A new page, A new possibility

To take over the goats or not to. 

That is the possibility over the next 2 years.  Daughter is talking about moving out after she graduates (and go off to college) and won't be able to take the goats with her.  If she leaves them, I would have to take over all duties that she took care of. Which is everything - all goat care, milking, and soap making.  I was simply the goat milker back-up.  And of course, watered them during the school year when needed.

This is only a "possibility" as I have a very large garden to plant, weed, harvest and stock up with.  Not to mention chicken duties, splitting wood and so forth.   And then there is possible employment outside of the home, and my freelance work inside the home.  And "Big Boy" is another element to the decision.  I'm not sure if I can handle his smell and attend his care.  And lastly, there is the issue of never leaving to travel anywhere, and being tied down to the homestead.

But, then again, we have somewhat of a goat history in the family.  Here is my mother with her goat Buttsey and cat named Dusty. 

Saying it's just a possibility, makes it easier to simply let sit for a while. 

"I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities."

~Whoopi Goldberg

 

 

Cleaning Out, Using Up, Something New

You might find this funny.  After revealing to the world I had a hoarded pile of recipes to try, my Mom sends me a Healthy Cooking magazine.  On top, she wrote "Let me know if you find any great recipes.  So many sound awesome!"  Ha!  More recipes.  Ugh.

My Name is Prim and I am an Ornery Goat

I jump the stall and help myself to hay, and jump back in.  I jump the stall and visit the chickens and jump back in.  I jump the stall, and when someone comes out to open the barn, I simply take a stroll around the homestead.  Even though it's winter, I can find roses that need trimmed, that were sticking out of the snow.  Tasty!

Psssst!  Prim doesn't know it yet, but she's starting to get bigger, and having more trouble jumping over the stall.

Winter Camping?

My oldest brother sent me this.  Camping in winter?  He asked "Who's in?"

I would try it.  As long as it wasn't -38°F wind chill.  We could have all kinds of fun - cook over the fire, sip hot chocolate, build a snowman, and hike.   We could ice fish!  Ha!

Speaking of snow and winter,  we got more of it last night.  School is closed today.  It's a wet snow, and it rained during the snowfall. 

I'm starting to feel better, and spent the entire day yesterday reading writer magazines that have piled up.  It was fun to just sit and read, and sip hot tea.  I actually did some writing too.

Head's up on the eucalyptus oil - it can reduce the effects of many medications because it detoxifies.  Once I stopped steaming, my medications worked much better.  Duh moment, and a learning experience.  Once I am healed, I will steam for preventative reasons.  However, the 3 times I did steam, really did help my sinuses. 

Weekend Update ~ Wood Splitting

(Jesse trying to nap in front of the wood stove)

We had a long weekend - baby shower, birthday party.  Today it's dentist appointments, and wood splitting.  Although I opted out of the birthday party (had a fever of 101.1), I should have rested the entire weekend.  Some things, such as wood splitting, have to be done regardless.

 (15 year-old Mattie warming up in front of the wood stove)

Hubby took the day off to split wood, as he knew I was not up to it.  With some luck, and through talking to others, we located free wood and just have to split it.  

Starting 5pm-ish today, we are to get about 3-5 inches of snow, then blowing and breezy.  So, getting the wood split before then is kind of important.
 

Coffee Pot Collection and Tidbits

(sharing photos of my coffee pot collection, and we use some on camping trips)

Hamburger-Potato Crock Pot Dinner

First, the night before. . .
 

make a batch (best, or make ahead and freeze), of homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup.

Button Switchplates ~ Quinoa Burrito Bowls ~ Walnut Shells Going Camping

Man, I just can't win for losing.  My doctor now has me on another prescription.  This frustrates me.  Although I am enjoying the time resting, I am getting that itch to get things done, and tired of getting tired in a short time when I am up.  Hopefully this one will do the magic I need.  I did clean out 3 complete binders yesterday.  I know, what was I thinking?  I am a pattern hoarder no more.  Phew.

Here is one magazine page that did not make the "cut" when cleaning.  It's cute, but I could see this being a dust collector and difficult to clean if I made them.  It came from a 2000 issue of Woman's Day magazine.

My Name is Mom, and I am also a Pattern Hoarder ~ Vintage Rag Doll Pattern

I'm so rested up, that you get two blog posts today.  However, that doesn't mean I will leave my cozy jammies just yet.  I am thankful that we have leftover Kale and Bean soup to warm up with today too.  Hot tea has done wonders too. 

So, grab a cup of hot coffee or tea, and sit a spell.  This one is longer than the last.

I'll spare you the photos of the pile of plastic page covers I have now restocked into the school supplies.  While up from my very long nap yesterday (which felt great by the way), I pulled many of my binders and started cleaning them out.

I would have passed those patterns and craft instructions on to someone, but my kids voted they were "old" and needed to go.  

Cupcake

This is the story of how my 14 year-old daughter just got the nickname of "Cupcake."

After homecoming last weekend, she opted to go home with a friend and stay the night (so she could shower too).  We, at the time had no hot water.  The dance ended at midnight.

The next day, Hubby was to pick her up around 4pm.  He was not home by then, and called me.

Clothesline Shoveled

Although I am still coughing a bit, I donned my winter coat and boots, and finally shoveled out the clothesline.  As most folks driving by will turn their head, I had a nice time getting fresh air, listening to the birds sing, and enjoying the sunshine.  However, I probably should have stayed inside.

Dehydrating Ginger ~ Making Homemade Ground Ginger

Of course, organic ginger root is best, however we rarely find it in our grocery stores.  We typically find it at a nature store about 2 1/2 hours from here.  Why don't they have more of those stores everywhere?  We really could use one here.

Homemade Lemon Extract ~ Gratitude

We love lemon here.  We can't grow them, but we can buy them organic, and thus we made lemon extract. This will be ready to use about March 28th (I'm waiting at least 8 weeks to try this first batch). 

My Name is Mom, and I am a Recipe Hoarder

I wish I had a photo of last night's dinner.  Remember when I said I was increasing our salmon and greens?  Well last night I dug out two recipes from the pile.

Finished! ~ Randomness ~ Weather Woes

A few sunflower cup/mug coasters.  Small accomplishment, but finished.  I just may have to make more later if I have time.  Still crocheting the Bavarian stitch baby blanket and knitted dishcloths (depending on my mood).

Snowed In (again)

As you can see, the weather forecast was correct.  This is the "U" in our horseshoe drive.  The rest is drifted over too - some 3 feet high.

I was greeted with a 1 foot drift smack dab in front of one door too.  You can see where the dogs went out.  Jesse wasn't too happy about that.

Thinking Christmas 2014 in February? ~ Hot Ginger Tea

Don't throw tomatoes at me just yet. Ha ha!  I found this wonderful book at our library.  It's full of edible gift ideas (many that are brilliant ideas for handmade/homemade Christmas gifts), and there are a few that I plan to try early this year.  Just sharing in case you are looking for new ideas.

Mom's (Make Ahead) Dried Beef Casserole ~ Only Healthier

Today I am sharing a family recipe that came from my Mom.  Only this time, I made it using homemade cream of mushroom soup.  

Homestead Tidbits ~ Baby Booties

Saturday it rained heavily the entire day.  It was a very gloomy, get-in-your-jammies-early day.  We still made a trip to the gym for a must needed workout.  According to my fitbit (tracks my steps etc) I am short about 3,000 steps per day this winter.  Yikes!

Back to the weather. . . .

Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

On a whim, I decided to find a recipe for making my own condensed cream of mushroom soup.  There are many recipes I do not make anymore, simply because I don't want to feed my family those canned foods.

Simple Solar Oven ~ It's a Heat Wave! ~ Sunflower Hot Pads

(the building of her oven)

Our 12 year-old is participating in a second science fair (in two years).  

This time, she chose to make a model (they have to pick specific categories, and they cannot repeat the same category from the previous science fair).  Her model?  A solar cooker.  Okay, I admit, her choice made me smile.  I can dig a solar oven. 

Old Commerical Songs

School closed today.  I am pretty sure they will be going tomorrow. We are to get a high of 15°F today and at around 6:00am tomorrow it will only be a low of -4°F.  Timmy, our barn cat did come to the door last night.  Thankfully he's okay.  He must have found a good place to hunker down for the night, and stay warm.
 
I'm showing my age with my kids this week.  For some reason I was singing the (1973) old Oscar Mayer song, which led me to the Tic Tac song (from 1974), which got us talking about how much our meal choices have changed.

Teabag Tidbits ~ Temps and Snow ~ No "Pretend" Food

Is your tea talking to you today?

Looks can be deceiving.   This morning we have a wind chill of -27°F and an actual temperature of -8°F.  One barn cat is still out there in the elements, and had not made an appearance.  We are hoping he's okay.  Just looking out the window this morning, it looks nice can cozy. Don't forget to click one "read more". . . .

Sorghum Candy ~ Yet Another Arctic Blast

I had some extra dark chocolate melting wafers leftover from the holidays.  And with the snowy weather, and slippery roads we are getting, I decided to stay inside. 

I decided to make these delicious candy pieces that are made with sorghum. Sorghum, if you haven't heard of it, is sometimes called "poor man's sugar." 

Movie Madness and Snowed In ~ Propane Shortage?

Hubby and I borrowed several movies from the library, and recently watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  It was different, but we really did enjoy it.  There are advantages of being snowed in.  Ha ha!  I know this is not homesteading related, but stay with me here......

Bavarian Crochet ~ Deep Freeze Day 5 ~ Turkey Chili ~ Goats and Chickens

I can't let January pass by without learning something new.  I didn't even plan it either.  I had just been flipping through a huge pile of borrowed library books, and opened this one.

Day 4 - Brrr! Wanna Join our Pity Party?

Freezing temperatures again today - a cool -23°F wind chill.  And no we do not have any water in front part of the house - meaning no laundry, no washing dishes and one toilet not flushing (putting water in manually).  

No Hot Water ~ Day 3

The heater we borrowed is not working.  We do have cold water in my utility room sink, so I can water the chickens and goats and so forth.  However, no hot water.  No cold (or hot) water at all to the washing machine.

Last night we heated water on the stove for washing dishes and washing up.

....just like camping.

 

Baby Bath Cloths ~ Elixir ~ No Hot Water

There are 3 crochet patterns for baby bath cloths in the book 150 Weekend Crochet Projects, by White Birches. I used one of the patterns for these two.  I think I'll include a bar of unscented handmade goat's milk soap too.

Hubby's fever broke last night.  I did drain off a jar of elderberry elixir for him too.  Today, the doctor diagnosed him with walking pneumonia.  Hubby said that particular sickness has been getting passed around at work.  Now, he wants to start growing our own elderberries.  In other words, the elixir works pretty well.

Today is day 2 without hot water.   Thanks to family and friends, some of us got (or are getting) hot showers elsewhere today (I left Mom a bar of goat's milk soap in thanks for the hot shower).  Yep...pipes froze again.  We are borrowing a salamander heater, in hopes to thaw us out.  Say a prayer.  The dishes are piled high, and if we can't thaw out, we'll be heating lots of pots of water.  Besides, Hubby could use a hot steamy bath for his recovery too.

Now that the baby gifts are finished I can dive into my closet and pull out all of those started-but-never-finished projects.  Some may not get finished.  Decisions, decisions.  Then again, I may just crochet a set of baby booties first.

Sunset ~ Sick Hubby ~ Another Cold Blast

Sharing a sunset photo from Sunday evening.  Just a few minutes after taking the photos, the beautiful pinks completely disappeared.

Thankfully, I have some loose leaf elderflower tea on hand.  Hubby is home sick. You know when men get sick (at least mine), they turn into blabbering babies.  I may even drain off one of my jars of elixir early (if the tea doesn't help).  

Teabag Tidbits

I had an upset stomach, and was searching for a peppermint teabag, and got this one.  My youngest daughter said I should share this.  It's pretty funny.  It's comical.  It's entertaining.  At least to me it was.  

I lost my . . . .

I have lost my blogging mojo.  

In fact, I've lost my writing mojo altogether.  

When I find it, I'll be back.

More Cookin' from Storage

I pulled a bag of frozen blueberries yesterday, and baked the family a buttermilk-blueberry coffee cake.  Yum.  To top it off, I surprised them with a 4 lb. meatloaf (Hubby's favorite, and I don't make it that often) that was made with organic beef, and veggies.  I also made garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans.  I really miss my own potatoes.  I bought a bag (they now sell organic potatoes here), and about 3-4 of them were rotten only two days after buying them.   

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffeecake Recipe:
 I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the topping.
 

From the Handiwork Journal . . .

Crocheted this fun, yet fancy, dishcloth.   I may make more over the winter yet.  This one is going in my kitchen.  It's made with #5 cotton thread.  My first time using that thickness.

No Schedule ~ Hubby Funny

The sunrise was beautiful for the kid's first day back to school.  Gorgeous pinks and blues everywhere.  

Yesterday was an easy dinner.  I simply cooked up pinto beans with onions, then mashed them.  We enjoyed bean burritos with all the toppings.  Some ate it in a bowl, taco salad style.  I do try to serve some sort of bean once a week, and now I am on the hunt for salmon recipes that my kids will eat.  We need more fish in our diet. 

Cooking from Home Storage ~ Homestead Tidbits

Remember all of this from last year?  Well, it's slowly dwindling.  However, the pepper mustard sauce (the yellow quart jars in the photo) will be a "keeper" recipe.  I canned the 4 jars using 36 hot banana peppers, and it's been wonderful.   How do I use it?  

Mixing Up Elixir

Over the years I have purchased elderberry syrup from organic health stores.  This year, however, is my first year to make my own elixir.   While doing more research, I have discovered that the "elixir" works better, as it is not heated like the syrup is.  Thankfully, the mail was delivered yesterday, and my elderberries arrived.

Winter Activities

I better start this post with a little gratitude.

Is the Thaw Near?

And this folks, is how to prepare dinner when you can't use water (or your kitchen sinks) in you kitchen.  You put one of your grandmother's card tables in your utility room, and use the running water in you utility sink. Ha ha ha!

See that gray hose that goes into the sink?  That's because the drain to the washer is froze and I have to drain it into the sink.  Both the kitchen and the kitchen bathroom continue to have frozen drains, and no water at all in the kitchen bathroom shower.  The toilet won't flush until we hand fill the tank.

Getting By and Making Do

I finally broke out a new journal.  I thought I better jot down what's been going on here, with our record breaking temperatures.  I have been watching the news every night, in hopes to see that we are out of the worst now.

My daughter's work stayed open in a level 3, and she could have not only gotten in an accident, but gotten fined or jail time (here a level 3, by law, states you cannot be out driving).  Why do "non" essential businesses require employees to show up in dangerous weather?  Money?  

Record Low Temps ~ Dehydrating Garlic

Last night, we hit an all time record low.  When Hubby called me from work about 7pm, it was already -17°F (actual temperature), with a wind chill of lower than -35°F.  The dogs are not taking the cold well at all.  My son said their legs start shaking after a few minutes outside to do their business.  Some times they won't even go, and he'll have to go out again.   It's too early to tell how the barn animals handled it.  As soon as the sun is up, we plan to do a quick check on them all.

Homemade Cough Syrup

(the beautiful snowflake kitchen towel was part of a Christmas gift from my Mom)

Here we go again.  Cough, cold, and flu season.  However, I used my youngest daughter's technique with Google ("no time to shop" but it's really no way to get out of the driveway,  and the fact I need to make it with what I have on hand and stay warm inside), and came up with a cough syrup recipe.  We got dumped with snow, and today by afternoon the temps will be that glorious -20° to -40F.  Even banks closed today.  So.... 
(don't forget to click on "read more")

Winston ~ Blizzard of '78

On the 26th of December, the plan was to drive Winston to a humane society about 1 hour from here.  They said they would take any animal, from any county, and not charge a thing.   Perfect, right?  Well, he didn't go there.  He's still here.  Sigh....

He has been quite the entertainment here lately.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  There are still cat fights, and growling, and cornering him by the other two boys here (in fact, I hear growling right now). They've had a few pee wars too (most likely why his last owner dumped him, and I will spare you my thoughts on dumped animals, but you probably already know them by now).

Day 2 - No Hot Showers

I let Jesse out to do his "business" early this morning, and there was one single star visible in the sky.  Kind of a cool sight, so I took a picture.  A benefit if living in the country - I can stand outside in my pajamas, robe and slippers, and my neighbors cannot look out their window and gawk at me in shock and horror.  They'd most likely think I was a creeper with my camera at that hour too, ha ha!

Frozen Pipes

Today, despite our best efforts, the hot water pipes are frozen.  It's 3°F with a wind chill of -20°F right now.

Yesterday was a challenge to say the least - frozen chicken water, a 2 foot drift inside the animal barn, drifts all over the drive, freezing kitchen and front room, etc.  "Big Boy" (Orion, the buck) got another bale of straw to keep him warm.  We need to somehow insulate his house for next winter.

Snow Storm and Frigid Temps

I'm not sure how much snow we got last night, but they predicted up to 5 inches.  As you can see, it's extremely windy, and more snow is predicted.  Drifting will be a huge problem out here.

I can't complain about the -1°F wind chill, considering the temps that Minnesota is fighting right now.

A Planner with Pizazz ~ New Year's First Day Tidbits

When my 17 year-old had asked me, "do we have to do anything today?" 

I responded with "eat, drink, and be merry!"

I got my crafting mojo flowing yesterday, and created a fun planner for 2014.  Thanks to Patty, at Lemon Lane Cottage, I dug out my scraps, decoupage and glue, and put some pizazz into a plain covered planner.  I'll admit, it felt good to craft without a plan, and without a deadline.  

Read more by clicking on "read more" below....