Cinnamon Honey Butter

I spent the other day mixing up several jars of Cinnamon Honey Butter.  They will be gifted for Christmas.

Excerpts from a Journal Junkie

from the homesteading journal. . .

The goat shed is finally up and ready for winter. It's been painted with primer, but we will now have to wait to paint it after winter.  He's so happy with his new house.


from the handiwork journal . . .

I finished one square baby blanket for the baby due next month (extended family member).  I missed the baby shower when I was sick.

 (rose pink)

I also finished one baby bib.  I just have to sew on the button. 
 

from the family journal . . . 

. . .some kids are in big trouble this morning.  I am crunching something underneath my feet in the kitchen.  I can remember when it used to be legos underneath my bare feet when they were very little kids. Boy those hurt!


from the gratitude journal . . .

Today I am thankful for:

~propane in our tank

~a beautiful sunrise that I was able to view.  In a few minutes after I took the photo, the sky literally turned gray.
~the extra drying racks that my mother gave me.
~slippers to keep my feet warm.
~endless projects to keep my mind busy.
~God's Love.
~the heating pad that is helping my sore ear.
~more cut firewood.
~friends.
~socks.


 

One Warm Dog

I haven't done any "real" sewing for a while.  I found this fleece on sale for $3.99/yard and my daughter approved it.  Not bad for sewing my first dog coat.  Isn't he handsome?  


Next sewing project . . . pot holders.

And Even More ~ Handmade Christmas Ornaments ~ A Tour of Years of Ornament Making

Recycled Christmas Cards with crocheted edges.

 I found these small cowboy hats at a store called Hobby Lobby.  I'm not sure if you can buy them there anymore.  For these I glued tiny red and green plastic gems around the hat, tied on red string. and created a hanger.  

Brrr!

Temperatures got down to 15°F last night.  The sun is shining bright this morning.

Today I am Thankful for:

~a vehicle that would start so my dd could get to work.
~my husband, for driving dd to work.
~no frozen pipes YAY!
~cats who make me laugh at 7am when 2 cars won't start and one has no gas.
~God's forgiveness.
~old photgraphs.
~hugs from my kids.
~good music.
~having my mother's old sewing machine.
~the Internet where I can watch on-line sermons.

Baking Bread ~ Using Homemade Applesauce

Although I have found recipes for applesauce breads using yeast, I needed something quicker yesterday.


I used a Banana-Applesauce Recipe that didn't require any oil, butter, or shortening.  


This turned out nice, and we didn't even make the optional frosting for it.  I love recipes where I can utilize something I already have made homemade, such as my applesauce.

Blessed By Surprise Farmgirl Mail

Thank you Grace!  I am very thankful and grateful for this wonderful Christmas surprise. 

Handmade Ornaments ~ Just a Few More

Made with a wooden honey dipper covered with glue and beads and glitter.  Click on "read more" to see the rest of the post.

More Handmade Ornaments

There are still so many that I have not photographed to share.  Here is one that I posted a "how to" on my S.C.R.A.P. blog:

Cabbage and Carrot Cobbler

 According to my kids, it "sounds nasty" and looks nasty.  However, it tastes pretty good.  I've been looking for healthier meals, and more with vegetables we don't eat enough of.

The photo isn't that great, but it was taken at night.  Our lighting isn't that great in the kitchen.

It's baked with a crust and the vegetables are topped on it.  The recipe did not say to cover the dish, and the onions got crispy and delicious.  The onions are what gives this dish flavor.

Cabbage and Carrot Cobbler
1 cup water
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
2 onions sliced
1 1/4 cup plain White Wave dairyless (see notes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. low-sodium baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup soy or rice milk
2 Tbsp. olive oil


Preheat the oven to 375°F.


Place the water, cabbage, carrots and onion in a large pot.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of the Dairyless, salt and pepper.  Set aside.


Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup of Dairyless, milk and olive oil, and stir just to mix.  The batter will be quite thick.  Spread in a greased 9 x 13 inch backing dish.  Spread the cabbage mixture evently over the top and bake for 35 minutes.


(Source: Eat Right, Live Longer, by Neal D. Barnard)


Notes:  I did not have any plain yogurt (use in place of Dairyless), so I used sour cream.  It worked great.  Also, I used regular milk, but when we have it, I will make this with goat's milk. 

Handmade Christmas Ornaments

I love, love, love to make handmade Christmas tree ornaments.  I've been making them every year for as long as I can remember.  My favorite time of the year to make them, prior to homesteading, was during the summer months.  I'd take my supplies outside and watch the kids play in their small pool.  Now that I garden in the summer, I have to adjust my time. 

These are just a few of my handmade Christmas ornaments, but wanted to share a few.  Each one brings back memories of when and where we lived when I made them.  

Friday Tidbits

I'm busy working on a few handmade Christmas presents, working on an order from my "store" and ................

finally getting back on the treadmill for daily exercise!  Yay!

I added a new moon photo to my flickr page.

We've had some very sunny days after all the rain we got, but rain is in the forecast for Sunday.

The kids left me a note this morning  (on the computer screen):  1. Go to google.   2. Type in "Do a barrel roll"   3.  Wait for it.  


Go ahead and try it.  I did.  It's funny what entertains kids these days.  


The kids are baking and painting salt dough Christmas ornaments. Cheap, easy, and fun entertainment.


I had a chuckle the other day with my youngest daughter.  I said "go get a cleaning apron on and get to cleaning."  She responded, "who wears aprons anymore?"


So, when she got home from school, I not only kept my "cleaning apron" on, but stood outside the front door when her school bus stopped, so not only she could see, but the entire bus of kids. Ha ha ha ha!  It's just an old 1/2 apron I bought at a thrift store, but it works.  And she thought you only wear an apron to cook.


Have a great Friday today!

Excerpts from a Journal Junkie

from the homesteading journal . . .

I taught one of the kids how to mix washing soda and borax to make homemade dishwasher detergent....the goat roof is not done, we need one more sheet of tin roofing .....we got a thin layer of snow last night, and need to restock the porch with firewood....Dad was right about prices sky rocketing.....the local paper already went up $.25/an issue and I saw that redbox movies have increased $.20/a day rental.....thankfully the library still loans out free movies....


from the garden journal . . .

I am already down to the last few jars of home canned tomato sauce.  I used 3 pints to make a stew with leftover turkey and it turned out very good.  

   Tomato Sauce and Leftover Turkey Stew   

In a crock pot, add:

8 potatoes diced

carrots sliced, I didn't count, maybe 5-6?

celery, diced, maybe 5 stalks

2 onions, small/med, diced

1- 1/2 cups frozen corn

1/2 cup or so frozen garden green pepper

3-4 cloves garlic minced 

3 pints of canned seasoned tomato sauce

2- 2 1/2 lbs of leftover turkey (don't add this yet)

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

season, I used basil

(before turkey was added)

Cook on low for 6- 8 hours until potatoes and carrots are tender, just before you eat, toss in cooked turkey until it's heated through.  Enjoy!  This is a thick stew. This was a large pot of stew, perfect for a large family. 

from the family journal . . .

We had our first school delay today.  They delayed school last night due to flooding....I went to school conferences and got a good update....I missed a few meetings due to being sick....including a National Honor Society breakfast....but we are finally getting rid of the sickness here....

from the handicraft journal . . .

I am still working on many projects, but finally bought the velcro I need to finish sewing the dog coat.  Unfortunately, with being sick so long, I am behind on many projects.....

from the gratitude journal . . .

Today I am thankful for:

~the rain that fills our well

~wood in the fireplace

~coupons that I can use

~paper and pencil

~the views from my front porch

~God's Protection

~trees

~farmer's who grow and provide straw and hay

~surprises in the mail

~the wind, for drying my laundry outside

     

 

Applesauce Cake with Molasses ~ Deer Hunding Update

I went searching for a cake using my homemade applesauce, and one that also used molasses.  

 I doubled this Spiced Applesauce Cake Recipe, and baked it in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  The family loved it.  It's a very dense cake and can be eaten with hands too (kid tested).  It could use a layer of frosting for a tea party or coffee gathering, and is perfect for packing in school lunches.

View From my Front Porch

Teabag Tidbits ~ Thankgsgiving Vacation is Over

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."

Thanksgiving vacation is over.  The kids are heading back to school this morning.  Yesterday, I got up to make sure my oldest daughter was out the door in time for her 7:00am shift at work.

 

When I met up with her in the living room, I was told "Mom!  Quit being a Mom and making sure I'm up!"

 

However, today I stayed snuggled in bed with one of the dogs, keeping warm.  I didn't hear any commotion out in the kitchen and thought it was odd.

 

My husband had been up and out the door at 4:00am for deer hunting (maybe next year it will be the both of us), and I had fallen back asleep.

 

It was nearing 7:00am, and all the lights were still out.  I remembered yesterday's "Mom!" moment, so I decided to take my time and brew a pot of coffee.  It's a bit chilly in the house, as we did not use the wood burner during the night.

 

Even after starting the coffee pot, not one of the kids stirred.  Finally, I pulled a light string and mentioned the bus would be here in a half hour.  All the sudden, three girls were scrambling to get dressed.

 

I guess they still need Mom as a back up alarm clock after all.

Homemade Crockpot Applesauce

I had two bags of orchard apples that needed to be dealt with.  The intended purpose for them, was to make two apple pies for the Thanksgiving meal.  It didn't happen.

I peeled and cut

Thrift Store Find ~ Getting Back in the Groove

I don't shop for Black Friday sales, and I felt good enough to get some organizing, sewing, crocheting, and cleaning done yesterday.  I took a few of the kids to a local thrift store, and came home with a record storage cabinet.  It's perfect for properly storing my albums and 45's.  They were in a cardboard box previously, that tore apart.

Now, they are off the floor, into proper storage, and easily accessible for some afternoon or evening entertainment.

I also came home with a $.50 cookbook that contains egg recipes.  Next summer, when I don't feel like making home made noodles or angel food cakes, I have an old recipe book to give me more ideas.

I brought home a gently used pair of snow pants for another one of the girls, for only $5.00 also.  Pretty soon, that snow will be here, and the stores will have switched to selling bathing suits (ha ha ha!).

I dug out the dog coat pattern yesterday too.  It's the first time sewing with a pattern in a very, very long time.  I think the last time I did real sewing like this was waaaaaaaaaaay back in the day during 4-H.  If I can find a good on-line tutorial for sewing double fold bias tape, and get to the craft store for velcro tape, I'll have one of our dogs sporting his new winter coat soon.  


I had to laugh yesterday, as I always predict this time of year for a hoard of birds to visit us.

Can you see all those birds on that tree?  A past home owner planted this ornamental apple tree.  Every fall the black birds and other birds fly in to eat up all the tiny ornamental apples.  The apples almost look like cherries.  Anyway, this is where it gets tough to dry laundry outside.  They fly over the house and over my clotheslines.  Jasper, one of the house cats, sits in this window doing some serious bird watching.


Today's agenda is to get roofing on the goat shed and more inside cleaning completed.  I let my writing go for 2-3 days now, and will need to double up on time for that too.

Family Funny

"I liked you better when you were sick," said my husband to me today, exasperated at my attempt make up for lost cleaning time.

"What?!"

"Your zipping around cleaning and talking non-stop today," he added. 

That is the truth.  I am up and feeling better today, and we are attempting to de-bug the bugs from this house.  We need to clean chicken coops, pick up straw, hay, and more vinegar for cleaning.

The sun is shining so my clotheslines are working overtime with bedding, clothes and linens.  The wind is perfect for drying them today.

My chickens are out and about, pecking and scratching and enjoying the sun too.

I may even bake a potato dish to go with our leftover turkey.  The Christmas music is playing again today.

We may even dig out some Christmas decorations later and hang some up too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yesterday, even though it wasn't the Thanksgiving Holiday,  held a lot of things to be thankful for.

 The sun was out and I put laundry on the line to dry.  The wind was perfect for it.

The kids groan when I put on Christmas music this early, but I love it.  I even dug through my sock drawer and pulled out a fun pair of Christmas socks.  I don't have many, but love to put them on.  They kind of set the mood for the day.

Yesterday I had three of four writing partners.  They are taking advantage of me resting more often than not.  They won't know what to do in a few days, when I hope to be up at the crack of dawn, making up for lost time around here.

I may have to switch gears and go with a different baby blanket.  While I was sick, I missed a baby shower, for a family member who is due in January.  I may have to drop this project and work up a simple blanket instead.  Who knows, God works miracles every day.

We have gained ground on the goat shed and Orion loves his new house.  Even without the roof on it yet.  My 15 year- old daughter has also been painting primer on the sides when the weather was good enough. 


As for home remedy updates:  the heating pad has helped drain a very small amount of ear fluid (I still can't hear), and I may go ahead and heat up garlic today for homemade garlic drops.  Two more kids are back to feeling sick again, and I continue to mix a cup of water/organic apple cider vinegar/raw honey.  I still plan to buy some elderberry concentrate and try that as well as "Cold Calm" that was also suggested.  I am also trying a dose of turmeric for boosting my immune system.  It's all I had on hand.

Thankgsgiving Thankfulness:

Today I am thankful for (and in no particular order)

~a turkey in the roaster
~coffee and water
~God's Mercy
~my camera and the ability to photograph 
~my family
~indoor plumbing
~nail polish (a secret pick me up when I am down)
~our farm
~books
~my Bible
~my cozy bathrobe
~our pets who comfort us, make us laugh, and warm us
~(he he he!) the cd player that's in my kitchen and will soon be blasting Christmas music to wake up the kids.

Cider Vinegar Candy

I can't keep the kids out of this small batch of old-fashioned candy!  It's actually very good.  Here's the recipe:

Cider Vinegar Candy

Butter a Jelly roll pan or sided baking sheet.  Set aside on top of a hot pad.

Putting the Breaks on the "Plague"

We are so tired of the "plague" returning, we are hoping we are approaching the end of it soon.

As soon as one gets a bit better, they go right back to being sick again, and worse.  So frustrating.

However, I am spending my non-sleeping moments to catch up on writing (nothing to thought provoking), reading and e-mail.  I am also becoming quite the "list maker."

Our first lists consists of all the trials and successes we had with home remedies, the second list is a list of items to buy for the winter (going to try Cold Calm, and Elderberry concentrate), the third is a list for Christmas, and the fourth is a list of ideas for a blog giveaway.  

I do feel like the quinea pig of all home remedies right now, but I really want to know what will work, so we are continuing.  I really like the sage tea I made, and will be growing more of that next summer.  I found that breathing in steam a few times a day (over a pot of hot water with either Vicks or honey in it), helps drain fluid from my ear (however it's still plugged as of today).  I also found that rest is the absolute most important of all.  If my 9 year-old or I get up and do physical movement, we later feel more sick than when we woke up.  

To keep myself from doing to much "work" around here, I started making more yo-yo's from Christmas fabric I have on hand.

As you can see, I have one finished yo-yo in my jar - ha ha!  Well, it's a start anyway.

I also added two new posts to my S.C.R.A.P. blog.  Be sure to check that for fun ideas too.

Following the Moon

I just have had some interesting views of the moon recently.  While taking one of the dogs out, I snapped these shots this morning.

 These were taken about 9:28am today.  Here is another shot I took on 11-11-2011.

 

An Almost Repaired Stove Door ~ Frugal Healing

We have now located a glass business that will cut a ceramic type glass for our stove door.  We have been given an estimate of about $100.00.  That's almost cutting our cost in half.  At first we thought we needed tempered glass, but we have been told we need a ceramic glass.  We hope to have it repaired by Friday.  The temperatures here will be down to 27°F this Thursday.  That's pretty cold here.

Although we are trying to heal our family, we struggle along with the rest of the world, in the cost of medication and medical treatment.  Although the doctors typically want to give you an antibiotic that they feel will work, I have been asking each time, for the free ones that our pharmacy will provide.  All but 2 of us have infections of some kind (sinus/bronchitis), and we need to stop if from spreading.

Today, I took yet another daughter to the doctor.  As for me, they gave me a shot, a breathing treatment, and sent me home with two more antibiotics.  If I am not better in two days, I will be sent for a chest x-ray.

The lesson I learned in this, is to never put myself last.  I should have taken the time to double check with a doctor before it got so bad.  I have a tendency to assume that I "don't get sick."  I have gotten the kids to the doctor before their lungs were in need of more medical care.  

The sad part is, is that so many people in our area, especially at the schools, have the same symptoms.  Too many of them are ignoring it and not getting medical attention, thus the spreading of the germs continue.  


I hope to feel good in a few days.  I hate being sick.

Goats, Chickens, and More

The goat shed is finally getting more work, however they ran out of materials yesterday.  

Other than the actual part for the wood stove door ($180.00), we located a glass business, about an hour away, who can cut us the glass for $140.00.  We are calling another business today that was closed all weekend.  It's hard to believe that 12 in. x 15 in. piece of tempered glass can cost so much.

Two weekends ago, our hen that was egg bound died.  We did bring her inside, and did whatever we could, but she could not pass her egg.  Over this past weekend, the roosters got into a fight.  We had no idea, until the kids went outside to put them in for the night.  They have never bothered each other until now.  For a short story on that visit my 15 year-old's blog:  Life as a Teen Farmgirl.

It's too early to call my doctor today, but now I will be calling two doctors.  My 9 year-old is home sick with the same cough I have and she is wheezing.  I myself, have not stopped coughing.  I would not wish this on anyone.
 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Bad:  The glass in our wood stove door was broken last night.

The Good:  We found glass replacement parts.

The Ugly:  The cost is about $180.00 to replace it.  If we don't, we have no choice but to use our floor electric heaters (will run the electric bill $600-900.00/month to run).  We will have to cut back on food, skip Thanksgiving meal and replace the glass in the wood stove.  I am currently searching for local glass businesses as well.  Hopefully, I can cut our cost in half or less.