Time for Action

Regardless of your position on milk (raw vs pasteurized) I think all agree with the freedom to choose what's best for each individual.  There are those that want to take that freedom away under the guise of food safety, namely S510.  I've already contacted my senators to express opposition to this bill, but there's more to do. (If you haven't done so, please consider contacting your senators-the language in S510 is so broad that your backyard garden could be illegal.)  A fellow blogger posted about an "inspection" going on at a dairy in Missouri.  Their blog has the details.  One reader has suggested an "un-cheese" party to help support them.  She says:
************CYBER-SPACE UN-CHEESE PARTY!*************
Here's how to SPONSOR A CHEESE:


The average price per pound is $5. You can send your sponsorship checks or money orders directly to the dairy. Just let them know what the money is for, and a note of encouragement would certainly be appreciated.

Morningland Dairy
6248 County Road 2980
Mountain View, MO
65548
Or PayPal:  You can paypal your cheese sponsorship to morningland@centurytel.net
Now, folks, this is a PARTY, so INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, your neighbors, your mere acquaintances to join us!
Plaster the message on other boards you frequent, put it on your Facebook Status, make a YouTube video and hey! maybe it'll go viral!
We have to stand together as raw milk consumers and producers, or we WILL see the day where we can't even grow food for our own consumption!

Let's get Morningland back on its feet -


SAVE THE CHEESE!!!

A related story about this is found here:


MILK IS A TOXIC SUBSTANCE?

I've read several stories of raw dairy farms being "inspected" simply because their milk is raw, yet far fewer people get sick from consuming raw milk than pasteurized.  If you're not familiar with the benefits of raw milk and would like to know more, I suggest starting at the Weston A Price Foundation's website.  Still, regardless of your thoughts about raw milk, contact your senator to oppose S510 and consider sending $5 to the people at Morningland Dairy.

Another Tattler Lid Giveaway

Don't ya just love a good giveaway?  I won two things from blogs, back to back, think I'll win again?

Here's the link to Keeper of the Home and the giveaway.

Want some free bakeware?

Then visit The Food Renegade.  She has a giveaway that ends this Saturday.  Paula's Bread is giving away the stainless steel muffin pan and jelly roll pan.  Why are you still here?  Follow the links and enter the contest!

The things we do for our goats...

The power company has been in the area lately trimming (and shredding) trees that are touching power lines.  When they got to the side road north of our property, I asked if they could just pile the trees on our property so we could use it for goat food.  The foreman was happy to fulfill my request and instructed the guys to save all the branches from trees that the goats like.  They've been here a few days now, and we've got at least as much as they'll eat in the time the leaves will remain green. 

Then I though, "hmm, what do they do with the chipped stuff?"  I asked, and they're leaving a load of that tomorrow and we'll use it as nesting material in the hen house!  Gotta love free food and bedding material!  Maybe I should suggest that APS start a "bed and breakfast" for farm animals, hmm, another business venture.

This is one truckload, there were two like this, then they cut this total again:

Time for a Change

I'm just not satisfied with the tools available to change the look and layout of my blog since they added the new template designer.  It's probably because I don't understand HTML and really need drag and drop capabilities to do it easily.  I think I managed to give my page a new look though.  I don't have time to teach myself all these cool things, and really shouldn't be sitting here right now! 

I have company coming for dinner and the house needs to be cleaned.  So what do I do?  Clean out the cabinet where my plastic containers are kept.  Yeah, that's a priority when visitors are coming!  It's done though and I'm glad to mark it off my mental "to do someday" list.  Maybe now I'll sleep at night, lol!

We've been busy driving around neighborhoods within about a 90 minute radius of us, and it's crazy how much time it can take to peruse a neighborhood.  We stumbled across a great deal online recently and have put in an offer.  I'll come back with details when we get word of acceptance (or not).  Trying not to get my hopes up just in case the offer isn't accepted.

OK, I need to walk away from the computer.  Hope you're all having a great day!

The Edge of the Divine...

...Where Possibility Meets God's Faithfulness by Sandi Patty.  Feeling as though I needed to get closer to the Divine God I serve, I picked this book from the titles available for review from Thomas Nelson Publishers.  As I started reading I wasn't sure it was the right choice.  It's a bit autobiographical, and Sandi has struggled with her weight since childhood.  The story focuses on this portion of her life and her journey through Lap Band surgery that's supposed to help her return from being severely, morbidly obese.  I've got some weight to lose, but for most of my life have been thin and athletic, so I started thinking I may not learn much from reading her story.

However, I realized that her struggle with overeating isn't really any different than the struggles each of us face, so I kept reading.  She shared the commitment it would take-that the surgery wasn't a quick, easy fix, but rather a tool in her arsenal that would help her get control over this addiction.  She learned that she used food to stuff her negative emotions, and once she stopped that habit, she found she needed to learn how to gently express those negative emotions. 

She spends time taking us to the edge of extreme situations in life and showing us how God is there to take the bad and use it for good.  She shares stories from her own life, as well as from the members of her band.  She helps us see that trusting God is always better than trusting our circumstances and experience.

It's the last chapter that really affected me.  It's simply called Enough.  In a story of an alcoholic acquaintance's journey to sobriety that survived the loss of his, he tells of his own discovery that the abused substance is never enough.  Never enough to kill the pain, forget the bad memories or satisfy the longing deep within.  But GOD is enough.  He promises to meet our needs, and offers to share His abundance when we draw close to Him.  I remember for a few days, thinking that I had enough.  I had enough stuff, I had enough time, I had enough blessing.  Could I truly be satisfied, content, while living in circumstances that I didn't choose?  While struggling with a situation that I couldn't control?  In the midst of less than ideal health?  Is God enough for me?  Is He enough for you?

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Looking for New Property

Be forewarned: I got carried away with details-it's LONG!

We've been looking at property and coming up with ideas since before we were married. We've had some grand ideas that we could never afford, but the process can be fun. We had a strategy for paying for the more realistic ideas, but Plan A got kiboshed before we could ever put it into play. Plan B was a bit more of a challenge and would take time, but we could build in phases with that plan. Well, the economy nose dived and the source of those funds dried up too. In between those phases, we bought what we thought was the perfect parcel. Two acres of irrigated land for the price that many people were asking for one. The bonus was the other 3 couples making up this investment group were all part of the church we go to, and people we'd actually want to be neighbors with. We managed to get the cash for the buy in and then we really started dreaming/planning! We'd been renting since getting married and were eager to set down roots.

(Would it help to know that we got married in 2006?)

 

Thru an odd exchange, we ended up with a home to live in while building that had no mortgage. It was supposed to be temporary-like 6 to 8 months. It's now been two and a half years and we aren't any closer to building than when we moved in! There are several reasons why, but I won't go into all of that in this post. Suffice to say that had I known we'd even be here a year I never would have agreed to the set up. It's just not adequate to call a home. I've tried not to complain too much, as it is paid for but I feel like I'm holding back on things until we have a "real" house. Every few months we look at what's available in our area and quickly realize there's nothing wonderful enough about any of the places to make us want to go into debt. However, I'm getting weary of tripping over every day items because there's nowhere to put them. Oh, and the balloon payment on that marvelous piece of property is due November 1st. Nothing like a large sum of money coming due to change one's perspective.

I think I mentioned last week that we even drove to TN last December to see if we'd want to live there, because it seemed like an ideal place for us and prices are like a 10th of what they are here. We've looked at other parts of AZ, but where we are has water. Water means plants and trees. Plants and trees mean food and shade. Food and shade mean happier family. Need I say more? So I tell you all of this because we found a place that is almost perfect, but the parts that aren't are enough to make us really examine our motives and desires and continue to seek God's guidance. That's where you come in. We've made a list of the pros and cons of each place and I'd like to present it for examination. Maybe you will see something we haven't thought of or have some wisdom and insight we don't.

For the record, we make quarterly payments on that piece of land we bought a few years ago. The cost of this place we're looking at would give us a mortgage of roughly $200/month less than what that quarterly payment works out to be-if they accepted our low ball offer. We're also aware that the mortgage would now be on our primary residence rather than a bare piece of land that we could let go of, if needed. So here's the list:

Current Residence Pros:

1. no mortgage
2. irrigation
3. creek
4. easy drive to town
5. 1 acre
6. central heat & AC
7. wood stove
8. hen house
9. fenced garden

 Current Residence Cons:

1. tight floor plan
2. no storage
3. old bath fixtures
4. highway noise
5. drafty construction
6. cracked window seals
7. can't remodel
8. can't take more foster kids/no siblings for TJ
9. can't have guests
10. no room for crafts
11. bad flooring
12. one bathroom
13. no linen closet
14. funky thermostat
15. I could go on, but I don't want to be reminded!

Proposed Residence Pros:

1. hen house
2. barn with stalls
3. hay loft
4. mechanical room (could be used as milking area)
5. pond
6. pasture
7. fenced
8. cross fenced
9. fenced garden
10. music work shop
11. root cellar
12. cheese aging room
13. evaporative cooling
14. storage
15. workshop
16. wood stove (s)
17. trampoline enclosure
18. swing set up
19. irrigation
20. 2 acres

Proposed Residence Cons:

1. mortgage
2. no AC
3. small master bedroom-not so bad except it's 1 of only 2 bedrooms-foster care makes this a challenge
4. tight floor plan-would be a challenge to remodel to our liking
5. old bath fixtures

 If we simply look at the numbers of pros and cons on each, the decision seems easy, but some of the cons are big at the proposed place. This post is already long, but I'll take a bit more time to say that once TJ's adoption is final, he can't share a room with foster children unless they are the same age group and gender. I think the dividing line for age is 6, so that gives us a year to find a way to have another bedroom for more kids. Once a child is adopted, the rules no longer apply. TJ really wants a brother, and we think it'd be good for him to have one, so that's a big consideration too. Children two and under can share our room, but we're not sure we want any that young. There's a bedroom in the basement, but it can't be used for foster children because there have to be two exits to the outside from any room they sleep in for fire safety. This room has no exits to the outside. The master bedroom being small isn't so much the issue as sharing the upstairs bathroom is. Our thought was to build a master suite on the main level so that both upstairs rooms would be kids rooms. Oh yeah, and when my parents come to visit, they can't go up and down the stairs, so there isn't anywhere for them to stay. Here I go talking myself out of a place that I really want! Well, I really want all the outside amenities and the basement. And the huge workshop for Tony's instrument building-along with another workshop for everything else. Did I mention storage? We'd be able to buy in bulk and save money. And with two acres we'd have enough grazing area for all the animals we have. And that pond-not having to fill buckets for the goats several times a day-how much power does that feature get?? I didn't tell you the barn stalls are configurable-the gates swing either way to make various size stalls. If we had to buy hay-we could buy in bulk and save again!

 

Now do you see why this is such a hard decision?  Maybe floor plans will help:

 
If you've read this far, you're a real trooper and I thank you!

 

Midnight Surprise!

We stayed up a little later last night than we have been, and by the time we went to bed, we were both worn out.  Still, I couldn't fall asleep and stay that way.  After a couple of bouts of waking up, I distinctly heard scratching at the door that leads outside from our room.  The cats (and rabbit) have a pet door to the backyard in the back door, so I couldn't figure out what was making the scratching noise.  Sometimes one of the cats will try to get us to open the bedroom door, but it's accompanied by loud meowing.  This was just scratching.  I finally got up to look (there's a window in the upper half of the door) and couldn't see anything.  Once I turned the light on the scratching wasn't as persistent, but I could still hear it.  I wasn't keen on opening the door without being able to see anything, but I wouldn't be able to sleep not knowing and getting rid of it.

Well-after about 10 seconds of looking around I finally saw it-a SKUNK!  Just to the left of the door hinge eating pecans that are stored there.  All I could see was the white stripe down its back-good thing too!  Had it seen me, I'm certain it would have been startled and done the deed.  I quickly closed the door and decided to turn the fan on to overcome the scratching sounds.  Whew-there's a blessing to be grateful for!

The Marriage Project

This book by Kathy Lipp is a great resource for helping any marriage to be a happier one.  Ours has been ruled by chaos lately, so it was quite helpful-and we haven't even done the projects yet!  I requested a copy back in January to review, but never heard anything.  Then a few weeks ago Kathy emailed me to see if I had done a review yet.  Once we got the confusion cleared up she put a copy in the mail.

The premise is like The Husband Project.  There are 21 days of projects to do with your spouse.  The day I read the book I wasn't a very happy wife, and the thought of putting out effort to improve my marriage wasn't very appealing.  But something happened as I read the introductory chapters.  My attitude started changing.  I’m happy to report that with some prayer and the first few chapters of the book my attitude improved. Nothing else was different, just my attitude, and that made plenty of difference in our interaction and improved things without even having read what the projects are, let alone actually do them. Now I’m looking forward to DOING the activities!

I've now read the first weeks' worth of projects and am ready to engage in the full 3 weeks with Tony.  He doesn't know that yet, but the projects are fun and he'll want to do them.  I think we'll go on a date Friday night and talk about it!

Farm Blessings

I didn't take a picture of what we bought at the local farmer's market on Saturday, but since then we've acquired this nice array of homegrown wonders!  We spent more time today looking at property and on the way home passed thru a neighboring small town and remembered their farmer's market is Mondays 3-7.  We almost didn't stop, but I'm glad we did.  We got the 4 varieties of cucumbers, nectarines, grapes, apples (just a couple, we still have gobs from friends) pears and plums on the vine-aren't they pretty?  The tomatoes and onions in the box came from another friend at church, and the eggs are ours-just thought they added to the photo.

I'm trying to remember something I read recently about not refrigerating certain types of produce because it dulls the flavor.  Citrus was on the list and it seems like tomatoes were too, but I can't recall.  Anyone else ever hear that?

Weekly Farm Report

Let's see if I can remember major events for the week as they pertain to the farm...

It might be easiest if I start with today and work back.  We made it to the farmer's market for the first time since July 24th.  I didn't do any bartering, but bought grass fed bratwurst (they are SO good), salad tomatoes, a giant sunflower head for the chickens, some purple beans and carrots and sourdough bread.  I put it all away before I took pictures, so sorry. 

After the market we went to check the critters at the pasture and noticed a yard sale sign.  We followed that and ended up at a friends house!  They want OUR house.  I can't believe anyone would want our house.  The property yes-the house no.  Anyway, they want to downsize so they seriously are interested.  We'll be having dinner next week to talk about possibilities. 

From there we went to look at some property that Tony found while TJ and I were on vacation.  It's for sale by owner, and the owners moved to 57 acres in Arkansas.  The husband comes back once a month to maintain the place-seems like a LOT of driving.  Anyway, we started with the outside and I was getting excited!  There's a pond (used to have bull frogs and turtles in it); a hen house and run; a stable and tack room; lots of mature trees and grass; and a fenced garden area.  It's fenced enough to keep animals on one side and people on the other.  There's a large garage/workshop that would be good for Tony's work, a drive over oil change pit, and a separate workshop from the big one.  Then we went inside.  The outside looked cute-has a nice covered patio and is two stories (TJ wants stairs).  I have to keep in mind that they haven't lived there for a while, but I was disappointed with the house.  The main level has a bathroom, kitchen, living room and office.  None of it very big.  The living room is two stories.  Upstairs is the master bedroom and a kids room, with just one bathroom.  I think there was a linen closet too.  It also has a basement.  I almost got excited again!  Half of the basement would be perfect for aging cheese.  Then the owner pointed out a leak.  Not so good for a basement.  It was more like seepage, but won't seepage become a leak?  There's also a pantry and another bedroom.  No windows in the bedroom though.  Wouldn't work for foster care.  All rooms for kids MUST have two exits to the outside.  They're asking price is a bit high for the area, but it is two acres of irrigated land, away from town and traffic noise, with nearly perfect out buildings and set up for animals and gardening.  Too bad the house falls short.

Wednesday we took Annie and Cream over to the pasture to meet Boots the buck.  Boots got quite excited-hopefully the girls will come into heat and let him have his way with them.  If I haven't posted pictures of him before, here he is.

Having Annie at the pasture means gathering up all the milking supplies and going over there to milk.  Tony built a new stand so that there's one at each place.  By taking Cream away from Peaches, I'm getting more from her.  Not a lot, but more.  I got 11 ounces one day.  She stands still for me though, so that's good!

Tuesday we drove to Payson to meet my parents and celebrate my dad's birthday.  We drove thru a big rainstorm that followed us into town.  We sat on the patio at the restaurant and watched it blow in, then had to go inside just before the meal came because the wind was blowing so hard.  We drove around looking at property there too.  We found a 3.75 acre parcel in a little spot filled with people that garden and/or have critters.  There are some out buildings and incomplete house on the property, but the house has a cracked foundation, so that would just come down or be turned into another out building.  We talked to the neighbors and it sounds like a great place!  Too bad that owner wants too much money too.  It's in a cooler climate, but not so cold that winters would be rough.  I think we're going to take another trip that direction and look at some properties further up on the Mogollon Rim.  I told Tony it would be colder there, but he's OK with that.  Might find a place on one of the creeks there.

We got a good portion of the garden weeded and have some mystery squash plants growing.  We don't remember planting anything there, and there's nothing on my map in that area.  We never watered there, but when we had a few weeks of rain, they popped up!  Tony planted some potatoes from a friend while I was gone.  We pulled a beet, and I made a juice drink with that and 4 carrots and 2 apples.  Not bad!

Oh yeah-Mr Redford got out of the yard.  Tony was putting one of the younger hens in the hen house and couldn't close the gate.  I got there while he was still near the gate but he hopped away.  We were sad, but hopeful that he'd come back on his own.  I'm happy to report that's just what he did.  Now he's learned to hop onto a chair and then over the fence.  I was milking this morning when he came hopping up from who knows where.  At least he knows how to get back-we just worry that a predator would take him.  We moved the chair.  :-)

So I guess our farm report is more of a moving report.  Or would that be property search report?

The Little Things

I doubt anyone reading this can say they enjoy cleaning out the fridge, myself included.  However, since acquiring chickens, it's not a totally dreaded task any more.  They eat just about anything I throw out there, and they come running with such eager anticipation that it's one of those small joys to see.  They run headlong from all across the yard to see what kind of treat I've just tossed.  It's also not so bad to see that something has been in there too long, knowing that the chickens are going to enjoy it so much!

Geranium Essential Oil

Wow-I know we learn something new every day, but this one is big for me!  This is taken from a post at Keeper of the Home:

Last but not least, Geranium is all about balance. Made from the leaves of the plant, the South African native works by stimulating the adrenal cortex which is the hormonal center. Thus, it is widely used in the treatment of both anxious tension and depression as it has the unusual quality of being both a sedative when you need to relax (as in tension) and a stimulant when you need a lift (as in depression). And, what it does for the psychology, it also does for the skin as well – tempering both the oily and dry.

Do you have breast tenderness? Try a compress with geranium essential oil: add a drop or two to some hot water, submerge a hand towel. Wring it out and lay the warm towel over your chest for 10 minutes.

Last but not least, Geranium is all about balance. Made from the leaves of the plant, the South African native works by stimulating the adrenal cortex which is the hormonal center. Thus, it is widely used in the treatment of both anxious tension and depression as it has the unusual quality of being both a sedative when you need to relax (as in tension) and a stimulant when you need a lift (as in depression). And, what it does for the psychology, it also does for the skin as well – tempering both the oily and dry.

Do you have breast tenderness? Try a compress with geranium essential oil: add a drop or two to some hot water, submerge a hand towel. Wring it out and lay the warm towel over your chest for 10 minutes.

I'm tempted to run out and buy some right now!  I need stress relief and balance!  I think I'll take a nap first though...

I'm Back!

Maybe.  Well, OK, I am back from vacation, but I don't feel like I'm back in the groove.  Did I ever have a groove?  My goal while gone was to create one, but that didn't happen.  We plan to start our homeschool year on September 7th and I want to have some good routines in place and have an obtainable rhythm figured out by then.  I see so many things I want to do. 

A member at GNOWFGLINS posted a question about making sourdough english muffins and her pictures were enough to make me want to do that tomorrow morning!  I'm reading Health Bread in Five Minutes a Day right now and like the theory.  I barely started reading it though, so not ready to try it out.

We want to get a second round of seeds into the ground this week too, and take two of the goats to the pasture where our buck is so they can be bred.

There are some "back to school" sales and events coming up too.  I'm really looking forward to this Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse Sale.  Barnes and Noble also have some educator activities and kid stuff.

Now that I'm back, I can't wait to catch up on all the blogs I missed!  I glanced thru the list once when I managed to get online and I've been missing some fabulous posts.  Blogland, here I come!

Disconnected

I know I rely heavily on my computer and access to the internet for many things, but it's really highlighted when that access is cut off.  I've been away from home since evening time on July 30th.  We left our home to go spend the night at my parents house so we'd be closer to the airport for our Saturday morning departure, plus mom was going with TJ and I.  We got to Idaho mid day and left Sunday for a 4 night camping trip up in the mountains.  Didn't even have cell phone service there!  I thought once we got back to the Boise area I'd be able to spend some time at the local library or McDonald's to use their wi-fi while TJ played.  Friday morning we headed out, ordered food that I didn't really want, TJ started playing, just to find out that their wi fi had issues.  I could connect to any of the 3 networks available, but none of them allowed me to actually use the internet.  Big let down!  So I found a coffee shop and sat in the car (to me, coffee smells like skunk spray, so I wasn't about to sit inside) to upload 2 posts I had written the night before.

My aunt has internet access for her computer, I just can't connect it to mine, and there are things I can't do w/o my laptop, or just simply prefer to do with my own computer, so I've been able to check email, but not really read all the newsletters I get, or connect to my dashboard here, or other forums, because I don't want to take up that much time when we should be visiting.  This morning my mom and I decided to go looking for a place where I could do some of the things I was hoping to do while gone-namely planning.  So I've been sitting on the patio of a coffee house for over an hour and the only real planning I've done is to decide which children's books are going to be the weekly focus for the first 4 weeks of homeschool.  I logged in to my library's web site (something I couldn't do easily on someone else's computer) and placed holds on the books we don't already own, and on accompanying items like books on tape and video.  Since my mom is with me, and she's already drank a cup of espresso and had biscotti and read the local paper, I guess it's time to go.  She's getting bored.  My aunt kept TJ with her, so at least he's not here slowing down progress.

A good portion of the planning I want to do can be done without internet access, but it's so nice to have it just in case!  I could sit here all day (well, not really cuz there's not an outlet and the battery won't last that long) and plan, read blogs, reply to email, watch video's from online classes, and call it a great day!  Maybe when I get home Tony will give me that gift before we get back into the rhythm of life at home.  My goal while gone was to have assessed what's working and what isn't in order to create better harmony at home for all 3 of us.  Maybe I can still do it.

Down Time

I hope to spend some time over the next few days praying and coming up with a schedule that allows for housework, exercise, animal care, home schooling and fun time. This might help me have relaxing time on a daily basis and get closer to good health. I’d like to be able to implement it shortly after returning home, with schooling starting the day after Labor Day.


While out camping, my aunt brought paints and wood crafts for all of the little kids to paint. TJ hasn’t been interested in that kind of thing in the past so I was curious to see his response. He chose to paint a door hanger in the shape of an elephant and actually did a pretty good job. Then he wanted to paint a bird house and covered it quite well too. Then some of the older kids started looking for rocks to paint and he found one that looked like an alligator and painted it green, and gramma put wiggly eyes on it. On the last day he found a stick that he called a “soldier gun” so that got painted brown and green in an attempt at camo design. Now I’m glad that we bought him a couple of simple wood models to paint and a set of paints at the back to school sales. Hopefully I can continue his interest in crafts after we get home.

My down time will hopefully consist of some blocks of internet time (if you’re reading this, I at least got a few minutes of internet time-I’m writing at another aunt’s house, but she only has dial up and I don’t think my laptop even has a dial up modem); some time wandering at the farmers market Saturday; and some planning time. I think I operate better when I can take periodic breaks to assess the current system and make necessary changes. Right now I think a lot of changes need to be made, and being away from the normal daily routine should help highlight those things.

I miss my CaféMom friends and blog land. If I get at least one block of internet time I’ll be able to do a little catching up. I’m thinking I can take TJ to a McDonald’s that has a play place and internet access and both of us will get to do one of our favorite things!

Real Food vs Vacation With Extended Family

Our real food journey began over a year ago as I investigated the cause of my adrenal fatigue. We started with chickens for fresh eggs, added goats for raw milk and started eliminating processed foods. I can’t say that we’ve “arrived” but after a few days of camping with extended family I can say that we’ve ventured far off the beaten path of convenience and food-like stuff. Actually, it was noticeable as soon as we boarded the airplane to fly to Boise. I’d already decided that since we’d be on vacation and I was basically just along for the ride (not involved in the planning and not wanting to be difficult) I’d graciously eat whatever was offered and lovingly prepared.


Less than 24 hours after leaving home we’d broken just about every food rule we’d been following. Including:

High fructose corn syrup*hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils*cottonseed oil*pasteurized milk*artificial colors*processed eggs*white bread*extruded grains*microwave*chemical laden produce

I’ve consumed popular sodas, spreadable margarine, white bread, miracle whip, potato chips, red vines, white bread, fruity flake cereal, Crisco, way too much candy, and probably things I’ve already forgotten! We used paper plates, paper napkins, paper towels, plastic cups, plastic utensils, individual plastic water bottles, and soda cans. I haven’t had any probiotic foods or drinks, coconut oil, fish oil, whole wheat bread, fresh eggs or raw dairy. We won’t be home until the 11th, so it’ll be a few more days before I get any of that at home. I might be able to get some of those things before then, but what I’ve realized is that my journey hasn’t reached the point of being able to travel and keep eating real food. My tinnitus seems a little worse and therefore the accompanying headache is too. I feel fat, out of shape and fatigued. We were camping and I couldn’t really relax. Not sure why-just sitting around not doing anything, so I should have been relaxed.

This blog is part of Fight Back Fridays at The Food Renegade.

Blah

Is that even a word?  Can I use it for a blog post title?  I think I have mental constipation (sorry if that brings about an icky image).  I had all these things I wanted to share here, but no time to write.  Now I have a few moments but can't remember any of the things I wanted to say.

I'm terribly frustrated-more so than usual.  I keep trying to carve out a little time for me, so I can improve and feel refreshed and stop being a tired grump all the time.  It doesn't seem to matter what I try, nothing has worked so far. 

In April I learned of a "Mom Telesummit" full of speakers and topics that interested me, all online.  I signed up and even paid the $39.95 to have access to the MP3 recordings and PDF files of each class.  I think there were 10 during one specific week.  It's now July, a full three months later and I have listened to one whole class.  Yes, just one.  My son went to VBS for a week and I scheduled 3 or 4 for that week.  Didn't get to listen to a single one.  He went to my parent's house for a week-same thing.  My husband promised to give me two hours "off" every Friday and that hasn't happened yet.  The one I've watched I just put Goober Gus in front of the TV with a movie and "took" my class.

When reality that my husband was not likely to follow through with his support plan, I decided I'd pay someone to watch him for a few hours each week (my son that is, not my husband-ha ha) but since we're leaving in a few days for vacation, I haven't started that yet.

This morning we came to the library for their weekly children's program and it occurred to me that since he likes to play the computer games here, and there's free wi-fi, I could bring my laptop and headphones and listen to a class while he plays.  I was super excited!  Then another family came in and it got noisy.  What happened to the days of whispering in a library?  My son will sit quietly playing the game until another child comes in, then he's just as noisy, if not more so, than the others.  I couldn't hear my class-they were so noisy they overrode the sound going directly to my ears.  It was mostly the other 3 kids, but I did get up and tell my son that if he didn't start whispering we'd leave.  I'm happy to report that he started whispering.  Not that it helped, the other kids ignored the instruction that their mom finally gave to be quiet.  I realized that I had listened to 20 minutes of the class and had no idea what she said.  In frustration I turned it off and decided to do something where sound isn't an issue.

So my question is, how do you get a little quiet time at your house?  If you're an early riser, I'm jealous.  I've tried that route and it doesn't work.  I'm either in a fog for the entire day and worse off than usual, or darling son wakes up hours earlier than he usually does and there goes quiet time.

Vent over, advice greatly desired!

Update to Weekly Farm Report

I made my report too soon.  Tony took the truck out this afternoon to collect broken tree branches from yesterday's storm.  The goats love them and it's free food!  While he was out, someone gave him three HUGE garbage bags full of apples!  We just finished sorting them and were able to save about 2 bags worth.  The other will be goat, cow and horse treats.  So now to ask for YOUR favorite apple recipe.  The recipes in my Home Canning book include:

• apple butter
• conserve
• syrup
• jelly
• juice
• pie filling
• preserves
• apple-rhubarb chutney
• wedges in cinnamon red hot syrup (yum!)
• studded with cherries and raisins

I have lots of canning jars AND plenty of freezer space, so let's hear your ideas! 

Yes, there are so many we washed them in the bathtub!

Weekly Farm Report

OK, so I made it for a second weekly report.  It's a start!  This is what I got at the farmer's market today.  There's 4 pounds of apples that I got in exchange for 2 dozen eggs; 3 bunches of purple and white carrots that normally go for $3 per bunch, I got all 3 for $5 because it was getting close to quitting time; the purple plums and beets were received for a pound of garlic chevre; the yellow plums I bought because it was a new vendor and I wanted to make friends; and the pickled zucchini just looked fun!  The owner of the apple orchard will trade me apples for eggs every week.  Not pictured are 2 giant sunflowers to go into the garden and hopefully help feed the chickens this winter, and a baby willow tree.  The willow tree was a gift from the people we bought the stevia and mint plants from a few weeks ago.  The chickens ate all the leaves and I was asking if they'd come back with just roots there.  She wasn't sure and doesn't have any more mint or stevia, and Tony had shown interest in a willow when we were there, so they gave me one.  It's been great getting to know the people at the market.

When we arrived, my son says, "hey, it happened again" but I wasn't sure what he meant.  He could see the people at the market and was excited because the beef vendor has a 3 year old boy that he likes to play with.  He calls him his new friend, so today we got his name.

I went to the pasture twice to check on critters (Tony goes every other day) and the day I took my camera, Elsie and Jasper wouldn't stand up.  Today they were grazing together but I didn't have my camera. 

We had quite a rain storm yesterday afternoon and then last night when I locked up the hen house, one was missing.  I haven't seen her today (thinking maybe she roosted elsewhere with the rain) so I think a coyote got her.  Everyone else seems happy though.  Goats included.

So that's it for this week.  Hope ya'll are well!

This Heat is Killing Me!

Maybe not literally, at least not yet, but I can hardly do anything!  I don't even have the energy to prepare meals, so I'm doubly knocking myself out.  It's a downward spiral, that's for sure!  My head is heavy and groggy, my thoughts are fuzzy, my ears are ringing more than usual.  But I don't sleep well because there was hardly any physical activity during the day, and that adds to the trouble too. 

Fridays are my new "afternoon off" according to Tony.  He said he'll give me time off every Friday from 3-5, and today I'm thinking of taking the laptop to some local place that has free wi-fi, where I will either begin planning a routine to fit in more essentials and fun stuff, or just read blogs and catch up on stuff like that.  So I'm thinking I ought to go force feed myself (did I mention that besides not having the energy to prepare food, the heat also kills my appetite?) so I will have the energy and brain power to enjoy my time off.

There's a heat advisory in effect here today.  Telling people to stay inside with air conditioning and drink plenty of fluids, and check on elderly family and neighbors.  Tony won't care and might still try to take our son out to do something so I can just stay here, but I think it would be better if they had a cooler place to hang out.  I say cooler because we don't use the AC from noon til  because the rate goes up during that time.  However, even my cheapskate-ness has limits and if it gets too hot inside the AC's going on!  It's hard to say what temp that is, as our thermometer is not accurate, nor is the inaccuracy consistent.  We've tested it against a digital thermometer and when it's cool in here-like winter time, the temp can be off by as much as 10 degrees (reads high).  But in the summer it can show 90 and be 86.  So I just don't trust it, and go by feel most of the time.

This sure turned into a long post for someone who hasn't done much this week, therefore doesn't have much exciting to share.  Tomorrow I will go to the farmer's market and trade a pound of cheese for a few pounds of plums, see what other deals are out there, and then go to a used curriculum fair for homeschoolers.  Next week we go to the statewide homeschool conference, with lots of vendors and more workshops than I can fit into the time allotted.  Speaking of that, perhaps I'll pour a cold drink, grab some cheese and finally choose just which workshops I'll go to!  Stay cool, everyone!

Weekly Farm Report

Maybe if I call it weekly I'll remember to do it every weekend?  OK, so where to start?  The deal of the week, probably...

The last time we were at the farmers market (as shoppers) I took a little of my goat cheese and the owners of the grass fed beef company tried it.  She said it was a little too strong and she wanted it to be creamier, so I agreed to try a few things and contact her.  We missed the following weekend, so yesterday was our next trip there.  I had made two batches of goat cheese-chevre and fromagina- with the freshest milk I had.  I took notes of what I did so I could recreate the environment if it were successful.  The chevre was creamier, and not so "goaty" and Tony mixed it with a dab of olive oil, garlic and salt.  Even creamier!  I didn't season the fromagina.  She tried them both-and I traded her the batch of fromagina for a pound of new york steaks!  They were on special for $8.45 per pound, so I got that per pound on my cheese!  The man at the neighboring booth likes the chevre so I told him I'd make a special batch for him Monday and trade for a few pounds of his fresh plumbs.  I feel a cobbler coming up!

Elsie and Jasper came home last night.  Look how big he is now!  It was dusk, so I couldn't get good pictures, but I'll get more this week.  See how the flash captured his eyes?  They got off the trailer and RAN all over the 2 acre field.  The 2 horses were wild at that point too and poor Boots (we changed Bolt's name) didn't know what to do.  Just as we were leaving the pasture the neighbor caught us and asked if we wanted to pick some apricots.  Um YEAH!  We got several pounds, plus cleaned up what was on the ground to bring to the chickens.  I made a batch of jam last night as soon as we got home.  I need more sugar now before making any more though.

My step son was here for a few days with his girlfriend and his cousin.  They borrowed the truck Tuesday to go to a local watering hole and burned out the brakes.  They found a ride home but we had to go repair and retrieve it Wednesday.  The yucca were blooming along the road and Tony got some great shots.  I've never seen red in them before.

Friday night we were hot (we don't use the AC til after 7 when rates go down) so we went to the store for some fresh fruit and drinks and drove around looking for downed tree branches to use in making a goat playground.  We stopped by the pasture to make sure the water tank was full and this was our view!

I think that's about it around here.  The monsoon season is in preview mode, meaning we get the heat and humidity without the wonderful cooling rains.  It was in the 80's already at 730 this morning, ugh!

Never a Dull Moment

Especially when there's a 4 year old boy in the family!  Yesterday we stopped at a little hole in the wall taco place for lunch.  Our darling son thought he'd be cute and slide the highchair to our table to sit in.  We told him he was too big, but he proceeded to try and climb in anyway.  He got stuck.  Literally.  I couldn't pull him out.  Tony and I together couldn't pull him out.  I was laughing quite hard by now.  We tried a different tug and he finally slipped free.  We tried to use it as a learning moment, but based on today's events it went in one ear and out the other.

He's had a stuffy nose for a few days.  It usually happens when he has lots of water play time, so a week in the pool at my parents house was good cause for it.  Today he kept making snorting noises but when I'd ask if he was blowing or sniffling he couldn't answer, and would never do it when I could see him.  That should have been my first clue.  At dinner it looked like he had a blob of mud in his nose so I got a tissue to have him blow.  Nothing was coming out.  I tried pulling on it and realized it was hard-so I thought he had a rock in his nose from playing in the mud.  Nope.  It was most of an almond.  He had a bowl of mixed nuts at 11 this morning.  For 8 hours this thing has been in his nose and I couldn't see it until tonight!  Why does a child even think  about stuffing things up his or her nose?  Is it a boy thing?  Tony says he never thought about it as a kid, and I know I didn't, so what causes this insane behavior?

I don't think the detailed version of what a doctor would have to do to get it out had any affect on him either, as he'd wait for Tony to stop talking (a miracle in itself) and then say something totally unrelated.  It wasn't until after  I had the nut out that I thought about taking a picture.  No shortage of blog material around here!

Storm Warning

Storm Warning is a book by Billy Graham.  It's a revised and updated edition.  I've been trying to read it for weeks, and just can't muster up enough interest in it.  Maybe it's because it reads too much like a list of facts rather than telling an interesting story with those facts.  There are too many other books I want to read, so this one is getting a thumbs down and I'm moving on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Juvenile Hens Make Their Own Roost

Our five juvenile hens are still returning to the backyard to roost in their baby coop, but yesterday I walked out to see that they had knocked over the ladder and are roosting on it.  We haven't moved them to the hen house yet because they probably can't reach the roosts and to make lower ones puts them under the other hens and they'd get well, pooped on.  They need a good spot in the hen house, don't ya think?

Just Some Info

Tonight I just want to share some links with you that I've found helpful.  I also want to say that I haven't been able to read any of my friends' blogs since last Friday and scrolling thru my reading list it looks like I'm missing out on some fun stuff.  I'll get back to reading soon, but for now, here's some links to share:

The Stress Cure for Busy Moms Am I the only one in desparate need of this?
Mama Goes Green Reusable lunch packaging-NOT plastic!
Non-Toxic Toothpaste Made with coconut oil-something REALLY good for dental health.
How to Keep Healthy Living Practical A good reminder.

That's it, short and simple.  Hope all of my friends in blog land are healthy and safe!

Hooded Beach Towel Back Pack

Wow-can't believe how long it's been since I posted anything!  I have lots to say because we've been doing so much, but I want it to be somewhat organized.

Today I made this hooded beach towel back pack for my son, who is on vacation at my parents house for a week.  Gramma bought a wii for them to play with and there's a community pool-he's not going to want to come home!  I chronicled my progress.  Remember this is just my third sewing lesson.  Today actually involved reading and following directions, and cutting the material.  I even threaded the machine correctly without any help.  :-)

The project starts with two matching towels.  I found these for $5 each at one of those big box stores.  My son likes red and blue, so this was perfect.

Sewing the hem of the hood.

The elastic has been threaded thru the seam and the hood has been attached to the towel.

Pinning the the pouch onto the towel after the straps have been sewn on.

The finished project!  The towel folds up and flips inside of the pouch (sort of like folding socks) and it's ready to wear to the pool or beach!  I had enough material left from the second towel to make a wrap to put on after he takes his wet swim suit off.  I didn't take a picture because it just looks like a folded towel.

Congratulations

To Michelle at Give a Girl a Fig, my darling son pulled her name out of the hat for the winner in the goat naming contest.  Her suggestion for Sugar came in second for the older baby girl, but we chose Polly's names of Peaches and Cream for that mama/daughter set.

Michelle wins a yet to be made tea towel bread bag.  I'll be making them next Tuesday and will post pictures of the options-so Michelle, keep an eye on my blog so you can pick which one you want!

So now I'd like to introduce our goats...

Peaches

Cream

Belle (Hubby's choice)

Yodelady (Dad's choice)

And the winner is...

...everyone and noone, if that's possible.  Let me explain.  I didn't like all 4 names from any entry, but liked one or more from each.  I'll sit down with Tony tomorrow (not only Father's Day but also our anniversarry) and go over the list.  After we've chosen names, we'll put everyone's name in a box and let the little guy pick out a name to be the winner of a bread bag that hasn't even been made yet.  Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

Just thought this was interesting...

Life 101 years ago…


Posted June 15th, 2010 by Sarah N
The year is 1909. What would your life have been like? Read on for some amazing facts:
101 years ago:
The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.


Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.


Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.


Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.


There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.


The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.


The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !


The average US wage in 1909 was 22 cents an hour.


The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..


A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,


A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,


and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.


More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .


Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!


Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which


Were condemned in the press AND the government as ’substandard.’


Sugar cost four cents a pound.


Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.


Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.


Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.


Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering the country for any reason.


The Five leading causes of death were:


1. Pneumonia and influenza


2. Tuberculosis


3. Diarrhea


4. Heart disease


5. Stroke


The American flag had 45 stars ….


The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!!


Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet.


There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.


Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write and


Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..


Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores..


Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,


regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health’.


Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help ….


There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !


Plus one more sad thought …. 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909.

I wouldn't mind the last one being true today!

Another Giveaway

Keeper of the Home is giving away the Homestead Blessings Video Series AND a $25 gift card to http://www.fbsbooks.com/.  Go here to enter and here to read more about it.  I saw these videos a while back but can't afford them, and my library doesn't have them-I've won two other blog giveaways, maybe I can win this one too!  Best wishes on your entry too!

Real Food Health & Nutrition Textbook

I wish I could claim the name "Kelly the Kitchen Kop" but she beat me to it and has more info to share than I do!  She's giving away a copy of Real Food Health & Nutrition textbook, but the contest ends TONIGHT.  Yikes-hurry and enter!

Our Sunday

I was going to call this post, Of Apricots and Eggs because we picked a few apricots and gathered eggs this evening, but then I took a picture of the potatos we had for dinner and decided to change the title.

The apricot trees were COVERED with blossoms this spring, and we hung white lights in the trees to protect against late frosts, but the wind can't be stopped, so we've got about 2 dozen fruit between the 2 trees.  This is our average daily egg collection-10.

We bought these at the farmer's market yesterday-I was surprised to see how purple the dark ones turned out!

I was so excited when the trees had so many blossoms-the larger tree produces the sweetest apricots I've ever tasted, and the jam, well let's just say it is entirely possible to live on sour dough english muffins and apricot jam for  weeks.  The first batch I made from them was upon our return from our honeymoon, almost 4 years ago.  It was so good that when we saw more trees in the neighborhood we asked if we could pick their fruit.  The results were not nearly as delicious as from this tree.  Last year the wind took out blossoms from every fruit tree in this valley, so I was so hopeful that we'd get fruit this year.  We did, just not enough for jam.  Then, the other tree produced fruit for the first time this year-we didn't even know it was an apricot tree.  At first we guessed apple, then Tony noticed the fruit were fuzzy so we guessed peach-but weren't paying attention to the shape of the leaves.  When it finally clicked that it was another apricot tree I was hoping to get enough for jam, but our son likes to eat them straight from the tree (he managed to eat two while picking tonight) so this year there won't be any jam.  Unless of course someone else gets enough fruit to sell.  I'm going to have dreams of apricot jam on hot buttery toasted english muffins!

Goats

Click here to view these pictures larger

Goat Naming Contest

When we bought these yearlings in April I thought it would be fun to have a naming contest here.  Before I could get good pictures of them, my camera broke.  Once I replaced it, I just never got around to taking pictures of them, but now that we have a new doeling, I think it's time to find names for these 4 girls.

This is the new mama.

This is her baby.

This is the other mama...

and this is her 3 month old baby.

The rules are simple-leave a comment with your suggested names for each animal before midnight AZ time Friday, June 18th.  I'll choose a winner on Saturday, but since they are my goats I reserve the right to not choose any of the suggestions!  I'm thinking the prize will be one of my homemade bread bags (sorry, no bread with it), but they won't be done until June 29th.  Maybe the winner won't mind waiting?

Baby Doe!

We witnessed our first birth here at the farm today!  We've missed the other two-close enough to see a wet baby-but we missed the first kid born here and the first calf born here.  I went out this morning to feed the goats and could tell mama was starting labor.  Hadn't noticed anything last night, so I really didn't think it would happen so quickly, but within 30 minutes of seeing her, she had a beautiful baby doe!  The video is 3 and a half minutes long.  In the early part you can see her snout in the birth sac, but once you've seen that you can jump to about the 2 minute, 15 second mark to see the birth.


Baby girl resting on the milk stand while mom learns what being milked is like!

Bags and Bunnies

My bunny thinks he's a chicken. OK, maybe I really don't have a clue what he's actually thinking, but I know when these chicks are old enough to venture beyond the backyard that Rabbit Redford is going to be mighty lonely! I threw some grain out for the chicks and he hops right over and starts eating with them. He also uses the pet door for the cats and dog. Yes, he figured that out and comes and goes as he pleases. The surprising part is that I think he's house trained-no rabbit surprises that I can see or smell.

The ChicoBags I won were in the mail today! The red one on the left is an apple stuff pouch to hold the other three. Each of the 3 is designed to hold a different type of produce. One is made of hemp and is for lettuce, grains and green beans. The next one is for squash, broccoli, carrots and celery. The last is for apples, oranges, onions and potatoes.