) our main garden this year, and have been busy starting some seedlings for early summer planting. So far we have tomatoes, basil, lots of lettuce, green peppers, broccoli, and celery growing in the house and I'm planning on starting some annual flowers, cucumbers and watermelon soon. I've thought about using our incubators to help germinate the seeds (since we're keeping our house a cool 50-55* right now) but so far I've resisted because I know how much electricity those things suck up :P

And just like a true New England Spring, we're supposed to have a late season Nor'Easter tomorrow! 6-14 inches of wet, heavy snow is being predicted...Ugh!

Start a Starter!!

2011-03-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

If you haven't started a sourdough starter yet, now's a great time!

(Start a sourdough starter...say that 5 times fast! :)

Sourdough baked goods are the ultimate in nutrition, they are often much cheaper and can be lower in calories and carbs.

Several of the recipes I'm planning in the next month have sourdough as the leavening.

I don't use the traditional way to start a starter that recommends 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. (If you kept up with that, you'd be filling a rubbish barrel with sourdough in no time! Not to mention all of the flour/money wasted.)

Here what I do to start a starter :)

-Day 1
-Using a clean, quart canning jar (or other similar sized, non-metalic container) stir together 1/4 cup water and 1/3 cup flour. Cover with a coffee filter that's been secured with a rubber band. Leave in a warm place for 12 hours.

-12 hours later, give the mixture a vigorous stir. Scrape down the sides of the jar, recover with the coffee filter and rubber band and put it back in it's nice warm home for another 12 hours.

-Day 2
-Wake up your starter with a gentle stir, then add 1/4 cup water and stir until combined. Next and 1/3 cup flour and again stir until combined, scrape the sides of the jar and recover with the coffee filter and band.

-12 hours later, give your starter a little stir and then remove half from the jar (you can put this in your compost pile or start a second starter.) Next you need to mix in 1/4 cup water and stir until combined. Then add 1/3 cup of flour and again, stir until combined, scrape the sides of the jar and recover with the coffee filter and rubber band. (Feel free to change the coffee filter or re-use if possible.)

-Day 3
By Day 3 you should see some bubbling going on in your jar. I am always thrilled to see new life and your sourdough starter is now a living colony of yeast. You need to keep feeding it and caring for it until it's strong enough to work for you, but this is the exciting point, when you see the fruits of your labors. It's also a great science lesson for the kids!

- Wake up your starter with a little stir and then remove half from the jar (again, you can put this in your compost pile.) Next you need to mix in 1/4 cup water and stir.Then add 1/3 cup of flour and again, stir until combined, scrape the sides of the jar and recover with the coffee filter and rubber band.

-12 hours later, give your starter a little stir and then remove half from the jar. Next you need to mix in 1/4 cup water and stir.Then add 1/3 cup of flour and again, stir until combined, scrape the sides of the jar and recover with the coffee filter and rubber band.

-Days 4, 5 and beyond look the same as day 3.

After day 5, you can start saving the cast-off sourdough starter and bake with it. It's fine for using in pancakes, muffins, tortillas etc. It may need a few more days to be strong enough to rise a whole loaf of bread. At this point I also start using a more permanent home. I have found several canisters and crocks at thrift shops, and I usually use one of those with a loose fitting lid. Anything made from glass, ceramic, etc. is fine.

Some tips:

-You can feed your sourdough starter with any kind of flour. I personally use rye flour because I happen to have quite a bit of rye on hand, and it seems to keep my starter really happy. You can use wheat, spelt, white, whatever you have on hand. I have even heard of some people using oats in a pinch!

-Water: you need to make sure that the water you use with your starter doesn't have chlorine in it. You can buy expensive bottled water, or you can pour a pitcher of water from the tap, leave it for 24 hours on the counter, and all of the chlorine will have dissipated. (Remember to put a loose cover on the pitcher...we don't want dust, pet hair etc. floating into it :P)

-I feed my starter 2 x's a day, in the early morning when I wake up and in the evening when I'm preparing dinner, roughly 12 hours apart. (4:30 am and 4pm) I have found that feeding my starter twice a day keeps the yeast to bacteria ratio healthy, I rarely have hooch (that yucky liquid that forms on the top of some starters,) and my sourdough baked goods are light and sweet...and we prefer to have a lighter flavor, not the pungent sour that almost tastes spoiled.
If I neglect my starter, it will take a couple days of regular feedings to get it back into the shape that we like.

-One of the big mistakes many people make is not saving back some of their starter to keep on hand. You can re-build your starter by feeding it every few hours throughout the day 'til you get the amount you need or like to maintain. Just make sure you don't water/feed it more than a 1-to-3 ratio...as in you have 1 tablespoon of starter, make sure not to feed it more than 3 Tbsp of water or flour in that first feeding. At the next feeding, you'd have almost half a cup of starter, and you could feed it up to 1 1/2 cups water/flour. And you can keeping building up your starter until you have what you need. If that makes sense? lol.

-After a 3-4 weeks, your sourdough starter is probably strong enough to "hibernate" in the refrigerator. You can store a small amount there and then build it back up when you are ready to use it. (See above tip.) Make sure you don't have the starter in a sealed container, as it can continue working and bubbling for a bit and then blow it's lid. Put the lid on loosely at first and after about a day in the fridge, it's probably safe to snap it on tight.

-The last tip I have is don't stress! Pioneers traveled in covered wagons across the continent, and still managed to keep their sourdough going! You can do this too :)

Being Real About Our Food Budget, Menu's and Grocery Receipts.

2011-03-21T09:36:00.003-04:00

Buying food for our family is the second highest allotment in our families budget...right behind our house payments and followed closely by fuel for our vehicles :P We can't do anything about the house payment at the moment, and my husband has to commute for work, so that won't be changing any time soon (if anything, it seems to be going up! )

Our food budget is something that I have decided to tackle and I want to "be real" about it here. We have $400 a month to spend for food...I'd like to trim that down to $350 (or lower.) For now, I'm going with the $400, and any excess will be going towards our food storage. I'm going to write out our menu plans, and the grocery lists for them. I'll even report back after shopping to write out my grocery receipt. If I have the poor judgement to buy Twinkies (yuck!) I'll "be real" and write it out here. I'm also going to write out a post (and have it linked to my sidebar) that will be a running tally of my stored dried/canned goods. And I'll make sure to mention if some item from our menu will be coming from our stored foods.

I want to pause for one moment and just say that nutrition is very important to me. I would love to buy nothing but all organic, natural, whole foods for our family. Unfortunately at this time we can't. I'm going to do the best I can, within the budget that we have and I'm going to trust God to take care of the rest. I go with the "good, better, best" theory.

"Good" would be homemade bread, made with white flour. "Better" would be homemade bread, made from store-bought whole grain flour. "Best" would be homemade bread, made from fresh milled whole grain (rye, wheat, spelt etc.)

Making homemade bread with white flour is still better, and cheaper, than store-bought bread.

Here's an example:

I have $5 left of my grocery budget. I need to get the most food value for the money. Am I going to buy 5lbs of wheat flour, or am I going to buy 5lbs of white flour, 1 gallon of milk and a cabbage. Obviously the wheat flour is better nutritionally, but by buying white flour, I would also be able to buy a gallon of milk and a cabbage.

God knows our circumstances and He honors our attempts to live according to His word. Do you really think white flour is going to stop God? If we are doing the best we can with the blessings He has given us, we need to trust God to take care of the rest!

Dave Ramsey...and Making OUR Money Over

2011-03-14T11:51:00.003-04:00

If you are someone who is living paycheck to paycheck (like we are :P) maybe have some debt (a lot or a little) haven't done the best in the savings department, or just run out of money before you run out of month. I highly recommend that you read anything you can by Dave Ramsey. I have both The Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace and I can't tell you what a blessing they have been to my husband and I. We are looking at the way we have used our money...and quite frankly are not very proud of ourselves.

We've decided a change is in order! Now, not next month, or maybe when summer comes and this bill or that one isn't due...NOW! It is not Biblical to be in debt. We are not supposed to owe anyone anything but love and kindness. We are called to be good stewards of our money, and the blessings that God has provided us.

We have debt...and we are ready to go to some drastic measures to get it payed off.

My new motto is "Use it up, wear it out, make it due, or do without!". The other is "waste not, want not." Every Friday, I'm going to post on frugality in some way or another.... Frugal Fridays. And I'm sure some things will spill over throughout the week :)

Come along for the ride! Borrow those books from the library, listen to Dave on the radio, check out his website.... let's get radical about frugality! Get out of debt, get a good emergency savings in place, then start saving for your future!

Fantastic, Yummy Smoothies!

2011-03-02T06:46:00.003-05:00

I just had to share about the smoothies we had for breakfast!

So yummy, easy to make and very good for you!

3 cups of plain kefir (homemade or store bought...I've used plain yogurt here as well)
12 oz bag of frozen blackberries
1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen strawberries
1-12 oz can of orange juice concentrate, thawed. (Do not add water, this will be your sweetener as well.)

Dump all of this in a food processor or blender, and zip until smooth.

(I made this in our food processor.)

If you have any leftovers, you can pour it into ice cube trays, tuck it into the freezer and make healthy frozen fruit pops. (You can get popsicle sticks in most craft departments.)

Enjoy! :)

Menu For the Next Two Weeks....

2011-02-24T19:47:00.002-05:00

My husbands hours at work are changing...again lol. We believe he will be changing from second to first shift, so it should really stir things up here at home for a while. I'm looking forward to seeing how it effects our meal times, which we currently eat at noon but will be switching to the "normal" hour of 5PM.

Here is what I have planned for the next two weeks:

1- Roast beef on rotisserie, sweet potatoes, green beans (Some beef held back for homemade pot pie)
2-Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread (Cook 2 lbs of hamburger, hold 1/2 back for hamburger gravy.)
3-BBQ Pinto Beans in the crockpot, salad, bread
4-Beef potpie
5- Hamburger gravy over brown rice, (cook extra rice for pinto burgers) corn, and broccoli.
6- Tater tot casserole , peas, salad (Not the healthiest, but a rare family favorite :P)
7-Sandwiches and raw veggies (This is for Wednesday evenings before prayer meeting.)
8- Pinto bean burgers, & salad
9- Roasted chicken dinner, mashed potatoes, corn and homemade wheat rolls (Some chicken held back for chicken stew.)
10- BLT's with raw veggies & fruit (Also for a Wednesday evening before prayer meeting.)
11- Tacos or nachos with beans & rice as the filler, salad
12- Chicken stew with biscuits
13- Chili, salad and corn bread.
14- Meatloaf, baked potatoes, salad

Now we probably won't follow this exact order of having the meals (unless I am holding back or cooking extra of something for another meal) but this will give you an idea of what we have planned. The actual meal of the day will be decided in the morning by my sweet hubby before he goes to work (the roast and chicken will probably be kept for a weekend evening so we don't need to worry as much about thawing time. )

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T10:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines day everyone!

Regardless of the origin of this holiday, I think it's wonderful to have a day set aside to tell the people in your life how much you love them.

Don't go out and buy expensive flowers, cards, chocolates etc. Find something personal to share with your loved ones. Make a special dinner, dessert, hand made cards etc. Lock the bedroom door and snuggle under the blankets. Share a song...

Whatever you do, savor this day with those you love and make sure they know how much you love them!

Here's a song that brought tears to my eyes...

"I Do" by Serene and Pearl.

To my husband:

Happy Valentines Day. You are my heart, and every day with you is a gift. I'm so blessed to be on the journey of life with you. I love you with all that is in me.

Raw Milk and Lactose Intolerance....

2011-02-10T10:44:00.004-05:00

Our two youngest children are lactose intolerant. When they drink pasteurized, homogenized milk, it gives them a very upset stomach and diarrhea (which was awful when they were in diapers because they had an instant, blistery, painful diaper rash. ) For the first several years, we bought Lactaid milk for the two of them.

Along our journey towards whole foods, we discovered that raw milk is the best nutritionally for our family...and the added perk is that it's also more digestible for those with lactose intolerance. Both Karina and Adam can drink raw goat or cows milk with no problems at all!

There is a lactase enzyme in the milk that breaks down lactose. This enzyme is destroyed during pasteurization.Raw milk also has probiotic bacteria, like those in yogurt and kefir, that help in digestion. These are also destroyed during pasteurization. Homogenization breaks apart the fat molecules and makes it harder for people to digest.

If you have lactose problems, consider raw milk. There is a wonderful website RealMilk.com and a good article to read is Weston Price (though I believe we need to discern for ourselves what is best for our own families, and I do believe this is a bit extreme...not every single modern cow looks like the one pictured :P)

Do your own research, and decide if raw milk might be a benefit to your family :)

Easy & Delicious Cranberry Orange Muffins

2011-02-04T08:36:00.004-05:00

These muffins are my personal favorites, and they are so easy, my 13 yo daughter made them completely unassisted yesterday. The best part is that they are nutritious and taste so yummy the kids think they are getting something extra special ;)

2 eggs
1/2 cups milk (you could use buttermilk here as well)
1 cup oil (we use melted coconut oil, extra light olive oil (it just has a lighter, less olive-y flavor) or melted butter. )
4 cups kamut (you can use whole wheat pastry flour if you don't have access to kamut)
2/3 cup evaporated cane juice crystals (I want to play with honey, but haven't had the time yet :)
2 T of baking powder
2 t fine sea salt
2 cups of Craisons
2 T of grated orange peel

Pre-heat the oven to 400* . Butter the bottoms of 2 muffin trays. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, stir in the milk and oil. Then add all of your other ingredients and mix them together until everything is combined. (Don't over-mix :)

Scoop the batter into the muffin trays by 1/2 cup scoops. Sprinkle a little extra sugar over the tops of the muffins (optional.) Bake until tops are golden, about 20 min. Remove muffins to a cooling rack immediately. This makes about 2 doz. muffins.

If you don't have all of the more natural ingredients (such as kamut) then use what you have on hand. This is a situation of good better best in my book. Even if you had to use white flour or sugar, it's still going to be better for you than muffins bought at the store! Think of all the preservatives you'd be avoiding! Not to mention, this is one more way you can be self sufficient and provide yummy food for your family ;)

And We're Back!

2011-02-02T09:04:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe that it's been over two months since my last posting here!

The last couple of months have been crazy. Between hunting, holidays, and the normal winter illnesses, things have been chaotic. I am really looking forward to our good old, every day routines and "boring" life to resume :)

Topics that will be coming up:

-Menu planning, natural foods on a budget as well as some yummy, frugal recipes.
-Organization and household simplicity.
-Routines, schedules, and time saving ideas.
-Frugality and budgeting.
-Gardening and planning for this coming season.
-My passion for cast iron...why, what, how, where etc.

and lots more :)

Sourdough Success...

2010-11-22T08:13:00.007-05:00

After over a week of feeding, discarding, feeding, discarding...we have success! In the beginning, we started out with 4 sourdough starters.

White, wheat, rye and a San Fransisco dehydrated starter.

Here are my impressions on each:

San Fransisco Dehydrated starter: I used unbleached, unbromated flour, and pure spring water in the white San Fransisco sourdough starter. It took several days before any real life/bubbles became apparent. By the 7th day, it was proofing and crowning. The smell of the white sourdough was not as pleasant as that of the other starters. It was almost a sour, milky smell, but at least I knew that we had caught the wild yeast that we were striving for.

Wheat: I used Organic Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat flour and pure spring water for the wheat starter. I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the wheat sourdough took off! In the first 24 hours, bubbles were apparent and by the 5th day, it was proofing and crowning beautifully. The smell was almost sweet and though it had a mild tang to it, it wasn't the really strong sourdough I had made in the past.

Rye: I used fresh milled, Organic Rye flour and pure spring water for the starter. My grain mill was running a bit ragged and the rye flour ended up a bit more course than I had planned. The course flour made for a more dense starter and one that was harder to see the action in. I added an extra tablespoon or so of water and the difference was immediate. The extra water made it thin enough to see the bubbles and action going on in the jar. By the 5th day, the rye starter was crowning and proofing beautifully. It smelled smell was also sweet with a very mild tang.

White: I used the unbleached, unbromated white flour and pure spring water for this starter. It was almost identical to the "San Fransisco" sourdough starter. It took several days to show strong life and the smell was the same sour, milky scent. I ended up dumping this starter on day 5. It didn't make sense for me to spend the time or money (in flour/water) on a starter that was identical to the San Fransisco starter.

So now there were three...

I waited until day 10 to bake with my sourdoughs as I wanted to make sure they were all as strong and hearty as possible. I ended up with a big baking day and here is how it all turned out :)

We started the day with pancakes made from the wheat sourdough....

The sourdough and baking soda just bubbled like mad! Here's the batter...

The batter in the skillet...

And the finished product...They were delicious, nutrient rich, and easy to make. Complete score and one for the books...our family cookbook that is!

Then I made some wheat, sourdough pizza dough for that evenings dinner...sorry, I forgot the pictures... Another score! Delicious, easy to make, and ultimately more digestible. Another one for the books..

Then I made one loaf of bread from each of the sourdough starters, using the same exact recipe so I could judge them all fairly.

Here are the results...

The white San Fransisco was a disappointment and was scheduled for destruction almost immediately. The flavor was...okay, but the dough didn't rise sufficiently and there were no benefits to keeping a white sourdough kicking around.

The wheat rose beautifully, the flavor was rich, and the crumb beautiful! There was no real "sour" flavor. It was so delicious that when I left it on the counter to cool (after my husband had cut into it for it's taste test) our labrador Daisy, ate the entire loaf! (UUUGGHHHH, remind me again WHY I love animals??) It was frustrating, but I was happy that we were at least able to cut into the bread and taste it first. :P

The rye also rose beautifully, and had a beautiful crumb. The flavor was also rich and yummy.

So then there were two...sourdough starters that is. After much discussion, we decided to keep going with the wheat and to end the rye (At the moment I have quite a bit of the organic, hard white wheat that has already been milled and needs to be used.)

On this baking day, I also made some cinnamon rolls and English muffins out of whole wheat.

They both came out beautifully and were delicious!

Sourdough update..

2010-11-13T08:43:00.002-05:00

Well, I started my 4 sourdough starters on Wednesday the 10th of November and holy moly are they doing well! They are all bubbly, active and just overall beautiful. The rye is definitely the most vigorous, which kind of surprised me. I fully expected the sourdough that was started with the dehydrated starter to surpass the others, but it hasn't...maybe it was just too old lol.

I'm looking forward to baking with these guys this coming week!

PS

My kefir has been revived...it wasn't dead, just woefully neglected :( It is working well and I'm making small batches of kefir with it. (Enough to add a little to the nutritional smoothies.)

Sourdough.....Revisited :)

2010-11-11T15:27:00.006-05:00

Over a year ago, I was determined to switch our breads to natural, sourdough.

I started by making a sourdough starter out of rye flour and spring water (From what I have read, rye flour "catches" the most wild yeasts.) I followed the basic recipe that many resources said to follow *1 cup flour, 1 cup water and continue feeding that same amount once a day for a week. At that point, if you have a bubbly, active starter you're ready to make bread! (You do need to dump half of the starter at each feeding though, or you will have a lake of sourdough starter! lol.)

When I injured my back, my husband and daughter took over the kitchen work and most of my ferments, and cultures died a sad and tragic death. My sourdough starter was no exception :P I was talking with my husband about the need to "re-start" my starter...and the truth came out. He never really liked the sourdough bread! *Gasp* After I got over the initial shock, I started asking him what he didn't like about the sourdough and the basic answer was that it was just too sour.

I have spent several hours researching sourdough on the web. I believe my biggest problem was that I didn't feed my starter enough, or as often as it had needed. I also left it in the fridge too long without the proper feedings :( (I was a bad sourdough Mama :P )

The other request my husband had made was to try a white sourdough bread.

So having said all of that, I have started 4 different sourdough starters. I started all of these in wide-mouth, quart jars so I'd be able so see through them to see the action, and the sourdough would have plenty of room to expand (you have to keep in mind that once the sourdough get's more umph, it can double and even triple in size between feedings.)

1) Started with a dehydrated "San Fransisco" starter that I had purchased quite a while ago on e-bay. I started this with the powdered started, and 1/4 cup water, and 3/8 cup unbleached white flour.

2) Started with 1/4 cup water and 3/8 cup unbleached white flour.

3) Started with 1/4 cup water and 3/8 cup hard white wheat flour.

4) Started with 1/4 cup water and 3/8 cup fresh milled rye flour.

I'm going to keep caring for all of all of these and try baking with each to see which we like best. They will be fed 2x's a day and I will either use or compost 1/2 at each feeding. I'm also not going to store my starter in the fridge. If I keep it on the counter, I can really keep an eye on it and see how each are doing.

I'm also going to be playing with the "no-knead" artisan breads, both with commercial yeast and with sourdough.

Another exciting addition to our diet has been sprouts. We are incredibly blessed to be able to get them from a local business owned by some good friends from our church. I'm also hoping to get some more kefir and kombucha going here soon..it's getting too expensive buying them at the store! lol. I've really enjoyed having a "living" kitchen and am looking forward to having one again.

Time Flies By....

2010-10-26T09:11:00.004-04:00

Wow have these past couple of weeks been full!

Our chickies made their appearance on Oct. 15. They have been a joy and are still in the super cute, cuddly stage. Getting the surprise mix has been so much fun. We've spent lots of time trying to figure out what breeds we have. So far, we have several different colored cochins, an easter egger, and one silkie. The silkie is white, with a crossed beak and one eye a bit smaller than the other. After losing our silkie Sally, male or female, this one will be staying and has already been given the name Crissy.

The other big time gulper has been hunting. Wahoo!!! Hunting season has opened!! So far I've seen a bear and a doe. I didn't have a tag for the bear (and don't know if my bow would have been sufficient even if I had.) and the doe was out of range. The fall turkey season is only a week long (and it's this week), so I'll be focusing on gobblers. :P

I was given a 12'X15' greenhouse for my birthday a couple of years ago and we are trying to get it put up before the snow flies (or the ground freezes.) I'm going to use it to house the male chicks until the are big enough to butcher, and then I'll be putting some cold hearty greens in. I also have plans to fill some planters with herbs/greens to put on a rack in my kitchen...we'll see how that all goes!

I am once again tackling the sourdough adventure. My husband was tolerant, but not thrilled with my last attempts and so I'm determined to figure out something that is both nutritionally beneficial and tastes good too! I believe my starter was a big part of the problem the last time. This time, I'm starting 4 starters in different methods to see which one we are the happiest with...more on that later.

Our home school is on vacation!! We school throughout the summer so that we can take the late fall and holiday seasons off. We've enjoyed having the flexibility to spend more time with friends, swim at the YMCA, and hunt..of course :)

And that's it for this little update!

The Chickies Are Coming!!

2010-10-04T20:35:00.002-04:00

The chickies are coming, the chickies are coming!!

My husband suggested that we may be able to get some more chickens (since my back has been doing SO much better!) and of course, the dutiful, submissive wife that I am...I just HAVE to oblige! lol.

We ordered chicks from Ideal hatchery. They have a "Surprise Special" with 25 or more straight run chicks are only 85 cents a piece. With shipping charges, they averaged out to be $1.28 a piece!

The pullets will live a happy life here, while the gentlemen will go to freezer camp at about 8-10 weeks of age.

The surprise of not knowing which breeds they will ship is so exciting! It will be so much fun trying to identify the breeds :P

The plan is that they will stay inside until they are about 6 weeks, and then they'll be going out to the A-frame with a heat lamp. (I know, I'm insane to get chicks in the fall :P )

Cute little fuzzy pictures to come....

Quick Post...Elder Berry Syrup a Success!

2010-09-28T16:43:00.003-04:00

The elder berry syrup was made up JUST in time!

Arianna came down with a virus and was sweet enough to share it with the her siblings and Mama :P I believe the virus was the "flu" because of the severe fever, headache and body aches. We have also had the stuffy/drippy noses, and coughs.

The only medicine my kids have had, has been the elder berry syrup! It has worked wonderfully for coughing. The few coughs that we do have, have been more productive. And the flavor...not bad at all ;) (I did add the brandy and can not taste or feel it at all.)

I did offer Tylenol for the fevers, but they didn't want it. They preferred the cold clothes and snuggling up on Mama and Daddy's big bed :)

I'm so encouraged by the elder berries, and excited to try other herbal remedies!

Herbs For the Family...

2010-09-24T16:31:00.002-04:00

Using herbal remedies for my family is a topic that has intrigued me for quite some time.

I've decided to dip my toe in the waters of herbs by making a simple Elder berry cough syrup. I found the recipe at The Family Homestead (though have found several variations on different sites.)

1 cup of dried elder berries
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of honey
Brandy (totally optional)

Put the berries and water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 1 hour. Strain with fin mesh strainer or fabric. Stir in the honey and 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but will help with preservation.) until they have dissolved. Let cool and then pour into a bottle or canning jar. Store in the fridge.

I'm planning on using 1 tsp for my children and 1 tablespoon for the adults.

I'm slowly collecting medicinal herbs and teas for my family and am so thrilled with this new path in our journey for natural, self sufficient living.

Nourishing Food Guidelines For Ourselves and Our Children....

2010-09-17T16:51:00.003-04:00

I have Nourishing Our Children as a link through Facebook and I was blessed to receive a list of their "guidelines". (Nourishing Our Children is inspired by the Weston Price foundation.)

It was so wonderful, I really wanted to share it here! :)

Eat whole, natural foods.
Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
Use unrefined Celtic seasalt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
Use only natural supplements.
Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
Practice forgiveness.

and the second page for our children...

Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc.
Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup.
Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils.
Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed.
Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sauteing or baking.
Avoid fried foods.
Do not practice veganism; animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods.
Avoid products containing protein powders.
Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.
Avoid battery-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats.
Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage containing MSG and other additives.
Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered or irradiated fruits and vegetables.
Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.
Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid chocolate.
Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.
Do not drink fluoridated water.
Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them.
Do not drink distilled liquors.
Do not use a microwave oven.

Some of these are kind of duplicated, but I wanted to copy the lists entirely. I especially like #20 from the first list...be forgiving! To yourself and to those around you. We aren't all able to eat perfectly 100% of the time.

What I do, is to do the best I can, within our financial and time budgets, and leave the rest to God. I am not going to stress if once in a great while, we have to have Taco Bell for dinner. And I'm not going to be a rude guest and not eat what someone else is serving...AND, I am not going to put our family into a bad financial position to buy groceries. I do the best I can, with what I have and I leave the rest to the Lord. :)

Menu for the Next 2 Weeks

2010-09-02T19:01:00.003-04:00

Since I injured my back, there have been several things that we have had to "let slide". One of those things was menu planning and a strict grocery budget. I'm not complaining...I am blessed to have a wonderful hubby that would shop and cook for our family...it's just time to take the reigns back and tighten up on things a bit. :)

Our budgeted funds for groceries is now going to be 100$ a week. This covers all food, health and beauty care, cleaning supplies, and animal feed.

This week, I'm going to try to stretch 100$ to cover two weeks of meals, so I can get some money set buy to stock up on our winter foods (potatoes, onions, apples etc.) We have a couple of things in the freezer to use up, but most of the ingredients for the meals on this list will be purchased this week.

Without further ado...

Friday- BBQ pork sandwiches, coleslaw and raw veggies.
Saturday- Make your own stuffed potatoes (bacon, sour cream, veggies, chives etc.)
Sunday- Turkey dinner with potatoes, squash, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce.
Monday- Homemade Pizza with salad.
Tuesday- Turkey pot pie.
Wednesday- Baked beans in the crockpot, cornbread, coleslaw.
Thursday- Turkey veggie soup with biscuits.
Friday-Shepherd's pie
Saturday-Grilled kielbasa, green beans, herbed potatoes.
Sunday- Roasted chicken dinner, potatoes, squash, corn, and ww rolls.
Monday-Taco beans, cornbread and salad.
Tuesday-Chicken stew over biscuits.
Wednesday-Crockpot pintos, cornbread, and coleslaw
Thursday-Baked garlic, Parmesan chicken, with potatoes and corn.

(In case you haven't noticed, our menu weeks run Friday-Thursday...I usually shop on Fridays)

Breakfasts are unplanned. Oatmeal, granola, muffins, pancakes, baked pancakes, french toast etc.

Our supper in the evening is a light meal. Sometimes we'll just slice up some fruit, veggies, cheese etc. Other times it's sandwiches or leftovers. We always have fresh, homemade bread on hand to round out a meal.

Snacks are wholesome. Popcorn, peanut butter apples or celery. Once in a while I slip in some baked goods to keep my husband happy :)

Homeschooling...Meets Primitive Arms?

2010-08-18T15:59:00.003-04:00

I just have to say again, how much I love homeschooling :)

We are using Konos as the main curriculum for our family. We are currently in the 2nd Volume, learning about the character trait of Courage. The Bible lesson for today was about David and Goliath, and how even though David must have been terrified, he had the courage to stand up to Goliath with nothing more than a slingshot.

Yup, I said it...slingshot. We made slingshots in school today folks! :-) With these slingshots, the children were able to "touch" their Bible lesson, do math (estimating the average hits to the target with the different styles that the kids made) history, with the primitive arms, and phys. ed, by being outside shooting the slingshots.

One more time.... I Love Homeschooling! :-)

(We will also be studying the Revolutionary War during this unit...a perfect topic after our trip to Boston!)

Praising the Lord..

2010-08-16T12:31:00.003-04:00

I had a Physical Therapy evaluation today and it went great! My range of motion has drastically increased, strength in my left leg has also drastically increased...and the numbness/tingling in my leg and foot is gone! I'm not 100% yet...and may not be for a long time to come (and I'll always have to be careful so as not to re-injure my back) but this is all without surgery!! Praise the Lord!

To all of my friends and family who have been praying and supporting me through all this....thank you all so much!

I was able to spend some time in my perennial beds and garden this past weekend, and it felt absolutely wonderful. I was also able to harvest a huge basket of sunburst cherry tomatoes (which we shared with two of our neighbors :)

The garden has provided us with many fresh veggies throughout the summer, but I wasn't able to get much put up for the winter....I'm still holding out hope for corn and apples ;)

God is so good and He'll provide..

Modest Swimsuits...

2010-08-11T09:24:00.003-04:00

Modesty is very important to our family for many reasons (which would be enough for a whole separate post lol.) The bottom line is that we want our daughters to grow up respecting themselves, and the bodies the Lord has blessed them with.

Swim wear has always been an issue for our girls. Most of the store-bought swimsuits are just not modest. The one-piece suits are either too high or too low cut. Even the suits with shorts just don't offer the coverage we hoped for.

This past winter, I was on a mission...a mission to find modest, comfortable, beautiful but practical swimsuits. :) Here's what we found...

(I have one as well, mine is all black with the shorts cut just past my knees and the skirt is also a bit longer)

The fabric of these suits is the same as any other bathing suit. It doesn't get heavy in the water (which could create a serious safety hazard) and they dry super quick. The huge added benefit is the extra protection from the sun.

As you can see, these suits don't hold the children back and they've had lots of fun in them :)

Doe Permit...

2010-08-10T12:49:00.002-04:00

It's very hard to get a doe permit in the area we hunt....there are thousands of applicants and too few permits.
Well, I got one :D I am totally psyched!

What a huge blessing, I just hope and pray my back continues to heal and I'm able to use it :)

Thank You Lord!

Update and New Beginnings...

2010-08-09T11:43:00.002-04:00

The past two months have passed in a kind of blur. Between my back injury, homeschooling, and just general family life, June somehow became August!

So let me begin with my back, as that has consumed the majority of the time. I have been in Physical Therapy for over a month now and am making slow progress. Between the traction and electrical stimulation, the numbness in my leg has almost completely gone away. The muscle spasms can still be very painful, but I'm learning my limitations and when it hurts...I stop lol. My left leg is much weaker and I have to watch out for uneven ground etc. (I still use a cane in those situations) I am still hoping and praying to avoid the surgery.

School is back in session!!! We began our new school year a few weeks ago and it has been a tremendous success. The mix of curriculum we came up with has really worked for our family, and all of the children have been doing wonderfully. We have fallen into a daily schedule that works and flows well.

Natural foods and living...always a work in progress! lol. Our Nutrimill grainmill is on it's last legs and I am saving for a new mill. I ordered 100lbs of pre-milled wheat flour with our last co-op order...very weird to work with commercially milled flour again. I'm slowly re-claiming my kitchen and am loving to be back in my "domain" :P

We found wonderful homes for the ducks and goats and while our little farmyard is unusually quiet, I know that it was the right thing to do. Our last chicken, sweet silkie Sally, was killed by a stray cat last week. It was so sad as she was our feathered kitty...she will be missed.

The garden provided us with lots of yummy fresh veggies...despite my absence. The only drawback was that I wasn't able to put in the second/third plantings, so the garden has almost gone by. Our strawberries bed has been overtaken by weeds and I'm trying hard not to stress about it. We can re-asses the plants next spring and replace those that need replacing.

That's about it. I'm planning on posting here weekly with information on different homesteading/homemaking topics. (And there may be general posts in between) I have several ideas for posts and as I have time will be sharing them here.

I pray that you all have had a blessed summer and are enjoying time with your families :)

The Verdict on My Back

2010-07-05T08:43:00.003-04:00

Thank you all for your sweet e-mails and prayers...they are so very appreciated and needed right now :)

The MRI results have come in and they don't sound so good. (But we know the Lord can do all things...even fix a puny thing like a back ;)

My L4-L5 disc is herniated, and my L5-S1 is ruptured with a fragment bulging into my spinal column. It may have done some damage to my sciatic nerve and that's why there is severe pain and numbness from my low back/hip down my leg into my foot. I was referred to a neurosurgeon who has said that I will need surgery but also need to get into physical therapy as soon as possible (supposedly they will re-teach me how to make everyday movements...like getting out of bed etc.) I start the PT tomorrow.

The Lord has definitely been working on me through all of this. It's very easy to have a servants heart and do for others....it's very hard to let others have a servants heart and do for you.
A week and a half ago, I actually started getting kind of depressed. I couldn't do what I wanted to do every day..couldn't take care of my hubby or kids the way I wanted etc. I couldn't take care of my home or gardens...How was I going to can/freeze veggies for the winter?

The Lord is showing me what my real priorities need to be....and it's not a home that is pristine and clean!

I've started a Joy Journal, and every evening, I write at least one thing that brought joy to me in that day. Initially it was a way to not let the blues take over and to be completely honest, when I was in extreme pain, it was embarrassingly hard to think of things to write. :(

Our wonderfully Lord carried me through and forgave me for those negative thoughts ;)

It's now VERY easy! Every night before bed, I write out the blessings of that day that have brought me joy. I try hard to keep any negative thoughts right out of it. There will be a day that I start feeling the blues again (we all do..even if it's hormonal) and I can't wait to go back and read all those pages of blessings! :o) Each day ends with "Thank You Lord!!"

Example:

There was one day I had gone to the store with my family...which my husband normally didn't allow me to do but I needed a new watch and he wanted me to pick it out. Previously I had used those little motorized buggies in the store, but on that day they were all being used. They had a wheel chair with basket that I could use and my wonderful hubby said he would push me through the store. By the time we left the store, I was in such severe pain I was in tears. My little boy came over to me and said "I know just what you need to make the hurting go away Mama...you need an Adam hug" and he gave me one of those monkey hugs that only little 4 year old's can give. That was a moment of pure joy and I don't ever want to forget the blessing of those little monkey arms!

Thank You Lord!!

You all are one of those many blessings....thank you so much :o)

2010-06-22T10:20:00.003-04:00

The Great Physician is doing a wonderful job of healing my back! After 2 1/2 weeks of almost complete bedrest, I am starting to be walk again. I'm praying that I won't need the surgery and that physical therapy will get me back to normal. I have an MRI scheduled for this evening...

I've tried to be productive with my down time, and have been working on the paperwork part of homeschooling. By the end of this week, we should be able to send in our years end portfolio and the new school years course of study.

Then I get to start working on lesson plans :)

I'm also hoping to do some re-working to our daily schedules and routines...now that my hubby is on his new schedule.

My Homestead Journal needs an overhaul too, but thats more for another day :)

Humbling Week...

2010-06-14T13:51:00.006-04:00

This past week has been one of the most humbling I've ever had. Let me explain...

I may have mentioned that I had injured my back/hip in a fall this past winter. Well, it lingered until about 4 weeks ago when I finally went to my Dr.s. My Dr. believed that I had bruised my Bursa ( a fluid filled sack that protects your major joints.) She believed that the fall had caused inflammation in the bursa, which in turn was causing muscle spasms, which was causing sciatica...whew! My Dr. tried to get me in to see an Orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist before our Boston trip...but it wasn't meant to be.

Boston was wonderful. I tried to limp through the week without complaining etc. I wanted our children to focus on the sights they were seeing...and not on Mama's pain.

The Sunday after we returned from Boston, my wonderful Sister-In-Law graduated from nursing school. We were invited to dine at an exquisite restaurant (completely inappropriate place for kiddos...and luckily my parents were thrilled to keep them for the afternoon) to celebrate with her and her entire family. A great time was had by all and the unique foods were a treat.

While we were at the restaurant, there was a tremendous downpour that left the grounds slick and muddy.... While my hubby and I were walking to the car, I slipped in the mud. :(

One leg went one way, the other leg went in the opposite direction, and my head whipped back, giving me a mild whiplash. I was so embarrassed, I just wanted to get out of there..I wasn't too worried about the pain at that moment! lol.

My husband and I picked up our children and then swung by his parents to visit for a bit. We headed home, had a light dinner and an early bedtime for everyone.

AT 12:45PM on Sunday night, I woke up with THE most excruciating pain I have ever had. My hip, back and entire left leg were spasming. I was instantly in tears. I started limping around, trying to ease the pain. Nothing I could do helped. Standing, walking, sitting, laying on either of my sides, back or stomach...nothing.

Finally at around 4:30AM I woke my hubby and asked him to take me to the hospital. The ER Dr. gave me a shot of an anti inflammatory and sent me home. The shot took the very edge off, but I was still in severe pain. My poor husband went back to bed for a couple of hours when we got home and then had to leave for work at 2PM. Our oldest children took care of everything for me. (What a blessing they are!) I tossed and turned all day, the pain just wouldn't stop.

When my husband arrived home at 12PM that night, he decided I needed to go back to the ER. The second ER Dr. gave me 2 more shots and a couple of prescriptions and sent me back home. By this time, I was almost delusional.The pain was horrible and I had gone so long without sleep.

I was in constant prayer, asking the Lord to ease the pain if it was His will, and if it wasn't His will to take the pain, then could He please just give me the strength to deal with it.

I was finally able to get in to see the Orthopedic Dr. on Thursday. He did a quick exam and it turns out...it was not my bursa at all. I have at least one ruptured disc and some pretty severe nerve damage (he wasn't able to get any of the reflexes on my left leg to work) I have an MRI scheduled, and once we have the results to that, I'll be sent to a Neurosurgeon.

I have been on complete bed-rest...on my stomach. :P When I do walk, I have to walk with a cane because of the numbness in my leg and foot. I have medication that I need to take at specific times throughout the day. (And I have never been one to take medicine if I could help it!)

My husband and children have taken over with all of my daily chores and cooking.
And the garden... is going to be my hubby and children's domain instead of mine.

We are selling our homestead animals...the goats & ducks. While my children can handle most of the daily chores (feeding, cleaning etc) they aren't able to trim hooves, or use the herbal suppliments and wormers. This was a very sad decision, but one we had to make for the time being.

The bottom line is this. The Lord is giving me the strength day by day, to get through this, just as I asked. He has given me a wonderful husband and children that love me and are taking the best of care of me, each other, and our home. It has been a humbling week, but it's been wonderful to see how the Lord answers our prayers.

Back from Boston!!

2010-06-04T15:00:00.002-04:00

We are home!!! What a wonderful trip we had...but it feels sooo good to be home. The suitcases have been unpacked and the washing machine is already running.

We have lots of pictures to share and will be uploading them over the weekend.

While I was gone, my husbands hours and days off changed....again! lol. But praise the Lord for providing such a wonderful job for him...and the new hours are a complete blessing. For the first time in the 8 years my husband has worked for the railroad, he will have Saturdays and Sundays off. I'll be reworking our schedules to adjust for the new hours and will share the changes here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Women at Home University..

2010-05-29T18:37:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned before that I'm a member of the Above Rubies forum. Recently, there was a women that mentioned a website called "Women at Home University". It seems that the woman's husband wanted her to study Biblical womanhood, Marriage, Motherhood etc. as if she were going for a college degree. There are four years of suggested reading etc. What an incredible blessing to have all the resources in one place!

Here's the link.

I will be in Boston with my oldest daughters this next week...this link will give you all something to investigate while I'm away ;)

Grace, We Just Don't Get It

2010-05-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Excellent Video...

2010-05-29T15:16:00.002-04:00

Phytic Acid Friend or Foe

2010-05-28T11:19:00.003-04:00

I stumbled onto this article written by Sue Becker ( of Bread Beckers ) and just had to share it with all of you. It's definitely food for thought!

Phytic Acid Friend or Foe?

The Soaking of Grains Investigated

By Sue Becker

Since 1992 I have been teaching others the health benefits of freshly milled whole grains. I have heard literally hundreds of testimonies of improved health, from minor issues to life threatening ones. What a confirmation these testimonies have been to the truths that have been taught.

Over the years, though, conflicting messages have arisen from time to time. When questioned concerning these teachings, I would research each one as to their validity. Most of the time I found some truth mixed with error. I chose to answer these questions on a personal level as they arose. I did not wish to get in a public arena of debate, choosing instead to just let truth prevail, and it always has. I have watched books, diets and teachers come and go.

However, there is a teaching I feel I must address formally. It is causing quite a stir among those of us who have embraced the lifestyle of milling our own grains. I have searched, studied and agonized over the subject for the past 4 or 5 years. My desire was not to prove any one wrong, but I had to know that what I was teaching was correct. If I was teaching error I had to change. It is my desire to present to you my findings and let you make an educated decision as to what is correct.

The subject is phytic acid and the sprouting or soaking of grains. Phytic acid is considered by some as an anti- nutrient component found in the bran portion of all grains and beans. It is being taught that “untreated” phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. It is being said that a diet high in unfermented whole grains supposedly can lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. It is also suggested that long term consumption of these untreated phytates may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and other serious adverse affects.

Statements are also being made that imply that grains have always been eaten in their sprouted form and that “our ancestors and virtually all pre-industrialized people only ate grains that were soaked or fermented”. Nourishing Tradition by Sally Fallon pg.452

My first thought is, that I see no reference of sprouting grains in the scripture. Many people refer to Ezekiel 4:9 as the first mention of sprouted bread. Careful examination of the verse however, gives no indication that the grains are sprouted. God’s instruction to Ezekiel is to take “wheat, spelt, barley, millet, lentils and beans” and to put them into “one vessel”. A word study done on “one vessel” showed that it means exactly that – one container. I do not see any indication of sprouting. One must remember that each of these grains or beans was used separately for food, for example barley loaves or spelt bread. The instruction to Ezekiel appears clear to me. God did not want Ezekiel to make a variety of breads out of the individual grains, but one bread out of the grains combined. Individually, grains and beans lack certain necessary amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. However, when grains and bean are combined, they perfectly complement each other, forming a complete protein. In a long term fast, much body mass is lost due to a lack of nourishment, particularly protein. When grains or beans are sprouted some protein is lost. I believe this bread was not sprouted, and the incredible supply of complete protein and other nutrients perfectly nourished Ezekiel for over 400 days!

It is taught by some that grains were harvested differently in Biblical days than now. This is Jordon Rubin’s best argument as to why there is no evidence of the sprouting of grains in the Bible. The teachings of Dr. Edward Howell are quoted and embraced as truth by both Sally Fallon and Jordon Rubin. “Dr. Howell noticed that the old harvesting techniques helped preserve and enhance the nutrition value of the grain. After cutting the mature grains in the field, farmers would gather the stalks and loosely bind them upright in sheaves and let them stand overnight in the field before threshing them (or removing the grain from the grass stalks) the next day. This allowed the grains to germinate or sprout”. The Maker’s Diet by Jordon Rubin pg.139 (emphasis mine). The premise is that this "germination" or sprouting of the seed in the field broke down the “harmful” phytic acid naturally so that no further soaking of the grain was necessary.

Dr. Howell’s statement is so simplistically wrong I truly thought I was missing something! No seed can begin to germinate or sprout and then be stored. The sprouting process can not be put on hold. It is like being pregnant – you are or you aren’t. If you are, you can not put it on hold and save the baby until you are ready for it. That baby will continue to grow until it is full term. It is the same with seeds. Once the sprout is formed, a full grown plant is going to develop. If seeds were allowed to sprout, they could not be stored, resulting in no seeds for next year’s crop and no food for the winter.

Germination of the seed does indeed stimulate phytase activity. Phytase is an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid and that allows the release of stored mineral which the new plant needs for growth. Normally these nutrients are stored securely inside the seed until it germinates. The fermentation process of yeast triggers this same activity and causes phytase to transform non-usable minerals into digestible ones. These minerals include phosphorous, zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. Without proper fermentation, these minerals remain inaccessible to your body. Allowing bread to rise for several hours before baking insures maximum nutritional value and the release of these stored nutrients.

I checked with the owner of one of our grain elevators on grain harvesting procedures. The owner had just returned from Ethiopia. It was harvest season there. He assured me that the primitive methods used for harvesting grain in Ethiopia today were the same primitive methods for harvesting grain used for thousands of years. The cut wheat was tied up in bundles, because it is easier to pick up a bundle than an individual stalk. The seeds must be fully dry at harvest time or they will not store! It is not desirable for the grain to get damp; therefore, it is harvested as quickly as possible. The only difference in modern methods of harvesting is that machinery is used to perform the tasks. The last thing any farmer wants is for the grain to get damp!

“Like snow in summer and rain in harvest so honor is not fitting for a fool.” Proverbs 26:1 Amp. version

“Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord and He will send thunder and rain; then you shall know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking for a king for yourselves.” I Samuel 12:17 Amp. version

Moist grain at harvest is a curse from God, not a benefit!

The History of Bread Making and Natural Leavens

Since I first began this journey of making my own bread, from freshly milled grains, the history of bread making has fascinated me. I have read many books and articles on the subject. I have never read anything to document the statement about our ancestors and “virtually all pre-industrialized people” soaking their grains. In preparation for writing this article I have spent even more time searching out and reading articles on the internet on the history of bread making. Again I found nothing on soaking or fermenting grains historically.

I think perhaps there is some confusion with the yeast “starters” that required an over night soak.

Prior to the availability of commercial yeast, bakers, as well as, homemakers had to “make” their own starter. I found two recipes for starters in a cookbook that was printed in 1901. The cookbook belonged to my husband’s great grandmother and was a “Careful Collection of Tried and Approved Recipes” compiled by The Ladies Aid Society. I figure that would date these recipes in the 1800s.

Organisms needed to leaven bread dough could be “caught” from the air. Equal parts flour and milk were mixed together to form a smooth batter. The raw milk, unlike today’s pasteurized milk, would supply the lactic acid bacteria. The mixture was allowed to set uncovered for several days to catch various organisms from the air. Once the growth of the yeast and bacteria made a nice bubbly mixture the “starter” was ready and could be used for making bread. The day before making bread, this starter was mixed with equal parts flour and water or milk and allowed to soak or “sponge” for 24 hours or overnight. The next morning a portion of the starter was saved and stored in a “yeast pot” (mentioned in the book of Exodus) for future use. Flour, sweeteners, oil and salt were then added to the rest of the sponge to make the bread dough. The dough was kneaded then shaped into loaves and allowed to rise for several hours. The entire amount of flour used was not soaked or allowed to ferment, only what was necessary to make their yeast. These starters are a mixture of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The yeast does the leavening and the lactic acid bacteria gives the bread a sour flavor, hence the name sour dough bread. These “starters” are often referred to as natural leaven since the yeast is considered wild and caught from the air. To say that natural leaven is not yeast is incorrect.

The strains of commercial yeast used today were isolated, as microorganisms were discovered, and grown for commercial use because of their hardiness and viability. It was more practical for bakers to have yeast readily available. I enjoy the flavor of sour dough and first learned to make bread using a sour dough starter. But I enjoy the convenience of bakers yeast and see no difference in the method of bread making through out history and the way I make bread today, except that I do not have to grow my yeast. I incorporate the yeast into my dough, just as has always been done, except that my yeast is in a dry form and not from a starter. I do, of course, lose the sour flavor contributed by the lactic acid bacteria.

Through out history many civilizations have indeed had numerous fermented foods as part of their diet. The fact that many ancient cultures ate a fermented bread of some sort, however, does not mean that all bread has to be fermented. Just because one culture eats a fermented cabbage food, known as sauerkraut, does not mean that all cabbage has to be fermented. Yogurt is a fermented dairy food; does that mean all milk has to be fermented? Certainly not!

One must remember that the fermentation of foods was chiefly a preservation method. Fermenting grains also offered a variety of texture, flavor, and aroma. Years ago, sweeteners and flavoring were not as readily available to the common people; therefore, grains or flour and water were often allowed to ferment overnight to give the bland “bread” some flavor. The dough was then fried or baked. Fermenting grains does indeed break down some of the protein, which is not necessarily advantageous. In fact, a nutritional study done on Ogi, a fermented African corn bread, showed that there were considerable losses in protein and calcium during the fermenting of Ogi. Researchers found that “the biological quality of Ogi was so poor it did not support the growth of rats”! (History of Fermented Soy Foods, Special Report by William Shurtleff)

Common breakfast cereals, such as oats were often soaked overnight. Before the process of rolling oats came along to shorten the cooking time, oat groats could take several hours to cook to obtain a nice creamy texture. Soaking the groats overnight shortened the early morning cooking time. Our ancestors were logical people. To imply that they soaked or fermented grains because of some innate sense that it was more nutritious is sheer speculation.

Phytic Acid – Friend or Foe?

Phytic acid’s “chelating” ability is considered by some to be a detriment to one’s health. On the other hand, many researches embrace this ability to bind with minerals as its most powerful asset. In her book, Diet for the Atomic Age, Sara Shannon, lists 11 nutrients in particular that protect against heavy metal toxicity and radiation damage. Phytates bind with radioactive and toxic substances and carry them out of the body. Aware of phytic acid’s mineral binding properties, Shannon states that an adequate diet will more than compensate. One must also remember that whole grains themselves are an abundant source of iron, calcium, and zinc. After extensive research, Shannon found that the more toxic our environment becomes, grains are our best source of protection, particularly due to the phytate content. She believes that “for optimal health, at least half of every meal should be grains”. Why would one want to denature something that is so beneficial? In fact, a supplement company is actually isolating this “powerful antioxidant” because of its anti-tumor, anti-carcinogenic, and blood sugar regulating properties!

Studies show that phytic acid, particularly from wheat bran, actually stimulates the productions of phytase in the small intestine. The fact that phytase can be produced in the small intestine eliminates the necessity of fermenting all grains before consuming them, as in the case of unleavened breads, quick breads (that do not use yeast as a leavening), and parched or boiled grains. Phytase activity in the small intestine actually increased, not decreased, the absorption of minerals, especially, calcium. (Journal of Nutrition 2000:130: 2020-2025). Over the years we have seen numerous people healed of life long anemia issues after they began grinding their own grains to make their bread. How could this be if phytic acid in the bran kept iron from being absorbed?

Other studies have also shown that this increase of phytase activity, stimulated by phytic acid, offered significant reduction in the formation of cancer cells in the colon. This anti-carcinogenic protection was also attributed to phytic acid’s mineral chelating properties. If phytic acid strengthen and protects the colon, how could it cause colitis and irritable bowel syndrome? Again we have heard numerous testimonies of healing of both colitis and IBS from eating “real bread”.

Phytic acid can be digested by humans and actually releases inositol during the process. Inositol is a key B vitamin necessary for the metabolism of fat and cholesterol. Whole grains are a valuable source of inositol, as well as choline and lecithin, which are also important in the break down of cholesterol. This may explain why so many people have reported a significant reduction in cholesterol levels once they began making their own bread from freshly milled grains. Inositol is also an essential nutrient in reducing depression. Again I ask - why would we want to denature this valuable nutrient?

One should really wonder why whole grains and phytic acid were “picked on” at all. Why not oxalic acid? It is a mineral chelator found in spinach, chard, cranberries, almonds, rhubarb and other vegetables. Should we quit eating these healthy foods as well? Sally Fallon encourages the use of flaxseed for its rich source of fatty acids, stating that it is low in phytic acid. Yet sources that herald phytic acid as a nutrient, give wheat bran and flaxseed as the richest sources. Does soaking the grain over night actually denature the phytic acid? Not from what I have read. Only about 10% of the phytic acid is broken down in an overnight soak and that is not enough to make a significant difference.

Is There a Place for the Sprouting of Grains?

Absolutely!! In fact I got very excited as I began to study this. Of the many essential nutrients needed by your body to promote health and life, there are only four nutrients deficient in wheat, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D and the amino acid lysine. When grains and beans are sprouted, there is some loss in protein, but vitamin A content increases by 300% and vitamin C by 500%. In fact sprouted grains were used on long ocean voyages to prevent scurvy. Limes, and lemons would eventually rot, but the storable grains would last the duration of the voyage and could be sprouted at any time. Sprouted grains can also be more easily tolerated by those who can not digest gluten.

As our food supply gets more and more contaminated and manipulated – our fruits and vegetables are radiated and picked long before ripening, animals are fed antibiotics and hormones that then show up in our meat and dairy products, genetic modification is being done to much of our food supply – we can become very discouraged and left with very few safe food options.

Grains, however, do not have to be radiated to be made storable, they are not fed antibiotics or hormones, and organic grains are not genetically modified. From all of this, I see the hand of a wonderful Creator that made a perfectly storable food, which can be ground into flour to make delicious breads of all sorts and to obtain two of the missing nutrients one can then sprout the grains. Grains, as I see it are our most reliable food!

The Attack on Bread – God’s Perfect Provision

For a long time I have been very concerned as I have watched bread be attacked from every direction. The “low carb” diet propagated the myth that bread will make you fat. Gluten is treated like some evil substance, found in bread, when in fact it is just the protein portion of the grain, with specific health benefits. This is not to negate the fact that some people have serious physical issues with gluten. But the problem is not with gluten. If so, why is corn such a common allergen? It has no gluten. What about milk? These are all wonderful foods that God has given us that are now thought of as unhealthy when in fact we are the ones who are unhealthy. We lack the ability to digest these foods properly. Now presently grain is bad because of some mold on the wheat and phytic acid in the bran. What next?

I believe that the day has come where God is going to use sickness and disease as a powerful evangelistic tool. As God’s people we must prepare. As we turn to His ways of eating, always letting His word be the final authority, we will see our health return. As those around us become sicker they will look to us for answers. As we share truth for physical health, we will be sharing truth for spiritual health. But if deceptive teaching can prevail and convince the world that bread is bad, then why would any one want the Real Bread of Life. Deceptive teaching is a powerful tool of the enemy. We must pray continually for wisdom. None of us is above being deceived. In fact as I have struggled with the validity of this teaching, the Lord spoke this scripture to my heart:

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? … Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to obtain your goal by human effort: Galatians 3:1 NIV version

I do not wish to be either foolish or bewitched. James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom we are to ask God who will give it.

Throughout the Bible, bread is considered a symbol of healing or the presence of God. Jesus compared Himself to bread because bread, made from freshly milled whole grains is life giving and life sustaining. As the days become more and more evil, Jesus will be attacked in any and every way. If the life giving bread to which Jesus compares Himself, can be brought into question, then the very name of Jesus and His saving power can be more easily discredited as well.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this article should be construed as medical advice. Consult you health care provider for your individual nutritional and medical needs. The opinions are strictly those of the author and are not necessarily those of any professional group or other individual.

Spring Updates From Our Little Homestead...

2010-05-18T09:46:00.004-04:00

I had no intentions of taking a blogging hiatus...but it seems to have happened anyway! lol. This past month has been so full...between birthdays, planning for an upcoming trip, selling and buying animals, injuries and illnesses....whew!~ :)

Here are some quick updates on some of the changes and challenges:

-We sold all of our full-sized chickens and have hatched some bantams to take their places. The only chicken we kept from our original flock was a little silkie named Sally. We have hatched some more silkies, some sizzles and frizzles.

-We sold our Nigerian Dwarf goats...and bought some larger breed dairy goats. (Which is why we switched to bantams...to make room for the larger goats.) We now have 2 LaMancha doelings and a Saanen doeling...all 3 months old. When we brought them home a month ago, they were still being bottle fed..that was a whole new experience! Early morning feedings were a surprising joy :)
We will be bringing a buckling into our little herd once we are home from our trip.

-Ducks! We now have a pair of Pekins...if you have ever wanted to raise ducks, I'd have to recommend Pekins. What a wonderful, multi-purpose bird! For people looking for meat birds, they are at full, butcher weight at 7 weeks old....for people looking for a laid-back bird that lays eggs regularly..they fill that "bill" as well :P We are also dabbling in call ducks...that's a whole 'nother adventure that I'll elaborate on at another time ;)

-Strawberry plants...Our eventual plan, is to produce most of our fruits and veggies on our own little patch of land. The first phase in that plan for us was to plot and plant a strawberry patch. We now have 50 strawberry plants that will (Lord willing) begin supplying us with fruit next summer ;)
Raspberries/Blackberries, Apples, Peaches and Plums to come!

-Herb beds/Perennial beds..We decided to combine our love for herbs and Perennials in one area. We won't know for a while if this was a successful coupling..will keep you all posted :)

-In the garden..We have been planning and plotting our gardens for months and are finally in the implementing stages! We have some beautifully tilled soil (thanks to my wonderful hubby :) and are excited to begin sowing seeds and seedlings this afternoon. We are going to focus on companion planting and combine traditional rows with square foot gardening...again, updates to come:) It's a bit premature for New England, but we are going to watch closely for those pesky, late-season frosts.

-Fishing/Camping... Two of our favorite spring/summer activities! We discovered a state forest with a lake and campground very close to our home. We had thought camping wouldn't be an option with all of our critters, but now are excited to be able to plan a few get-aways for this summer. The fishing there has been wonderful as well!

-The current school year is almost over....and we will be starting the next when we return from our trip. The end of a school year is always bittersweet, but we are very excited to begin using the Konos curriculum.

-Birthdays...my wonderful hubby turned 33 last week...the day after our little man turned 4. My mother and grandmother also celebrated their birthdays this past week....and then with Mothers day...celebrations on both sides of the family have been abundant and soo much fun (Not to mention our Anniversary yesterday! :)

-Injuries and illnesses...Our kiddos managed to catch one of the spring colds floating around...and it made it's rounds in our family :P Praise the Lord, it was short lived and they are all recovering quickly. And injuries...well, I injured my back this past winter and it has been slow to heal. It turns out I've done some major damage and will be seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon as well as beginning Physical Therapy. Prayers are always appreciated:)

-Our upcoming trip...My oldest daughters and I (along with my mother) will be taking a week long trip to Boston! We are blessed to live in New England..an area so rich in historical places. A week is surely not long enough to visit all of them, but should be very educational and fun :)

And that, my friends is a quick update on our little, urban homestead :)

Pictures to come...

The Joys and Sorrows of Homesteading...

2010-04-06T07:39:00.000-04:00

There are so many joys and wonders that we experience while living a homesteading lifestyle. Last summer, we saw the beauty of life in our baby goats. There was such joy and awe when we saw those little, tiny babies wobbling around just hours after birth. There was sorrow too when we saw the little buckling that didn't make it.

We have seen chicks hatch from their shells...and not all of them make it out.

This past weekend we felt a deep sorrow.

Most of our chickens were hatched and raised right here at home...many of them through incubators. There was one beautiful exception though. Suzanna.

We have a little silkie chicken named Sally. She's such a sweet little thing..and she was very determined to become a Mama. Nobody had told Sally that the eggs she was so stubbornly sitting on weren't fertile. After a couple of months, and many egg switches later..I caved in and slipped a couple of fertile eggs under her (these were supplied by a friend.) 3 weeks later, Sally had two beautiful fluffy chicks to mother. Alas, one turned out to be a little rooster and so was delivered to another home. The one chickie left was Sally's pride and joy.

For the past 8 months, Sally has mothered Suzanna..even when Suzanna quickly outgrew her Mama's little stature. It was the sweetest thing in the world to watch this full grown pullet trying to snuggle under her Mama's wing. :) What a joy it's been watching those two!

This past weekend came the sorrow. Suzanna lost the use of her legs. We think she may have had a stroke...and we had to put her down.

Sometimes the sorrows seem to overshadow the joys but just like in our every-day lives, we need to count our blessings.

We have ducklings that are about 3 weeks old. What a joy they are! And we have 34 eggs in the incubator...the excitement and thrill of new life is surely a joy.

I can only imagine the way our Creator feels...watching the ups and downs of our human lives...the joys and the sorrows.

Schedules, Routines and Daily Tasks....

2010-03-18T11:48:00.000-04:00

Whenever there is a time change, it always seems to take a day or two to get into the groove again. What a perfect time to go over daily schedules, tasks and routines! Since we're already having to make adjustments due to the time change, the changes in schedules etc. are easy to squeek in there too.

Here is our new daily routine:

6AM- Mama wakes, dresses and pretties up for the day. Start cofee, and then quiet prayer and Bible study time.
6:45AM- Kids wake up, dress, and tidy rooms.
7AM- Mama, Adam and Karina work on breakfast while Arianna and Cassidy deal with morning animal chores. Start laundry of the day.
7:30AM-Breakfast and devotionals at dining room table.
8AM- Daddy home from work, kitchen gets tidied up, and daily food preps started.
8:30AM-Task of the day.
9AM-School begins- Character traits and Bible study.
Mathematics
Language Arts
Reading
12 Noon- Lunch break. Tidy kitchen.
1PM- Daily walk or indoor exercise. (This is both for myself and the kiddos.)
Science
History
(In the future these will be combined with Unit studies...more on that to come.)
3PM- Free time (if all schoolwork/daily tasks are completed)
5PM- Dinner time.
5:30PM- Kitchen clean-up, pack Daddy's cooler, food preps for the following day.
6:30PM- Family time.
7:30PM- Shower time.
8PM-Bedtime for the medium kids (they are not little kids...lol)
8:30PM- Bedtime for the bigger kids.
8:30-10PM- Quiet time for Mama and Daddy.
10PM- Daddy off to work, Mama off to bed.

Our Weekly Cleaning Tasks-

Sunday-

Church until 2PM and outdoors time in the afternoon.

Monday-

Family Day

Tuesday-

Mama- Grocery shopping, milk run and errands.
Arianna- Clean out fridge.
Cassidy- Tidy up pantry.
Karina- Sweep stairs.
Adam- Carpet sweep in the living room

Wednesday-

Mama- Deep clean bathroom
Arianna- Animal clean-up
Cassidy- Animal clean-up
Karina- Bathroom walls.
Adam- Carpet sweep in bathroom.

Thursday-

Mama- Living room and school room.
Arianna- Wipe down walls, doors, and baseboards.
Cassidy- Vacuum all floors.
Karina- Wash school room table and chairs.
Adam- Dust in living room.

Friday-

Mama- Baking day.
Arianna- Entryway and driveway.
Cassidy- Basement clean-up.
Karina- Butter bread pans
Adam- Help to measure wheat berries.

Saturday-

Mama- Kitchen
Arianna- Van clean-up
Cassidy- Surfaces and shelves.
Karina- Wipe down kitchen walls.
Adam- Wash front of stove and fridge.

And finally, our daily laundry schedule...

Sunday-

Sheets and bedding.

Monday-

None

Tuesday-

Towels, and dish clothes.

Wednesday-

Karina and Adams clothing.

Thursday-

Cassidy's clothing.

Friday-

Arianna's clothing.

Saturday-

Mama and Daddy's clothing.

**A note on our laundry schedule....I'm trying to utilize the clotheslines as much as possible. If we have a rain day, the laundry is held off until the next (dry) day. At most, we have 2-3 loads of laundry to catch up....and the savings on electricity and wear on the clothing is sooo worth it!**

Wednesday....

2010-03-10T18:06:00.003-05:00

Menu for the day:

Breakfast- Steel cup oats, whole wheat toast and fruit of choice. Kefir.

Lunch-Egg salad sandwiches and orange slices.

Dinner- Chili, salad with homemade dressing and cornbread (made with Kamut)

Our morning started off later than normal...we all stayed up a bit too late and so were all moving a bit slow. Morning chores were done while the oats were cooking and then we settled down to breakfast. Kitchen chores were done and then it was time to do some schoolwork.

After getting all of the kids going on their various studies, I puttered in the kitchen a bit. I started some dinner preps and then did an inventory of our dry goods. It's time to do another pantry stock-up:)

Around noon, Arianna made some egg salad sandwiches while I hung a couple of loads of clothes out on the lines. While I was outside, all of the kids came out with their sandwiches and we had a little picnic. :)

We ended up spending the afternoon outside, playing, riding bikes, and playing with our animals. The goats reeaally seem to have spring fever right now. They've been so silly and frisky lately. lol.

Then it was time to come in and work on supper. The beans were simmering in the pot and all I needed to do was make a salad, dressing, cornbread and then brown the hamburger for the chili. My hubby slept a bit later than usual, so we had a later supper and kitchen clean-up.

The kiddos desperately needed a tubby after playing all afternoon...so we lined them up and made sure everyone was clean, brushed and in fuzzy jama's for bed. :)

Early to bed...for everyone...even the Mama.. :)

Tuesday...

2010-03-10T17:05:00.004-05:00

Here I am, writing about yesterday when today is about done! lol

Menu for the day:

Breakfast- Fried eggs, toast, bananas and kefir.

Lunch-Steak, sauteed w/ onions, baked potatoes and oranges.

Dinner- Meatloaf, herbed/baked sweet potatoes, green beans and corn.

Dessert was homemade brownie sundaes!

We had another wonderful day in the sun! Lots of laundry washed and hung out...it's getting to the point that I really look forward to doing laundry,....so I can go outside and hang it on the line! lol.

I now have a definite location for our strawberry bed, the herb bed, asparagus bed, Black/raspberry bushes as well as our mini orchard. It may take a few years to put in all of the plants I want (these things are expensive! lol) but it's so exciting to have a plan.

I've been reading another book called "The Self Sufficiency Handbook: A Complete Guide to Greener Living" by Alan and Gill Bridgewater. When I first purchased this book, I didn't notice the part where it said "A Complete Guide to Greener Living". I flipped through the book and noticed all the sections on animals, plants and companion planting and I was intrigued.

My goal though our little homestead is not to become more "green". I think that that is an overused word right now and it's actually become more of a fad. You're "cool" if you're green. :P

I've never been much for following trends...my goal is to be as self sufficient as possible and to be as good of a steward as I can be of the land, home and family the Lord has given me.

It makes sense to compost...we are feeding our soil so it can better feed our family.

It a makes sense to recycle, so we aren't paying for rubbish disposal and we are being better stewards of what the Lord has blessed us with if we can re-use it as many times as possible.

It makes sense to check into solar and wind power...so we can eventually live off-grid and not have to rely on government funded companies that change their prices on a whim.

It makes sense to buy organics whenever possible...they haven't had the same amount of chemicals used on them! (DO NOT BE FOOLED THOUGH...organic vegetables and fruits have still had some chemical compounds put on them...they may not be AS toxic, but they have still had some chemical exposure. )

It makes sense to buy grass-fed and free ranged meats...it's closer to the way God intended for these animals to live and so they'll have more of the nutrients that He planned.

It makes sense to garden, and raise animals for our families consumption so we can save money and still have a wonderful quality of food.

I guess the homesteading lifestyle is pretty "cool" lol.

Monday...

2010-03-09T10:11:00.002-05:00

Menu for the day:

Breakfast- Coffee cake made by Arianna (as well as some fruit and kefir)

Lunch- Was cheese, apples etc.

Dinner- Pizza made by Daddy.

(Notice that Mama didn't do ANY cooking? lol...Felt very spoiled :)

Monday, is our family's "Saturday" and our weekend started off quietly. Arianna made a yummy coffee cake for breakfast and we all enjoyed a cozy, quiet morning.

After some necessary phone calls....we all headed outside for some fun in the sun. The "men" worked on some tractors in Daddy's shop and then worked the compost piles. Us "ladies" worked on hanging some clothes out on the lines and then did some spring cleaning in the yard.

We grabbed some light foods to snack on for lunch and headed back outside.

The kids had fun riding their bicycles, scooters and a Ripstick....I had fun watching and chatting with the neighbors.

Around 6pm, my wonderful hubby made us some pizza's for dinner. The clean-up was minimal and we had a nice family evening. The kids went to bed and then hubby and I watched some television together. We watched Hoarders (oh my word!!! What a sad tv show that is :( ) and then American Pickers.

What a glorious, sunny day it was!

Saturday and Sunday...

2010-03-08T08:03:00.002-05:00

I'm cheating a bit, by combining these two days...but the weekend was sooo beautiful that we didn't spend much time indoors near a computer. :)

Saturday morning we quickly got through our morning tasks and schoolwork...then headed outside for some sunshine! I brought some notebooks outside to sketch a layout of our yard. There are sooo many things we want to add, but we need to make sure there's space for it all lol.

New additions this year...I'll be ripping up our small front yard and putting in an herb/perennial garden. Where my perennials are currently will be a huge patch of strawberries. The blackberries and raspberries will run the length of one side of our yard, along a stone wall. Then there's the dwarf apple orchard....sigh...I can't wait to start all of these projects! lol. We also need to put in some additional garden space for popcorn.

My hubby had to go into work early on Saturday evening, so the kids and I worked on getting everybody bathed, and our clothes ironed and layed out for Sunday.

Sunday morning was a bit hectic...as all Sunday mornings seem to be. :P lol. The kiddos and I went to a new church and absolutely loved it. We have some wonderful friends that already attend this church, so there wasn't the "new church" feeling. It felt very much like home.

The sermon struck a major chord with me. It was on James 4:13-17 and God's will. One thing the pastor said that will stick with me always:

Yesterday is a canceled check...gone and can't be retrieved.
Tomorrow is a promissory note...we can't know that there will even be a tomorrow.
Today is cash in hand...spend it wisely.

After the morning service, this church has a family picnic downstairs...each family brings their own lunch. What a wonderful time of fellowship! Then there is a casual family service following lunch. Adam had a hard time with this one...too much sitting and no nap did not make for a well behaved child. Something to work on. :P

By the time the kids and I got home, my wonderful hubby was just waking up. We spent the afternoon relaxing and having fun together. My husband made us dinner (WOW!! yeah :) Baked chicken breast, green beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil as well as some brown basmati rice.

The kids had such a nice day that they had a hard time settling down to go to sleep. There was a LOT of giggling, storytelling etc. :) We let it go this time as it's officially our weekend and they didn't need to wake up early this morning.

And that was our Saturday and Sunday :)

Friday..

2010-03-06T09:37:00.003-05:00

Menu for the day:

Breakfast- Baked pancake (made with kamut) sliced oranges and kefir

Lunch- Was eaten out. (Burritos :P)

Dinner- Slow cooked pork in a tangy sauce, over brown basmati rice, corn and green beans.

Yesterday started with our normal routine...breakfast, morning animal tasks and daily chores, followed by school work. I made some homemade ketchup and then started the slow cooked pork in the crock pot.

Our animal feed supplies were running low, and I needed to pick up some birthday presents we had ordered.... as well as that elusive part for the van, so we ended up heading out around 11am to run those errands.

If you have access to it, Diamond food is an excellent food for dogs and cats. It doesn't have all the junk added, and the price is reasonable as well. You can check the companies website for local businesses that sell the food...our local Tractor Supply is where we get ours.

While we were out and about, we also stopped at a thrift shop (major score on spring/summer clothes for the kids...as well as another crock pot and blender for Mama :) and 2 whole foods stores. We bought some veggies, fruit, organic popcorn and sea salt from the bulk bins, and ground up some fresh peanut butter (which the kids loooove to do :) Whew! What a day of running around lol.

It was sooo nice to come home to dinner in the crock pot. I made some rice and veggies to go along with it (you'll notice we have frozen corn and green beans quite often...they are family favorites as well as veggies we put up in the summer. We've just about run out of beans, but still have an abundance of corn to use up.)

After dinner, we watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and then got the kiddos cleaned up and ready for bed. Once the kids were in bed, my husband and I played a video game together.This is definitely NOT something that comes naturally to me, but my husband enjoys these games and has asked me to play with him "so he can share something he enjoys with me" lol.

Then Hubby left for work and I headed to bed.

Thursday..

2010-03-05T08:17:00.002-05:00

Menu for the day was:

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast with butter, sliced strawberries and kefir.

Lunch- Egg salad sandwiches, and sliced up oranges.

Dinner- Baked chicken leg quarters, boiled potatoes, and green beans.

Dessert- yummy chocolate cake made with kamut (instead of white flour) and Sucanat (instead of white sugar)....I was surprised by how well this came out...it was a quick, throw together cake and I'll post the recipe at the end of this post.

Yesterday was a slow day for us. We were all exhausted from the late night and early morning. We did the basics in school and housework , had lunch and all took a nap! lol...I can't remember the last time my older children willingly took a nap :P

We ended up waking up from our naps about the same time my husband woke for the day. It was nice having some quiet time to chat with him and snuggle with the kids.

Around 4pm, my husband took the van over to the inspection station (hallelujah, it passed!) and I started working on our dinner. I peeled some potatoes and covered them with water, sprinkled some herbs and spices on the chicken...and popped it in the oven. Frozen green beans finished things off..and were quick and easy. While the chicken was in the oven, I took a small pork roast out of the fridge and diced it up into small pieces for this evenings dinner. I put the pork into the crock pot and tucked it in the fridge.

Dinner was very basic, but filling and yummy. My oldest daughters took care of the kitchen clean-up after dinner and then my little boy decided we needed some cake.

It was hilarious...he kept telling my hubby that after the kitchen was tidy, Mama was going to make him a chocolate cake! :P He asked me sooo nicely "Mama, will you please make me a chocolate cake to share with Daddy?" How could I resist...I caved and went into the kitchen to throw together a quick cake. lol.

My husband made some homemade chocolate ice cream a few days ago, so we had a scoop of ice cream with our cake...yummy! Then it was time to get cleaned up and ready for bed. (Teeth thoroughly scrubbed lol) Not long after, my hubby was off to work, and I was heading to bed too.

Here's the recipe for the chocolate cake I made:

3 cups of kamut
( you can use whole wheat, or all purpose flour, but the kamut was delicious)
6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder ( can sub carob powder)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups of sucanat (you can use cane juice crystals, or white sugar if you need to)
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar
2/3 cup coconut oil (or light flavored olive oil..or another oil of your choice)
2 cups of cold water
2 teaspoons of vanilla (not the imitation, chemical junk)

Preheat oven to 350*. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. (I use glass pyrex dishes)

Tap the pan on the counter to help remove some of the bubbles in the cake batter. Bake at 350* for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and frost. My favorite frosting for this cake is basic vanilla butter cream. (Though this cake is so yummy and moist, you really don't even have to frost it.)

Frosting-

1/3 cup softened real butter (no margarine please lol)
3 cups of powdered sucanat (or regular confectioners sugar if thats all you have)
3 tablespoons of cream (or whole milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

Blend butter and sugar together. Stir in cream and vanilla until it's nice and smooth. (You can add another drop or two of cream if it's not the consistency you like.)

This recipe came from my paternal Grandmother and it's been a looong time favorite in our family. This recipe also works really well for 24 cupcakes. The cooking time is a bit shorter...more like 20-25 min.

My Wednesday...

2010-03-04T09:03:00.005-05:00

Menu for the day:

Breakfast- Steel cut oats, orange slices and kefir smoothies.

Lunch- Thick slices of homemade bread with butter, cheddar cheese chunks, and apple slices.

Dinner- Sandwiches from the local sub shop.

What a day!

It began normally enough...breakfast, morning animal chores, school etc. Then I called to see if our van was ready...it wasn't :( They promised it would be ready that afternoon, so I made plans to walk over to pick it up. I was supposed to get a phone call telling me when it was ready...I never got the call. My hubby woke up around 3pm and called the shop again...it still wasn't ready...but they promised it would be ready by 5pm.

Long story short, my husband ended up walking over to get the van.

Let me back up a moment and give a little bit of history on the situation...Our van was actually purchased through a private sale. It was a family member to one of the dealership's mechanics. (If that makes sense? lol.) When we noticed there was a major antifreeze leak, we contacted the previous owner. He said he would see us in court. He wouldn't be refunding our money or fixing anything. There were many other nasty comments made (and I'm so proud of my husband for holding his temper and being logical, not emotional.) The man ended up being escorted out of the place by the police. :(

Now for the blessing in all of this...The owner of the dealership felt awful about everything, and so the work done thus far has been free. In our state, we have a used car law that states that the vehicle has to pass inspection or the previous owner needs to refund the money or repair the problems (unless the purchase price was less than $700). Luckily, my BIL is an attorney, so if this does need to go to court, we have someone to turn to. The owner of the dealership said that if we decided to sue, he would be happy to come and testify on our behalf.

The van is drivable at the moment and we are hoping to get it through inspection this afternoon. There is still a slight anti-freeze leak that my hubby will have to fix this weekend, and I've already ordered the part for him.

It's so easy to get into the "woe is me" attitude when things go wrong...and I have to admit to slipping into that mood a bit this past week... :(...but the reality is that we need to praise the Lord even when things aren't going as we'd like them too.

Think about Job...he lost everything...but he kept his eyes on the Lord and in the end, he prospered. As I've said before...Jesus conquered the grave!

Our Lord is bigger than cars, money and all the other stresses that we deal with. We need to put our trust in Him, and rest at His feet when things are hard. He never promised that life would be easy...but He has promised that He'd be with us always...even unto the end of the world.

Another Week in the Life of Me.....

2010-03-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

I've had several requests to do another "Week in the Life of Me"....well I've held off, waiting for a "normal" week of our lives to do it in...problem is, there is NO normal week! lol. Our lives are far from perfect and every week is different.

I was thinking about it this evening...thinking maybe I'll do it next week...starting at the beginning of the week on Sunday. But on the theme of things being "abnormal", I've decided to start it tomorrow. I'll try to make a post each evening of that days activities :)

Now, an update on our vehicle situation. We purchased a beautiful, newer minivan...unfortunately it started leaking anti-freeze on the way to the inspection station so we had to bring it back for servicing (always something! lol) and hope to have it back tomorrow. In the meantime, a friend of Roy's will be taking him to work this evening. The Lord always provides..hallelujah!

Upcoming post ideas:

1.) How to menu plan and grocery shop...for healthy foods..on a budget!
2.) Why I love and recommend cast iron...and the care of it.
3.) Square foot gardening and the garden we are planning for this year. (As well as raising a greenhouse and hopefully year-round gardening in it.)
4.) Raising chicks and chickens. ( I'll be hatching and raising some more chicks soon.)
5.) Basic whole grain recipes. ( Grandma's kind of cooking...without all the hard-to-find bizarre ingredients.)
6.) Budgeting and basic money management.
7.) Holistic facials and skin care...from your fridge.

and the list goes on!

And He Walked Away...

2010-02-24T23:05:00.005-05:00

I pray for my husband every night when he leaves for work...for his safety at work and on the drive there and home...and that he'll have a good night in general. Well, the Lord answered my prayers this morning. My husband ended up with the third shift at work and on his way home, in the middle of a snowstorm, he had a pretty severe accident.

AS you can see...not a pretty sight!

But Praise the Lord!!

He walked away...sore, banged up and bruised...but he walked away. I'm trying to not stress about the vehicle situation..this was our only working one at the moment...but if our God can conquer the grave, He can deal with the minor issue of a vehicle. :P lol.

More in-depth posts to come...

Food Inc...

2010-02-11T12:38:00.005-05:00

Have you ever seen the documentary "Food Inc." ? Our family sat down to watch it recently and I have to say...it was perhaps the most thought provoking documentary that I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it...borrow it from a library and make sure you do!

****Warning**** Some parts of the documentary were kind of graphic (slaughterhouses etc.) It brought me to tears...and almost made me ill. We had our children avert their eyes a few times, but felt it was important for them to see the reality of our foods.

The Lord had already been impressing upon me that we needed to make some major changes regarding the foods we'd been eating. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord for direction.

Well...I got it....and boy was it a rude awakening...a bit of a slap in the face that my head is still spinning from.

Here are some of the changes that we are proposing to make:

-Buy all meats locally (we are blessed to have a local farm/slaughterhouse that sells grass fed/grain free meat)

-Eat more meat-less meals. (I'll try to post some of the menu's and recipes I'm planning on using.)

-Continue buying frozen vegetables instead of canned (the canned foods have concentrated amounts of bisphenol A...the toxin that can be leached from baby bottles :( )

-Grow a ginormous garden so we can freeze or can our own produce for next winter...the things we don't have room to grow, we'll buy in bulk from local produce farmers.

- Completely eradicate all processed foods from our home...we are mostly there, but there are the occasional "bad" foods that make their way in. We will not be consuming any more high fructose corn syrup etc. (Heinz ketchup....lol)

-Completely eradicate all fast foods from our diets....especially the occasional burgers. The burger "filler" is rinsed with ammonia!!!! It may be all beef...but they don't claim it's all ground meat...

-Continue buying organics whenever possible.

-Trust in the Lord to provide us with the healthy foods He's directing us to eat! :)

This is all part of the journey towards eating healthier, and being more deliberate about the choices we make each day. I'll try to keep you all posted along the way :)

This Weeks Menu..

2010-01-15T09:32:00.002-05:00

This coming week will be a real crazy one for us. My husband has just started his new hours and we're still trying to find a schedule that works for our family :P Here is our tentative schedule for this coming week (we will hopefully be back on the 2 week schedule the following week..after we figure everything out :)

We are playing with 2 different eating schedules for our family.

-The first will be to have our big, family meal in the morning with a nice breakfast, then something light for everyone at lunch. I will make a hot dinner in the evening...holding back a dish for my husband for the following nights dinner.

-The other idea is to still have breakfast together..but make it pretty early in the AM and try to have our bigger, hot meal around 11-11:30AM. Then have a light meal in the evening. I am not actually scheduling our light meal...this will be sandwiches, leftovers, fruit/cheese/bread etc. We always have fruit that is pretty much free-choice and then occasionally yogurt or cheese as a snack. The only rule is that there's no snacking if it's less than 1 hour before a mealtime.

Having said all of that, this is our schedule for the next week :)

Sunday-
Breakfast-Dutch Pancakes (with real maple syrup only). Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Daddy and Mama, dinner out...kids with grandparents :)

Monday-
Breakfast-Stuffed, baked, french toast. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Garlic, Parmesan, baked chicken thighs, with corn, green beans, salad and homemade dressing. (We will have chocolate cupcakes and homemade ice cream for dessert...this is Karina's birthday dinner..completely her choices :P)

Tuesday-
Breakfast-Fried eggs, ww toast, homemade breakfast sausage. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Spaghetti dinner with homemade sauce and pasta, salad with homemade dressings and fresh garlic bread.

Wednesday-
Breakfast-Oatmeal with personal choice of toppings. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Homemade chili, and salad with homemade dressings.

Thursday-
Breakfast-Pumpkin pancakes. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Roasted chicken dinner, with stuffing, potatoes, carrots, and salad with homemade dressings.

Friday-
Breakfast-Scrambled eggs, toast and home fries. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Split pea stew, fresh bread and salad with homemade dressings.

Saturday-
Breakfast-Baked oatmeal. Kefir smoothies.
Dinner-Homemade pizzas. Herb, cheese pizza dough, cheese and possibly pepperoni (for Daddy) Pineapple, onions, green peppers, broccoli etc for everyone else....on separate sections of course! lol. Salad with homemade dressings.

And that's it for this week. I don't buy a lot of extras....and I don't buy the pre-packaged foods. We just have basic, healthy foods :)

Q & A on a Whole Foods Budget...

2010-01-08T11:48:00.005-05:00

I was recently asked by a reader how much we spend on our grocery bill using whole foods. My answer... approximately $100 a week for 6 people, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 28 chickens and 3 goats (oh and the hamster :P lol)

Let me explain how we are able to do this.

Here's the don'ts...

1) I do not buy organics unless they are on sale for less than the conventional variety. Do not be swindled! My father is a farmer (17+ acres of vegetables that he sells to grocery stores, restaurants etc. ) and the fertilizers and such that he uses are actually milder than those used by a local organic farmer. Organic farmers can still use pesticides, they're just regulated by what types they are able to use.

2) I do not clip coupons. I have friends that will yell at me for this one (hi J :) but the foods that we eat do not usually have coupons for them...the coupons are usually for pre-packaged, processed foods...which leads me to....

3) I do not buy pre-packaged foods. The are way more expensive and the nutrition has been compromised.

4) I do not buy refined, white foods...flours, sugars, pastas etc.

Now, here's how I make our small budget work for us.

1) I buy local and buy in bulk whenever possible. I can or freeze the excess for the winter months. Buying local is "green" as it doesn't need to be transported as far (less fuel and emissions) but even more important than that, you are supporting a local farmer!

3) Buy in bulk whenever the price is good. This is a continuation of #1, but seriously if I can buy a 50lb bag of wheat berries for 28$, it makes much more sense than buying it by the lb at 1.69$. Also, having food set by in storage is something we've talked about before. It's always wise to have a food storage that you can pull from when times are lean...never mind in the case of an emergency.

4) I write out a menu in advance and then make a shopping list from that. I also have a basic list (pantry, freezer, dry storage, health & beauty care etc.) of all the items we use on a regular basis. This is a great reminder for when I'm having a spacey moment and need to put our grocery list together.

5) Count the cost of gasoline and go shopping 2x's a month vs every week. This is a new thing for us and what a blessing it has been. Also, the more you are at the store, the more apt to buy convenience food you are! (note...I do go to a farm for 4 gallons of raw milk once a week...unfortunately it just doesn't last any longer in our house :)

6) Plan some easy meals into your menu...this helps to avoid the fast food/ pizza runs. I have some meals planned that I can get on the table in 15 min.! Remember the basics...eggs and toast, oatmeal, real peanut butter and homemade jelly! These cost pennies and are easy and quick to make.

7) I don't serve meat with every meal. I try to serve some form of legumes at least 3 times a week. Not only are they healthy, they really help the grocery budget! :)

8) Look for alternative foods that are healthier...AND...cheaper! I can buy peanut butter at a Whole Foods store for the same or LESS than some of the sugar laden, chemical versions! And the added benefit is having the kids be able to watch the peanuts being ground :) (okay..this Mama likes to watch too! lol)

9)Anything that can be made at home is apt to be cheaper. We were given a beautiful pasta maker for Christmas and it costs just pennies to make our own pasta now....and the flavor and texture is sooo much better! Homemade laundry soap, cleaners, shampoos etc. are all going to be much cheaper and healthier. Plan one day a month and make them in bulk...then it's fast and cheap ;)

10) Look for foods as close to the way the Lord made them as possible...not only are these less expensive, they are usually much healthier.

I could go on and on with this list! I hope this has answered some of your questions and I'll try to post our next 2 week menu so you all can see the basic foods we eat :)

Back to the Nourishing basics!

2010-01-04T08:03:00.003-05:00

During the hustle and bustle of the holidays our healthy eating habits were slowly getting ignored. My poor, unfortunate, sour dough starter died a tragic death due to malnutrition...the poor kefir grains and kombucha scoby's were left all alone in the fridge....our poor friends who provide us with such wonderful nutrition were being neglected! lol.

Well the holidays are over now and it's time to get back on-track. I have a new sourdough starter brewing, my scoby's are swimming in some nice warm sweet tea, and our kefir grains have been providing us with some wonderful, morning smoothies. (Though our water kefir grains were killed in a tragic accident that included a glass jar and sink.... :( lol)

I'm also back to doing my weekly raw milk run. Yummy! My family greatly appreciates that one ;)

It's time to re-focus on the basics......let's get back to the baby steps! (And anyone knew to a whole foods-nourishing traditions type of lifestyle can follow along for the first time ;)

So the goal for this week is to get some live cultures going in your kitchen.

The easiest to start is a sourdough starter. It's sooo simple...mix one cup of flour to one cup of water in a glass or earthen bowl (you can use food-grade plastics though I try to avoid them when possible.) Stir and cover loosely until the following day. You do this each day for the first week, and by the 8th day you should have a healthy starter ;)

Good luck! :)

Yesterdays Baptism....

2009-12-28T07:53:00.001-05:00

My two oldest daughters, Arianna 12 and Cassidy 11, were baptised yesterday....I'm still hovering on the verge of tears. It was one of those huge, defining, moments in their lives and I am soooo happy with the direction the Lord is leading them in. I'm not even sure their wedding days will top this one! Praise the Lord!!!!!

Insanity in the Stores....

2009-12-19T17:27:00.003-05:00

I started our Christmas shopping online quite a while ago and for the most part was done. There were just a few "little" things lingering and I must confess....I procrastinated :P Well, today was the day to pay the piper and go to the stores.

What a mob scene!!! I ended up going to 4 different stores and most of them had lines 20+ people deep. I managed to get most of what we needed, but in that hustle and bustle the Lord really spoke to me. Not only is Christmas a time to celebrate our Saviors birth, but it's also a time to reach out to others. So many of these people were irritated, cutting each other off, and just being overall nasty. But we don't need to be....

We need to see people the way Jesus sees them.... and maybe they'll see Him through us. Say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays". Let someone go before you in line or maybe let them take that parking spot you were waiting for. Hold the door for someone....or maybe help an elderly person or Mama juggling children to their car. Buy a cup of hot chocolate for that bell ringer at the store....the list just goes on! We have so many opportunities as Christians to show others His love...let's take those special moments this Christmas.

AND through this, we're teaching our children how to be kind to others...especially in difficult situations!

PS
Throw a pocket sized Bible in your purse or pocket....what a blessing to be able to pull it out while waiting in those long lines ;)

The Benefits of Hunting...even when you don't shoot anything :P

2009-12-17T08:25:00.004-05:00

I've mentioned a couple of times how beautiful the views are where we've been hunting...and how what we are seeing and enjoying are just as lovely as getting a deer would be. I took some pictures with my cell phone yesterday so I could share with you all just what I'm talking about!

A Day at Home..

2009-12-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

My hubby and I spent the day hunting yesterday with both of our fathers (as well as some close friends of my hubby's.) We were up on top of some mountains and WOW was it beautiful! The view was so worth our efforts...even though there weren't any deer harvested :P lol.

Today has been a quiet day at home. My lovely daughters and I have been busy with household tasks...including lots of laundry, 9 loaves of bread, vacuuming etc.

I started thinking about the post that Candy at Keeping the Home had made a couple of days ago...trying to figure out why there are certain tasks that some of us enjoy and others don't. Give me a dirty bathroom or kitchen to scrub and I am a happy woman! :) Very often the dirtier the task, the more I like it....but dishes, or laundry...yuck!!!

For me, the jobs that show an improvement are the most rewarding. With a bit larger than "average" family, the dishes and clothes start to pile up just as soon as I've finished with them! lol.

The Lord has really been speaking to my heart about this and I think it's time to make some changes. I'm reworking our daily tasks and am going to make a greater effort to find true joy in ALL of my daily tasks...not just the big ones :P

Primitive Arms...

2009-12-13T07:20:00.004-05:00

The deer hunting season is coming to a close in New England. We are down to 2 more weeks of hunting and it'll be with a muzzle loader (black powder.)

There's something so cool about hunting with primitive arms...I love that we are shooting these guns in a way that people have for 100's of years (though some have chosen to add on scopes and other new-fangled contraptions. :P)

My muzzle loader is only about 10 years old. It was purchased second hand at the Kittery Trading Post in Maine, and is a very basic, .50 caliber, Thompson Center Arms Firehawk. It shoots just as accurately (if not more so) than the 12 gauge Mossberg that I've been shooting and hunting with. It takes just a few seconds longer to load than a shotgun, but is still very basic and easy to use.

I've always been a bit of a history buff...okay, well since I've been an adult I've loved history :P

(I didn't like the history taught by public schools where everything revolved around tests and memorizing dates....I wanted to learn more about the different time periods, how the people lived, what the civilization were like, what were the religious movements at that time etc. That's why I love homeschooling! :P)

Learning about primitive arms has been so interesting! The different kinds of guns, ammunition, and where they all came from.....and the greatest thing is that our children are getting lessons in history and real life.....and they don't even know it! :)

I'm hoping to be archery hunting by next season...I'm thinking we'll be studying the Native People of America next! :P

Grocery shopping...a chore to adore???

2009-12-11T09:05:00.002-05:00

I was just reading Candy's post "Toilet Glee" over at Keeping The Home and was truly inspired this morning. I think we all have tasks in our lives that we do...though we reeaaalllly don't want to :P The trick is to find joy and contentment in those tasks.

Yesterday, I spent the lion's share of the day running errands (grocery shopping, bank, library, etc.) This tends to be a weekly outing for us, and one that I would love to skip :P But the bottom line is that our family needs food and those errands need to be done. By going out and doing them during the day, it's a blessing to my husband as then he won't need to do them on a day off. I need to find joy and contentment in those small tasks!

Take a minute to stop over to Candy's blog and read the full post....

Back to blogging basics...

2009-12-10T08:49:00.004-05:00

Hunting has taken up much of my spare time lately (and what stay at home, homeschooling Mama has much spare time?? :P) and I've been yearning to get back here to blogland. There have been several times that I've "written" posts in my head only to run out of computer time to write them!

I'm going to start blogging more about my days...some entries may need to be short and sweet, but I'll going to try to take at least 5 minutes in the evenings to blog about my day. We'll see how it goes :)

Hunting...

2009-11-11T14:44:00.004-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks I've been able to go hunting several times with my husband, father and oldest daughter. We've seen many animals but "the shot" just wasn't there for me. I had started to get a bit discouraged..... Well, that all changed yesterday.....I shot a pheasant! :P

I cleaned it myself and will be cooking it up for supper tomorrow...I'll let you all know how it goes :)

Target Shooting and First Hunting Trip...

2009-10-27T08:34:00.007-04:00

I had such a wonderful day yesterday! It was the perfect fall day (low 60's and sunny) and I was able to spend it with some of my favorite people :)

We started the day off with some dental visits (the older girls and I all had cleanings) and then we headed out for my fathers house. Cassidy, Karina and Adam all stayed with my stepmother, while my father, husband, Arianna and I all went out to a field to do some target practice.

At first I was a bit intimidated by the shotguns...they are LOUD!!!...and the recoil can be fierce (I have a bruise on my shoulder to prove it :P) but I quickly got over it and had tons of fun.

After shooting for a couple of hours, we went hunting. My father split off from us and went archery deer hunting, while Roy, Arianna and I went hunting for pheasant, and small game. We almost hit a pheasant with our truck but that was as close as we managed to get lol :P Overall, it was a blast, great exercise and something fun that I could share with my hubby and oldest daughter. I'm going to be going again soon with my father...I'll keep you all posted on how that trip goes!

Wonderful Rainy Day in New England

2009-10-24T08:48:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to enjoy rainy days...but this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! The different colored leaves are so beautiful and shiny and it gives us a good day to slow down and enjoy being in the house :)

Our plans for the day are pretty simple. We are going to finish up some school work left over from this week, then we're going to make some chocolate chip cookies for this weeks treat. After the baking is done, we'll be snuggled up on the couch with hot chocolate, popcorn and Little House on The Prairie :) Supper will cook itself in the crock pot today and all I'll have to do this evening is serve it up....sounds like a wonderful, rainy day to me! :)

Homeschool Convention

2009-10-18T07:45:00.004-04:00

I went to the first fall conference for Masshope yesterday and was sooo blessed! It is so nice finding families all over New England that are living for the Lord and raising their children to glorify Him. I feel rejuvenated and excited anew about this school year and can't wait to put all that I learned into practice. (Yes, after all these years homeschooling...I'm still learning! :P)

If you have a local Christian Home school conference and have never gone...I urge you to check it out. :)

Happily Hectic..

2009-10-16T09:20:00.003-04:00

Our lives have been happily hectic lately...sorry for being so quiet here on the blog-front :)

Our home school is in full swing and we are having a blast with the Prairie Primer! We're also excited with the direction our home school group is taking this year and are looking forward to many of the activities.

I've spent much of my "spare time" (what's that?? LOL) processing and putting up apples. We now have 27 quarts of apple sauce and 16 quarts of apple pie filling...with about 1 more bushel left.

I've also spent some time in my garden, planning and plotting it out for the coming year. I'm intrigued by the square foot method of gardening and have decided to utilize about half our garden in square foot beds this next year. They've all been measured and plotted out so we can start putting some of the compost directly into the gardens. (We won't be using raised beds as our soil is already quite nice and won't be needing any major changes.)

I'm hoping that life will slow down enough that I can get back to this blog a bit more. I have so many posts swirling around in my head and am looking forward to getting them written down for all of you. :)

May the Lord bless and keep you!

To every thing there is a season...

2009-10-03T08:17:00.005-04:00

Autumn is my favorite time of year...the cool, fresh, crisp air. The fruits and vegetables being harvested and tucked away for winter use. Sleeping on crisp, cool sheets with the quilts tucked up to my ears and nose. Watching the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange. Watching my children bury themselves in those leaves...ahhhh...what a beautiful life!

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ²A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; ³A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

That passage of scripture is among my most favorite in the Bible. No matter the "season" of life I am in, the Lord uses this passage to speak to my heart.

Right now, it's speaking to me in a literal sense.

I've spent the past week plucking "up that which is planted" and putting it away for the winter ;) I picked, processed and froze about 100+ lbs of corn and 30 quarts of butternut squash (with a bit more to go). Yesterday, I spent the day picking bushel after bushel of apples.

Along with all that we've harvested, I also purchased 150lbs of potatoes, 40lbs of onions, 50 lbs of carrots, and 6 ginormous cabbages directly from the farms. Our freezer, pantry and root cellar are getting close to full ;)

I am feeling so very blessed...the Lord has provided for us in such a magnificent way! My husband has been very ill and has been out of work. Grocery money will be scarce for the next couple of weeks...but thanks to the Lord's provisions and this wonderful, autumn bounty...we won't even feel it ;)

First Illness of the Season...

2009-09-23T22:04:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful time we had this past weekend. The centennial celebration for our church lasted 3 days and was such a blast.

Unfortunately, our first illness of the season hit shortly thereafter :( Arianna was hit with it first this time, starting it off with a high fever, sore throat & ears, stuffy head, aches and chills. I followed pretty quickly behind her though at first my body seemed to fight it off a bit better than hers had...until today. This morning I woke up with a severe headache, stuffed up head, upset tummy and sore throat. As soon as Cassidy woke up I noticed she was coming down with the virus too...and Karina and Adam both started sneezing and dripping around lunch time. My hubby (who works nights) woke about 4pm and was also congested and achy. It's so hard when we are all sick at once...

So here is my question to all of you wonderful readers...what are your cure-alls for these kinds of viruses? I'm hoping to make a big pot of chicken soup tomorrow, we are pushing the fluids and vitamins...I'd love to hear any other suggestions you-all may have :)

Centennial Celebration Begins!

2009-09-18T22:55:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the first night in our churches Centennial Celebration....what a fantastic night it was. The love and fellowship was soooo wonderful ;) There had to have been well over 100 people there!

We began the night at 6pm with a pizza party...almost every kind imaginable and there was more than enough to go around (several times!) Then we went upstairs to the sanctuary for a talent show/hymn sing. There would be 2 "talents" followed by 2 hymns. What a blast...and some of the talents were just spectacular. After the show, we went back downstairs for a make-your-own-sundae party. Delicious and again..so much fun!

We left the church after 10pm just got home a few minutes ago. (2 kiddos are already in bed, 2 to go!)

I'm really looking forward to tomorrows festivities and need to get to bed myself ;)

Praising the Lord Even Through Adversity...

2009-09-17T09:51:00.005-04:00

It's so easy to praise the Lord when things are going well...but what about when they are rough?

In my last post I shared with everyone how a bolt had broken and I had almost lost the drive shaft in my Suburban while driving down the road. Initially it seemed an easy fix...it wasn't. We needed a whole new drive shaft. And while we were at the parts store negotiating for the parts we needed...my husbands truck started leaking anti-freeze and now needed a radiator. When we got home, we received a bill in the mail for over 600$ (legitimate bill...just completely out of the blue) Because we spent so much time running back and forth to my in-laws house (40 min. away) I lost 4 bushels of corn that I had picked, husked, and gotten into canning jars (which meant sterilizing jars etc.) There were several other minor things going on as well.

I finally broke down and cried...I mean, come on! When was this going to end???? I had been praying for the Lord to help us through this situation...and things were getting harder!

Then I heard my answer..."It's easy to praise Me when things are easy....but how about now?"

I asked for forgiveness and started praising...through my tears, I was praising Him.

"²⁵Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. ²⁶My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Proverbs 25-26

The Suburban is now fixed..and we may be able to get a used radiator for Roy's truck. All of the other situations are slowly working themselves out as well.

God is SO GOOD!!! All the time...and I'm resting at His feet with the knowledge that He is in control and will take care of us.

Major Praise...

2009-09-10T22:01:00.003-04:00

I drive a 1999 Chevy Suburban with well over 200k miles. Despite the high miles, we have been blessed to have this truck and it has treated us very well. I have a very wonderful husband that has a gift with anything mechanical which really helps ;)

This past week, the children and I were mostly homebound due to faulty universal joints. Yesterday, my husband woke up early to change the universal joints on the Suburban and so today was able to run some errands.

I brought Casssidy, my 10 year old, with me as a special "Mama daughter day":)

We had such a fun "girls day" and enjoyed running several of the errands together. Then we headed to a hospital to visit a dear friend of mine who had just given birth. About 1/4 of a mile from the hospital, the truck started shaking, clunking and rattling...I thought I had a tire falling off! I more or less coasted to the hospital and called my husband to see what we should do. (The poor man didn't get to sleep until 8:30AM and I called him at 1:30PM :( )

It turns out that a bolt that he had replaced yesterday snapped...and the entire drive shaft was hanging from the bottom of the truck. If I had driven even 1 minute further, it would have fallen off completely and you can imagine the damage it could have done. We had been on a major highway going 70 mph just moments earlier...you can imagine what would have happened if it had fallen off then!

Long story short...I am so blessed to have a handy hubby and a wonderful friend that was able to tow the truck for us. God is so good and He kept us safe! And the damage done...minimal. We need to replace the universal joint and mounting bracket again...about $25 in parts. And...I was able to spend time snuggling a beautiful, new baby boy!

Hallelujah, thank you Abba!

Wonderful Day at Old Sturbridge Village

2009-09-01T22:19:00.008-04:00

We had a wonderful family day today!

This morning started with a quick trip for Arianna and I to the orthodontist. They were impressed with the movement in her teeth and how well she's been caring for them. The Dr. made some minor adjustments and we were on our way.

Back at home, my wonderful hubby had the rest of the children all ready to go and soon we were loaded into the truck and on our way!

We traveled down to Sturbridge Ma and spent the day at Old Sturbridge Village. It's an "outdoor history museum" set in an 1830's rural town. It was such a wonderful, educational day and the weather couldn't have been more perfect (thank you LORD!!!)

We were able to see the farm life, several homesteading skills, a potter, a blacksmith (who actually gave us the piece he was working on to take home with us! ) a real water-powered sawmill, gristmill and carding mill. We saw a broom-maker, historical firearms and textiles...and soooo much more!

Here are some of the pictures I took today...

All of the children on one of the stone walls around a pasture/ orchard area....

Karina helping the potter with the clay mixer....

A stagecoach being pulled by a Belgian team...we had a wonderful chat with the driver :)

Karina at the water pump...

And all three girls at the water pump...

Adam preferred to be chauffeured in the stroller today so there were less shots of him :P

If you ever have the opportunity to check out Old Sturbridge Village, I highly recommend it! We've been several times now and learned so much each time. The greatest part is that they honor homeschooling families by offering a home school discount. For homeschoolers and their families, the fee is only $7...unfortunately it's only during the school year and we missed the "official" start of the school year by a couple of days and had to pay full price. Well worth it though and I'm sure we'll go again.

Awesome Christian Band...

2009-08-30T16:02:00.002-04:00

Updates and New Additions...

2009-08-28T19:46:00.004-04:00

Wow, has it been a week! :P I haven't had the time to do much posting and just wanted to give a quick update :)

~We started school on Monday! We've had an excellent school week and have greatly enjoyed the Prairie Primer unit studies. We've also enjoyed the Bible Study for All Ages curriculum (notice the we?? Yup..even Mama!0

~ The parents of our home school group got together and were able to plan out this years activities..by the grace of God, we were able to get the entire school year planned! This was amidst much laughter and side conversations...what an awesome group of Christian folks...the fellowship was so sweet :)

~New additions...We adopted 2 kittens! Amari is Siamese and Niki is all white with a tiny gray smudge on her head...such fun having kittens in the house :)

~More new additions...we just received 17 chicks this morning! I wasn't sure if they would survive the shipping and didn't want to get out children's hopes raised...what an awesome surprise it was for them to see chickies when they woke up ;)

~I've been playing with a couple bread recipes...rye and egg breads..I'll post recipes once I'm happy with them :)

~Wrapping up the garden for the year has been so bittersweet. I really enjoyed working in the garden this summer...and even more when we were eating the yummy food. I'm happy to have more time to devote to other tasks though. I already have lots of plans for our next garden and will write more here when I post about the gardening section of my Homesteading Journal.

~And last but not least, we had pipes burst in our kitchen...which led to flooded cabinets and floors :P It's been a wild couple of days!

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting about:

~Some new frugal, nutritious recipes.
~Grocery shopping and menu planning. (I'll be sharing my weekly menu's and corresponding grocery lists.)
~My Homesteading Journal (each section will probably get it's own post.)
~My cast iron collection, and the care and restoration of cast iron pieces.
~Prairie Primer projects, activities and recipes we are trying.
~Current sewing projects and re-purposing and recycling fabrics.

And the list goes on! :P

Free Culture Instructions....

2009-08-25T11:54:00.003-04:00

The cultures have started shipping out! Yesterday was the first batch and I'm so excited to see how these babies do :)

This post is just some basic instructions for people starting out with these cultures.

Kombucha Instructions~

While available, I'm sending out my big, huge babies and at least 1/2 a cup of starter tea (I may send out more than that, just depends on how much we have available. )

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with Kombucha*

You will need-

~ 5 cup (or larger) glass or ceramic container
~Spring water
~Black Tea
~White sugar
~starter tea and scoby

~When you get the package in the mail, carefully open the bag and pour the liquid into a clean bowl and carefully slide the scoby out with it. Cover it with a paper towel or cloth for now.
~Boil 4 cups of spring water and pour into a safe, glass jar.
~Put 2 black teabags (with tags removed) into the jar.
~5 minutes after the tea bags have been added, pour in 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir until dissolved and then recover and let cool to room temp.
~When the sweet tea has cooled, take out 1/2 a cup of sweet tea (you can dump or drink it) and pour in your starter tea liquid. Swirl with a spoon to make sure the starter tea has blended with the sweet tea.
~Carefully slide your scoby into the container.
~Cover with a paper towel and rubber band ( to deter fruit flies etc.) and leave in a safe, warm place for a week. After one week, taste the kombucha liquid and see if it's to your liking. If you like it, you can start another batch with these same instructions or you can make a bigger batch following these instructions. If you want it a bit more sour, you can let it brew longer and check it every couple of days until it gets to a point you are happy with.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)

Kefir Instructions

Kefir is extremely easy to make! I'll be sending you at least 1 heaping tablespoon of kefir grains. The liquid that is in with the grains is liquid kefir and is fine to drink (or you can add it to your first batch of kefir to give the grains an exta kick.)

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with Kefir*

What you'll need~

~ Milk (any kind is fine...raw, homogenized, pasteurized, skim, 1%, 2% whole etc.)
~Glass container (you can start of with a pint size canning jar and move up from there)
~Small mesh, plastic or nylon strainer to strain the grains and a bowl to put under the strainer to catch the liquid kefir.
~Kefir grains

~Carefully unwrap the kefir and grains and pour into clean pint size jar. Slowly fill jar with milk. Leave about 1 1/2 inches of space at the top for expansion and screw on the lid.
~Put in safe spot to culture for 24 hours (if it's very warm, you may only need to let it culture for 12-16 hours.) You will know that it's done when you start seeing little pockets of whey throughout the jar.
~ When your kefir is ready,set your plastic strainer on top of a glass or ceramic bowl.
~While it's still in the jar, stir the kefir with a plastic spoon and then pour it into your strainer. ~Carefully stir the grains to seperate any curds that may have attached themselves to the grains.
~Once you have the grains seperated, scoop them up with your spoon and put them back in the jar they were in (re-using the same jar will actually help give the kefir a boost. It helps to adjust the ph of the mixture right off the bat. I use a clean jar about every 3rd batch.) and re-fill with milk.
~Pour the contents of the bowl (which is fresh kefir you've cultured!!) into another jar. The kefir is perfectly fine to use, but you can either cover and refrigerate or you can also leave it out for another 24 hours. This is called a secondary fermentation and it reaaaalllly boosts the nutritional value of the kefir.
~ You can continue re-batching your kefir every 24 hours, or if you have an abundance and need to use it up before making more, just put your grains in their jar, fill it with milk and put them in the fridge. This slows the fermentation process and they can safely stay in there for up to 1 week. As your kfir grains double, you can either use a bigger jar and add more milk, or you can pass them on to a friend!

Any questions, please feel free to contact me :)

Sourdough Starter~

Sourdough is another very easy culture to work with!

What you'll need~

~Clean, sterilized glass, or ceramic (you can use plastic but I try to avoid it whenever possible) container. This will be your sourdough starters home, so think big here.
~Rye, wheat, or spelt flour. Fresh ground is best, but store bought will work fine.
~Plastic or wooden spoon to stir with.

~Carefully unwrap the package and pour the 1 cup of sourdough starter into it's new home.
~Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water each day until you have enough starter for whichever recipe you may be interested in using. (Here's one you can try if :) Always keep one cup of starter back to keep your starter going.
~You can refrigerate if you start getting too much starter, but I've found feeding my starter daily and keeping it right on the counter gives the best flavor :)

Again, any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)

Water Kefir~

Another very easy, wonderful culture! You will receive at least 1 heaping tablespoon of water kefir grains.

*Before you get started, remove your rings/watches etc and scrub your hands well. Wash, rinse and splash with vinegar all utensils or containers you may be using...you can not use metal with water kefir*

You will need~

~glass container or jar 4 cups or larger.
~Small mesh, plastic or nylon strainer to strain the grains and a bowl to put under the strainer to catch the liquid kefir.
~sugar
~spring water
~molasses (optional)
~baking soda (optional)
~lemon
~Sterilized egg shells (boiled in water) ground into a powder. (optional)

~Pour 1 cup of spring water into the jar. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add one drop of molasses and a tiny pinch of baking soda into the water and stir well. Not add a pinch of the ground egg shells ( these will dissolve completely. They are good for the kefir grains and give a calcium and magnesium boost that is unbeatable!)
~Carefully unwrap the package and pour grains and water kefir right into the clean, sterilized jar.
~Stir gently, put on cover and set in safe place for 48 hours.
~After 48 hours has passed, set your plastic strainer on top of a glass or ceramic bowl. Pour the water kefir into your strainer (discard the lemon).
~Pour your fresh, water kefir from the bowl into another clean jar and refrigerate until you are ready to drink it.
~Now, take your grains (that should still be in the strainer) and rinse them with some fresh spring water. They are now ready to go for another batch! Follow the same instructions (until the grains start to multiply...when they have doubled, you can double the ingredients you are using.

Once you are familiar with the water kefir, you can start experimenting with different recipes and ingredients (always make sure to keep some of your grains back in case the recipe is a failure...trust me, I found this out the hard way :P )

Once again, any questions, please feel free to contact me! :)

Women and the Right to Bear Arms...

2009-08-19T09:51:00.005-04:00

I've been contemplating this post for months now...wondering how I can put into words just exactly what I feel on the topic of firearms and women using and possessing them.

I think the first thing that needs to be addressed is that using or carrying a firearm does not make a woman any less feminine. I believe that in this one area, women and men can be equal and it doesn't take anything away from either sex.

Here are some of my thoughts:

~It is our constitutional right to bear arms.
Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

~If we fail to exercise this right, we will lose it! This is speaking to both men and women. There are people already working to try and take away this basic right!

~Hunting..yes, I am joining my husband in hunting this year. We will be working side by side to try and fill our freezer full of God given, healthy as can possibly be, free meat to sustain our family. Talk about self-sufficiency!

~Protection...I want to be able to protect my children and myself should the need arise. Also, if you look at the world around you, the US is in a prime situation for civil unrest to break out. I want to be able to help my husband protect our home, animals, tools and supplies should this happen.

(Remember, the Bible clearly tells us that a period of tribulation is going to happen. Civil unrest will be putting it mildly! Things will get real bad...real quick during this time.)

My wonderful husband brought me to a gun safety course and paid for my class A license to carry. My wonderful father purchased my sporting license for me (hunting and fishing license)
I have my very own black powder rifle that is perfect for my size and hope to add a shotgun and compound bow as well.

My goal is not to come across as a gun toting, harsh woman....but to raise this as a real reality of a homesteading lifestyle. We can be feminine and still use firearms (trust me, I even wear dresses when I go shooting :P)

We plan on teaching our children (girls and boys) to not only keep a home, but use firearms as well!

Proverbs 31...Seeking Foods From Afar

2009-08-14T19:22:00.006-04:00

I felt like the Proverbs 31 woman today..."She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar... "

We live in a remote, little town and unfortunately, it doesn't offer all that we need...or the prices I'm willing to pay:P

So I did some traveling today...I was on a mission...for clothes, food, milk and more!

Usually 2x's a year, I pull everyones clothes out and go through them. I assess the needs, remove the clothes that no longer fit (usually to be donated or passed down) and make a list of who needs what. I keep my list with me and any yard sales or thrift shops I go to, I keep an eye out for the items on my list...I refuse to pay full price anymore and I really prefer to re-use and recycle whenever possible.

So the first stop I made, was to a Goodwill thrift shop.

I was able to find (all brand names):

Adam-1 pair of pants, 2 sweaters, 1 dress shirt, 1 t-shirt and 2 long sleeve shirts.
Karina-1 long sleeve blouse, 1 dress, and a pair of shoes.
Cassidy-A fun polka dotted 2 piece dress.
Arianna-1 long sleeved day dress, 2 short sleeve dresses (1 very formal, 1 for church or other nice occasions)
Myself-1 dress, 1 skirt, 1 blouse, 1 sweater

All of this came to 34$! What a wonderful blessing to find these clothes ;)

Then I went to a co-op that we are members of. This co-op is more like a health foods store and I was one of the founding members....it's not quite what I had hoped it would be, but it's a neat place to get a nice variety of healthy products. I bought some rye floor, black beans, french lentils and seventh generation dish soap.

Then it was off to the feed store. I purchased a ginormous bag of all natural scoop-able kitty litter, some healthy kitten food and a litter box. We are hoping to adopt 1 or 2 kittens soon and wanted to be prepared.

Then to the discount grocery store....I really wish we had one of these in our area! It's called Price Rite and the food prices were phenomenal. I stocked up on ground beef, butter, canned goods, and even bought a ham. I also bought a really big watermelon, carrots, apples etc.

Then it was over to my wonderful friend and coop co-coordinator (this is a real co-op..the one I buy all the large bags of dried goods through) My friend was willing to take a little rooster that I had and had picked up 2 point of lay pullets for me. She also gave me some nice loaf pans, some delicious pumpkin bread and a miniature grocery carriage for our children to play with. This woman is truly a woman of God and you can just feel the love of Christ emanating from her!!!

Our last stop was to a large farm that sells raw milk. The family that owns and runs it is so kind and let us go and visit with the new calves while they filled our milk jars. We're able to get our milk for $3 a gallon here...it's so worth the hour drive to get it!

All this driving around took about 7 hours. A long day, but so fruitful and worth it.

I'm home now...and sooo ready for a quiet family night ;) We are going to have pizza (not homemade this time...just too pooped) and watch Little House on the Prairie!

No-poo Update

2009-08-12T07:21:00.006-04:00

It's been over a month since my children and I have gone "no-poo" and I figured it was time for an update.

My two younger children had absolutely no problem going no-poo. My little girl loves how silky her hair is with the baking soda/apple cider vinegar. She also loves the no-tangles after tubby time! Adam has very short hair and it always smells nice and clean...so no problems here either.

Cassidy is my wonderful 10 year old. Her hair is very similar in texture and thickness to mine. The only difference between our hair is length and curl. Cassi has a short bob for the summer and her hair is wavy but not curly (yet...just wait 'til those baby hormones get you sweetie... :) and very thick. The first two weeks of this experiment went great for Cassi...she thought it was going to be smooth sailing:P About two weeks after Cassi started using the baking soda/cider vinegar, her hair felt sticky, as if there was glue in it. The stickiness was caused by all the shampoo build-up in her hair! She worked through it in week 3 and by the beginning of week 4 it was super silky and shiny. She's loving it now!

Arianna is my sweet 11 almost 12 year old. Arianna also opted for a shorter hair cut this summer and it's about at her shoulders. Miss Ari has oily hair and skin and used to have to wash her hair daily.. I think the transition was hardest on her :( The first two weeks were the roughest..she really wanted to keep washing her hair daily (even with the bs/acv combo) but she persevered and now has the silky hair she's been wanting! She washes her hair about 3 times a week and it's working out really well.

Now my hair...I have long, thick, curly hair. My hair tends to dryness more than oiliness, so I only use the bs/acv combo about 2x's a week. The other times when I take a shower, I scrub my scalp with my fingers and rinse my hair well. My hair had the same transition that Cassidy's had...I had the sticky hair for a few days but it passed and now I'm at the silky and much more manageable stage. I could actually feel my scalps natural sebum restore itself and work it's way down my hair follicles...it would have been a neat science experiment to see under a telescope!

Our hair just smells like...well, hair! The apple cider vinegar is rinsed out thoroughly in the shower and whatever small amount of scent is left dissipates when the hair dries.

I would highly recommend going no-poo to anyone who has an interest in healthier living, frugality, and self sufficiency!

Free Gift.......

2009-08-10T22:18:00.006-04:00

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, I implore you to read this post...all the way to the end :)

God created Adam and Eve so He could have companions...children...someone to love and share a relationship with. What I think is so cool, is that the Lord actually created all of us with that desire to have a relationship with Him. Eve (and then Adam) blew it by sinning. That created a distance between them and the Lord. Every single person (other than Jesus Christ) has sinned since Adam and Eve.

On our own, we are completely unable to get past those sins. There are no works that we can do that would ever be good enough to bridge that gap on our own. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Every single person has sinned. Whether it be by thought or deed. We are all sinners. Yup...even thinking mean thoughts about the person that cut you off in the grocery store parking lot is a sin.

Because we are "hard wired" to seek a relationship with the Lord, there will always be something "missing" without Him (which unfortunately so many people try and fill with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity etc.)

Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, it was prophesied that one day there would be born a Savior, a Messiah that would die on our behalf (as the ultimate sacrifice) so we could have the close relationship with the Lord that we've always been meant to have...the relationship we naturally crave. (There are about 425 prophesies throughout the Old Testament that speak of the messiah.)

Well, the Messiah was Jesus Christ. He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies (that were written thousands of years before His birth) and He lived a totally blameless, pure life so that His life could be used as an offering or sacrifice for ours. Jesus died to pay for my sins, so that I (and you) could have that close relationship with God.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

God never intended for sin to be introduced into the world...that was Adam and Eve's thing. God always wanted a close personal relationship with each of us...and Jesus made that possible.

Here's the bottom line:

-God loves us and wants to have a close relationship with us.
-We blew it by sinning. "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
-That's right, we are out of luck...holding a one-way ticket to hell. The Bible says, that the result of our sins is death.
-BUT!!!!! Did you hear the good news at the end of that verse? "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Jesus paid our debt. He bridged that gap for us. He died on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice that we might have that close relationship back with God.
-The best news. Jesus died for us on that cross...He was humiliated, broken, hurt, tortured and killed...all because of us....but here's the thing...

Jesus Christ rose from the grave and is now seated next to God in heaven. He won!!!

Jesus was victorious over the sin ( OUR sin) and we can be too.

If we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, and we ask for forgiveness for our sins...we can live with the Lord...both here on earth and then eternally in Heaven.

"9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9

Just by earnestly praying this prayer, you can be saved.

" Dear Heavenly Father,
I know I'm a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died on that cross to pay for my sins and that He rose up and conquered them. I want to change my life today Lord, please come into my heart dear Jesus. Please forgive me and show me how to live my life for You Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

If you honestly prayed that prayer, I am so excited for you! First thing you should do is get your hands on a Bible. If you can't get one for whatever reason, please e-mail me directly and I will send one to you. Arrowsofgrace@gmail.com The next step is finding a good, Bible believing church in your area. If you need help in this area, please feel free to e-mail me as well. And if you didn't pray this prayer today because you have questions...please e-mail me as well. I will do my best to answer any questions you my have.

And finlly...may the Lord bless and keep you...and give you peace.

Free Cultures

2009-08-10T22:13:00.011-04:00

I'd really like to encourage everyone to try these health-boosting gifts from God and would be happy to pass them on as I have an abundance.

If you are interested in trying Kombucha, milk kefir grains, water kefir grains or a rye sourdough starter....I'd be happy to send them to you for free. The only thing I ask is that you cover the shipping cost. All you need to do is e-mail me at Arrowsofgrace@gmail.com with your name, and which cultures you are interested.

~~~~~~~~~Update~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have received a bunch of e-mails requesting these cultures! Hallelujah, how exciting! I'm thrilled that so many people want to try these wonderful, healthful cultures.

~The shipping is going to be $4.95 (the cost of the small, flat rate box for priority shipping...we want to make sure the cultures get to you as quickly and happy as possible:P ) And I can fit a small amount of all four cultures into that one box.
~I will be posting instructions for each of these cultures on my blog so you'll always have a point of reference...a place to go back to for questions or info.

I think that covers it:P I hope the Lord blesses each of you on your quest for a healthier lifestyle!

PS
If you have already e-mailed me, then you do not need to leave a comment.

Let's Be Real People and Tell the Truth

2009-08-10T21:20:00.007-04:00

Okay....please be forewarned...I am REALLY angry right now and need to vent. I may even come back and delete this post at some point....but for now....

I don't have a lot of time each day to spend on the computer, but when I do go on-line I like to read a couple of blogs and I'm also a part of a few on-line forums that are meant to be encouraging and uplifting to Christian homemakers.

I won't name names, and I won't be specific, but on one of those forums I have a dear sister in Christ hurting and feeling inadequate. She has heard and read about so many women on blogs/groups being able to do super-human amounts of work and feels she needs to measure up. This woman has just delivered a child by c-section and is not even allowing herself the rest and recovery time that she needs. She's feeling inept and has lost her joy!

Bottom line, none of us are perfect and trying to appear to be that way on-line just because people can't see you is lying...and by misleading others, you can really do some damage. Not all people have the gift of discernment and they take what they read on-line at face value...especially on Christian sites!

So friends...here's my promise. I promise to keep it real. I will tell it like it is...even if it's not the way it should be or I'd like it to be. My house is not perfect, my laundry is never completely done, there may be couple dirty dishes in my sink or dog hair on my couch. Not all of our foods are organic or bought at the Whole Foods store but I try to by foods that are whole...not messed around with and as close to the way God made them as possible.

I am NOT perfect...I'm a sinner, saved by the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ.

My goal with this blog is to be an encouragement and inspiration to others. To show the cool ways that the Lord is working in my families lives. To educate others as I learn more about the homesteading way of life, nutrition and whatever else strikes my fancy.

To GOD be the glory.....not me.

Hand Washing Our Laundry...

2009-08-02T20:46:00.012-04:00

Our current adventure, has been hand washing our clothes. I know, sounds insane huh? I have 4 children and a perfectly good washing machine...why in the world would I want to wash clothes by hand???? lol I'll give you my reasons:

1.) It's a skill that I think we should all know how to do. A homesteader (whether in the city or the back 40) may have the need to go without power. There are outages, solar system malfunctions etc.

2.) The ability to be self-sufficient in one more way. Not depending on that electricity or machine...

3.) Not using electricity means a lower electric bill....frugality is a beautiful thing!

4.) Conserving water...and the water isn't going down the drain. It can be re-used in my gardens (we use a natural laundry soap that won't hurt our plants)

5.) The clothes get truly clean. You'd be surprised with what the machines leave behind that we think are "stains". They're not...they just need a little elbow grease!

6.) The clothes will last longer. They won't get the abuse from a machine and won't wear out as quickly. Also, how many times are clothes thrown away because of stains...that if they'd been hand washed/scrubbed may have come out?

7.) No soap residue left behind. When you wash by hand, you are rinsing until the water comes out clear from the fabric. Soap attracts dirt...it's how it works. If there is soap residue left behind, your clothes actually get grimier quicker! Not to mention can get a grayish hue over time.

8.) No soap residue...no, that's not a typo :) With no soap residue, there's less skin irritation.

9.) Excellent exercise! I love real-life exercise...so much better than sweating in a gym :)

10.) Fun family activity. Seriously, my kids had a blast! They are now asking "when can we do laundry again?" lol.

And if all of that isn't enough, I like being conscious. So often these days we have machines that do all of the work for us...we lose the consciousness...we're not as aware.

Scrubbing those clothes with my own two hands.... hanging fresh, clean laundry out to dry and hearing it snap it the wind...it brought me an immense satisfaction I would have never even known about.

I believe we should savor every task we do. If it's plowing a field, pulling weeds, washing dishes, changing a diaper, correcting a spelling test, cleaning a toilet...do everything to the very best of our ability, but enjoy the task that God is having us do in that moment.

Colossians 3:23
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men..

So anyhow, here is our laundry day in pictures :)

Our scrubbing bucket...yes that's a plunger and a cd tower :P Yankee ingenuity people:) Here is what I'd eventually like to get for the agitator instead of the plunger..and eventually a washboard instead of the cd tower :P

Here's a view of the grungy water..that was with only a couple of minutes with the plunger!

Arianna really enjoyed spot scrubbing...

Adam liked the rinse buckets...

So did Cassidy...

Our clean laundry snapping in the wind...

Here's my supervisor Harley Bear...He was trying to get into the buckets so he had to watch from in the house...that's his window...grrrrr.... lol

But who could get irritated with this face? lol

And this is an add on from tonight...it was just too cute and when I was loading the pictures I had to add this one....

Adam "helped" me with the bread tonight...

After it had risen, the finger prints were lost...I'd almost hoped they'd cook into the bread like one of those plaster hand print things :P