Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood

Drawing a Line in the Snow

2012-01-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Recently, a friend called our weather here bipolar. I think that is a pretty accurate description of the typical West Virginia winter, at least since we've been here. Last week the high temperatures didn't break the freezing mark. Today was in the 50's.

Personally, I love it!

The temperatures started creeping upward yesterday. In the winter, the sun crosses the sky behind our house casting a wide shadow across our front yard. It leaves the yard closest to the driveway melted and the the front porch and yard covered in snow. Just a bipolar yard to go with our bipolar weather.

Since You Asked - Cube Steak

2012-01-12T08:09:00.001-05:00

If you are eating the meat you've raised, or even if you are committed to eating locally raised meat, you will probably find yourself learning to cook cuts of meat that you were not previously familiar with.

When a whole cow is butchered, there is a lot more meat than rib-eyes, chuck roasts, and hamburger. As our beef harvest from last summer's steers dwindles, the choices become limited. A customer recently ordered cube steak, and upon picking it up asked, "How do you cook your cube steak?" As with most meats, my standard answer was, "In the crock pot."

The crock pot and I are good friends. I can throw a piece of meat in (often still frozen,) and add some spice, and maybe a little liquid, forget about it for the day, and have a delicious, tender dinner ready to go. Perfect for days when we are running around. Perfect for days when we are home trying to complete school, farm projects, and housework.

My go to for cube steak is to layer it in the crock pot with onions and tomato sauce. On low for about six hours does the trick. We serve it over rice. Two things I've learned; one, these do not cook well from frozen, and two, don't cook longer than 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low.

One night, I found myself with a little extra time for cooking. (I really do enjoy cooking, but the crock pot has become my main method as a matter of convenience.) I decided I wanted to try my hand at Country Fried Steak. In my normal manner I browsed several recipes, came up with my own based on what is in my cupboard and our tastes, and failed to write down the ingredients so that I could recreate it in the future.

It is pretty simple though. Dip the steaks in egg wash, dredge them in seasoned flour, fry them in fat (I used lard,) and top with milk gravy. Country Fried Steak on Allrecipes gives you the steps. We like our food well seasoned. So, I did add additional spice; garlic powder and paprika if memory serves. It was a hit!

My mom reports that her favorite way to prepare them is to bake them in the oven with cream of mushroom soup. How do you like your cube steak?

Spoiled Rotten

2012-01-09T19:24:00.002-05:00

They may say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That may be true, but the way to this woman's heart is for the man to take over the cooking duties every now and then.

How spoiled am I to have a man that comes home from work, sees that I'm a bit frazzled and stressed, and throws an apron on right over his office clothes? And while doing so says, "Here, I'll finish up dinner. You go take care of the other things you need to."

Yes, yes, indeed, I love this man.

Not Unless it is His Idea

2012-01-04T13:06:00.002-05:00

Nolan stuck in a clothes basket.

Nolan is my sweet, lovable, seven year old boy that makes us all want to pull our hair out. It is hard to believe that all that sweet goodness can co-exist with all that drama and orneriness inside that one little body.

Nolan is simply flying through his school work. I need to challenge him more, but he is pretty content to breeze through. (A subject for another time perhaps.) This week, I've been using his down time for reading (of his choice.) Today he had about 30 minutes before lunch, and I said, "I would like you to read until lunch please."

You would have thought I asked him to clean out the chicken house or something. According to his reaction, accomplishing the task before him was torture . You'd never know that this is a kids who really does enjoy reading. His comment to me, "I already read well enough. Why do I have to read now?"

After a few minutes of his protests, I, trying to avoid the battle (and the drama,) asked, "What would you like to do until lunch?" His response, "I think I'll find a book."

And at this point in the story I smile nicely and say, "Ok honey," and pound my head on the desk as soon as he turns around.

He read a book about dinosaurs until I called him for lunch.

The First Snow of the Year

2012-01-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

The first real snow of the year has arrived. If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that the first snow is not a cause for celebration to me.

I whined and cried yesterday when the snow began. I whined and cried a little more this morning before I went outside to do chores.

The children, much to their credit, have a much better attitude. Some of the children embrace the snow more than others.

The animals are tolerant of the weather. They seem to patiently take the weather as it comes. Maybe I need to take a lesson from them.

Truth be told, I really do not mind the snow. In fact, I kind of enjoy going out with the kids to play in the snow. The cold doesn't even bother me. It is all the hassle that goes along with the cold and the snow that makes me want to curl up in a ball until April. It is the thawing of water buckets. The coming of baby animals during a freeze. The worry of frozen pipes. The search for boots, hats, and gloves for four children, and the even bigger dilemma of where to put all those snow covered things in a space entirely too small for all our gear and our laundry. And ever since I almost took the kids over the hill in the van, it is the driving. Any snow on the roads while I'm driving makes my heart race.

So the snow has finally come, and try as I might, I can't embrace it. The negatives simply outweigh the positives. Instead I am bracing myself, adopting a stoic attitude toward the season, and patiently waiting for the next thaw.

Seveteen Years

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Tim,

I am pretty sure everyone thought we were crazy. I know we didn't have a clue what we were getting into. Who could have imagined the blessings that would come, or the tragedies we would experience through the last seventeen years? And who on earth could know how fast seventeen years could fly by?

There have been so many wonderful times. There have been some terribly hard ones too. It hasn't always been easy. It hasn't always been fun, but I couldn't imagine tackling this adventure we call life without you.

Thank you for seventeen years of fun, excitement, love and support. And to think we, have barely started the journey! I love you!

Happy Anniversary.

Mmmm Steak Done Right

2011-12-29T08:45:00.001-05:00

photo credit: Dusty Hurley

Recently, I had a friend and customer ask me how I cook our steaks. She and her husband love a good steak out, but have been unable to create a result they are happy with at home. They have good meat, but need to learn how to cook the steaks right.

I gave her my quick and easy version of steak grilling 101. Pre-heat the grill until it is good and hot. Season the steak lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the grill to medium-high and grill away. I explained the thumb test for checking when the meat is done. Don't know that one? It is explained pretty well here. Then I emphasized that you have to let the meat rest before digging in.

Now, I have always been pretty pleased with my steak grilling results, but her question got me thinking, "Is there an even better way?" Cooking farm raised beef is a little different than cooking feed lot beef. So off to Google I went in search of an even better way to grill our fabulous steaks.

I found this, How to Cook the Perfect, Tender Grassfed Steak. She provides a lot of interesting tips and information, but the main difference in her grilling method is that after searing, the meat is cooked away from the flame. Interesting, and a great excuse to pull some rib eyes out of the freezer for the test kitchen.

It was just Tim and I last night, another great excuse to eat steak. I made a little steak seasoning, roughly based on Rick's Steak Seasoning. I lit the grill, and proceeded according to the method shared in the link above.

The results were fantastic. What you'd like to see a picture? Sorry, Tim and I devoured those rib eyes before I even thought that I might want a picture. Thus you get a picture of the steak (and then some) while it was still out on the pasture.

So glad my friend asked the question. So glad I went searching for a better answer. So glad we have more steaks in the freezer.

Let the Festivities Begin

2011-12-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

I went into this holiday season feeling completely exhausted. It has been a long hard year and a half. The thought of Christmas, and the tasks surrounding the celebration felt like more of a burden than a joy to me just a few days ago.

Everything was late this holiday season. I started shopping late. Our tree went up very late. My mailed gifts still aren't mailed. (Dear recipients, please consider them post holiday blah breakers when they do arrive.) I was feeling quite buried and emotionally drained.

Then Thursday, a mere three days before Christmas, an unexpected breeze of Christmas joy found me. I was putting together cookie trays and treat bags to give away, and it felt good. I felt peace and joy. I remembered Christmas isn't about a tremendous to do list. It isn't about all the family traditions we try to keep, or the expectations we set for the holidays.

It is about the miracle of the gift we've been given in Christ. It is about time with family, and the joy of giving to others. And in this house it is about good eating. (Just keeping it real.)

The whole family is home today. We've had a relaxed day. Farm chores have been completed. I spent some time just watching the animals which is something I thoroughly enjoy, but rarely take the time to do. My little helpers and I have been enjoying the day in the kitchen preparing the feast.

The appetizers are laid out for snacking. Kellen just finished the sushi. Tim and Nolan are finishing up some chores outside.

The sauce is simmering. The meatballs are ready. We may or may not have made enough meatballs for an army. The cheesecake is chilling.

Soon Tim will be in, and we will spend a quiet evening together eating, reading the Christmas story, singing, and likely opening our gifts. We are breaking tradition this year. We are doing things a little different, but fully remembering and enjoying what the season really is all about. We wish the same for you.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Babies

2011-12-21T10:14:00.002-05:00

Look what Tim found, or more accurately I should say heard, when he left for work this morning! At first we thought we had triplets, which would be a first for us. We realized that they were in fact, not triplets, but that our only two remaining goats, who are mother and daughter, gave birth on the same night. What are the odds?

There are two boys, on the right, and one girl pictured on the left. The dark one is simply adorable!

So much cuter than any baby pig. Kellen and I have an ongoing discussion about who reigns as the cutest baby animals on the farm.

Sure they are cute, but goat kids rule! I will concede one thing though, baby goats are much louder than baby pigs.

Much to my surprise, Lydia named them right away. They are (from right to left) Brownie, Henry, and Tanla. Guess animals are more fun to name when they are little and cute.

Now, these little cuties have quite distracted me from my substantial to do list this morning, but I am not complaining. Thanks Lucy and Marble for my early Christmas present.

Retro

2011-12-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

The kids' chocolate covered pretzels remind me of the '80's. Really there are pretzels under all that splatter. Now if chocolate just came in Day Glo colors.

He is a Little Fruity.

2011-12-19T16:05:00.003-05:00

I sent Nolan to the freezer to looking for coating chocolate while I was cleaning up some dishes. With my back turned to him, I heard him ooohing and aaaahhhhing, so I assumed he had found the chocolate. When I turned around he had a huge grin on his face. The bag he was holding however, was not full of chocolate.

The exciting find was a bag of frozen blueberries. He had stopped looking for the chocolate and was begging me to eat the blueberries. This is the most fruit eating kid I've ever known.

Our Early Christmas Present

2011-12-14T08:27:00.001-05:00

There are so many things to love about homeschooling. One definite advantage is you can go places during the week when the rest of the world is in school, often at a significant discount. We took advantage of one such offer last week at Great Wolf Lodge.

I've looked at visiting there before, but the rates were a little beyond my comfort level. But then they had Homeschool Week the first week of December. The discount was significant, and we were able to get a room for all six of us and two days of entertainment for a little more than the normal cost of a hotel room. Merry early Christmas kids. We are headed to the water park.

We were duly impressed with the lobby, not to mention the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff who cheerfully fixed a date mix up on my part, but the water park blew us away.

There was so much to do, plenty to keep the big kids and the little kids happy while wearing the parents out. Everything was clean, and the staff was attentive and friendly. There were only a handful of families there, and some of them were friends of ours. Could it be any better?

In the evening there was a story, songs, and snow in the lobby for all the tired swimmers.

We had so much fun. I hope they offer homeschool week discounts next year!

Thing One and Thing Two?

2011-11-29T13:29:00.001-05:00

I remember when we started adding animals to the homestead. The kids could not wait to name them. They would fight over the names. Then when baby animals would come, the kids would want to name them all. We'd remind them that you don't name what you eat. They got around this little rule by naming the animals things like Dinner, Barbecue or Chops. I remember when Lydia wanted to name every female animal Sally. She had a stuffed animal named Sally, and at least one real chicken and goat by the same name.

Perhaps the thrill of having animals has subsided. Maybe the kids have run out of ideas. They no longer want to name the animals. This poor guy, who we bought last summer, has been stuck with the name Dude Man Piggy. I suggested the name as a joke, but the name stuck.

Dude Man Piggy

We kept back two gilts from the last litters to replace our older (or non productive) sows. These gilts are now bred, and they still don't have names. I've been calling them Black Gilt and Red Gilt (she really is a very dark red and was a brighter red when she was younger.) These poor girls need names. The other sows are Charcoal and Sassafire. The kids aren't throwing out any suggestions. How about you? Do you have any ideas?

Red Gilt

Black Gilt

2011-11-28T08:14:00.001-05:00

I was so excited for Thanksgiving this year. Tim was off Wednesday. I lucked into being off on Thursday after two years of working Thanksgiving day. It was the first time we were both off for two days in a row together (that didn't involve a Dr. or a hospital) in longer than I could remember.

We were keeping Thanksgiving small and simple. Well, as small as it gets around here; the six of us, my brother and his kids, and my mom. That makes eleven.

We did have a couple of very enjoyable days. Wednesday we got things done. We prepared for the next day's feast. We worked on some projects around the farm. Thursday we feasted and lazed around watching the parade, playing games, and relaxing. Thursday evening we took the kids to The Pottery Place to paint ornaments. The trouble started later that night.

We ate dinner rather late, after we got back from The Pottery Place. Around midnight Tim started waking up in pain. We assumed it was indigestion from all the rich food and the late dinner. We tried to sleep. We both had to work in the morning.

I left for work about 4:30 AM. Tim still wasn't feeling well, but he got up and went to work about 9. It was then that he realized his pain might be more than indigestion. I was home by ten, and Tim was on his way to the ER.

A few hours later I was on my way to the hospital, and Tim was getting prepped to have his appendix removed. Things went amazingly fast through the ER and OR. Twenty four hours later we were on our way home. Tim had one less organ, and a slightly larger belly button.

His pain has been minimal, and he has been resting and relaxing for the most part. Jake and the kids were here until Sunday. We ended the weekend with a campfire, and Mamaw and Jake took the kids to a movie. (Glad Jake took some pictures this weekend. I never got out the camera.)

This year has been incredibly frustrating, but I am trying hard to look at the good. This holiday, we did have two days off together without any medical issues. For that, I am very thankful. Tim's appendix acted up in this calendar year, when our insurance deductible has already been paid. Despite everything, we did have a good and relaxing Thanksgiving.

Is it too much to ask to be done with doctors and hospitals for awhile? Or perhaps to just not have any new medical issues come up? Please.

All He Wants for Christmas...

2011-11-21T09:12:00.001-05:00

Nolan age 7.

We Won!

2011-11-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

She began her life here on the farm as a cute tiny piglet. Kellen picked her out to keep as breeding sow. He named her Ashes to go along with the theme of pig names we had going at the time. There was Charcoal and Flame also. All was fine and well until last spring when Ashes didn't farrow.

A full grown sow on a farm only has one purpose, to make piglets. She had been with the boar, but apparently had not been bred. We decided to give her another chance. In with the boar again, and she didn't even appear to be coming into heat. She didn't get bred, again. It was time for her to go.

Taking the feeder hogs or steers to be processed really never bothers me. We know from the time that they are born, that is what they are for. When it is time to get rid of our breeding stock, especially one that was born here, it makes me a little sad. We know the breeding stock. We've named them. We've talked to them.

As we tried to load Ashes the first time, I was feeling a little sad about it. That feeling didn't last long.

She knew us, and Lord knows that big 'ole sow knew what a feed bucket was. I never had any trouble moving her from one pasture to the next as long as I had a feed bucket. The first time we tried to load her from our back pasture. There are no chutes or gates there, but we figured she'd follow us. And follow she did, until I got to the ramp to the trailer. From that point, she was having none of it.

In frustration, we put her back in the pasture. She followed me just fine then.

About a week later, that big girl put her back legs through the shed floor. I still don't know how much she weighed, but if she was under 600lbs I'd be shocked. I found her one morning with two legs dangling through the floor.

We tried to give her footing to pull herself out, but she couldn't do it. She had her knees wedged between the floor boards. It took a whole morning, a car jack, the tearing off of the shed walls, and all the muscle power Tim and I had to get her out of the hole.

She was weak, and for awhile we were afraid she had broken a leg. It took a good week or so of tending her before she started to get up and around on her own.

Once she was getting around well we moved her to the pig barn where there are chutes and gates designed just for loading pigs. In the meantime, the freezers had gotten pretty full, and we weren't in a hurry to get her to the processor. Another month or so of feeding her, and it was time to try again.

Getting her down the chute was no problem. She went right up to the trailer gate, and would not go any farther. We pushed. We prodded. We smacked. She sat on Tim's feet. We ran out of time, and had to put her back in the pen.

We tried again about a week later. Pretty much the same story, only with quite a bit of anger and drama on the human side of things. And no, I still don't find it a funny story.

After the anger and tempers cooled, a new plan was formulated. That pig was going on the trailer. There was no sadness any longer. I was ready to shoot her myself, and have the mother of all hog roasts. Tim had a better plan.

We left her in the chute. Tim fortified the gates between the chute and the trailer. We put her food and her water in the trailer. She had no where else to go.

Now, I'd like to say that the next morning we found her in the trailer happily eating her grain. Nope. She hadn't touched it. Kellen showed her the grain, and she would follow him to the gate, but not go through. None of us ever saw her go onto the trailer.

After a couple of days of this, Tim walked out the door with a very determined look on his face. He took Kellen with him. I'm not exactly sure what happened over the hill there. I heard the electric fence was involved. All I know is about 20 minutes later, this is what I saw out my kitchen window.

And we all cheered!

Fall Clean Up and Planting

2011-11-15T19:53:00.001-05:00

On Veteran's Day, Kellen and Lydia joined their 4-H group to help clean up a flower bed in Huntington and plant new fall flowers. How appropriate that they happened to be working at a monument to Veterans.

The younger kids and I joined them briefly. They had cleaned up all the summer plants, pruned the roses, and pulled out the weeds. Then they planted Violas for a bit of cool weather color.

The kids worked hard, but I think they all had fun. Lydia told me the next morning she was sore. I told her she must not work hard enough around here. Thanks to the Williams' for providing the opportunity and the help, and thanks to our fearless leader, Annie for taking on this wily bunch to complete the project.

No Turkey About It.

2011-11-12T09:37:00.001-05:00

How does a food become so intertwined and connected with a holiday? We all have our family favorites that are must haves for holiday dinners, but everyone has turkey at Thanksgiving don't they? This year we will be among the small percentage that doesn't.

Since we began raising our own meat, Thanksgiving has posed a bit of dilemma. We raise a variety of pastured, healthy, and delicious meats, but there are no turkeys on the farm. Can you have Thanksgiving without turkey?

In the past, our answer has been no. We've purchased a turkey (after all they are so cheap this time of year,) and served it along side venison, lamb, rabbit, beef, or pork depending on what we had available from the farm. This year, we are changing our tune, and saying, "Yes, you can, and we will, have Thanksgiving without turkey." There are a few reasons behind this change of heart.

The first reason happened accidentally. When Kellen and Lydia had their Ham, Bacon, and Egg project pigs processed, we wanted to order the loins in boneless roasts. Apparently, there was a breakdown in communication between us and the processor. Oh, we got boneless loin roasts alright, but the processor kept them whole. Do you know how large a whole feeder pig loin is? Each hog has two loins. Out of the four loins we received, the smallest is seven pounds. It only makes sense to use those large roasts for a feast like Thanksgiving.

Beyond the gigantic pork loins, we have several freezers full of delicious, healthy pastured beef, goat, and pork. We have ducks and chickens that are just about ready to be processed. Do we really need to buy any other meat? But there is the argument that turkey is so cheap right now why not stock up on something we don't have?

Well, this is where I must admit that I have become a bit of a meat snob. It has been a gradual change. One that I didn't even realize was happening, but there is a huge difference in taste between factory farm raised and small farm raised meat. I don't want the factory raised stuff, and I don't know of anyone local with turkeys ready for Thanksgiving.

So you realize that I haven just written this whole post to justify to myself that it is ok to not have turkey at Thanksgiving. That is how connected turkey is to Thanksgiving. Next year, maybe we need to raise turkeys. Or the hunters in the family need to go get me a local turkey!

Love, Encouragement and Good Timing

2011-11-09T12:33:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning was rough here on the farm. In fact, it was one of the worst mornings I can remember in quite some time. It is a long story which parts of do not need to be shared publicly, and parts may be shared at a later time when I might possibly find it a funny story.

Suffice to say that it was very frustrating, tempers flared, and words flew. Afterward, I pulled myself and the kids together to go to a local homeschool group meeting.

During the announcements I really wasn't paying much attention. I was off in my own world in my head. I did notice a friend pull out a large wrapped box, and I wondered if I'd missed someone's birthday or other special event. As she was talking, she started to walk toward me with the box in her hand. That was when I started to listen, and realized that she was talking about me and my family.

She, along with several other crafty friends, wanted to do something special for us just to say they love us and are praying with us through all the hard times. These ladies are amazing, and their gift of love and encouragement couldn't have come on a better morning for me.

Look at their amazing handiwork. Each square is different and unique. There are apples, music notes, flowers, squirrels, and as they told us, lots of love and prayers knitted into this blanket.

Thanks so much Crystal, Jamie, Annie, Glenna, Jean, Patricia, and Maria. You're amazing!

Cornish Cross 101

2011-11-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

We first started raising chickens a little over five years ago. When we purchased chickens, we would simply buy a straight run of a dual purpose birds, like RI Red, or Buff Orpington, and when the cockerels started crowing into the freezer they went.

In the spring of 2010 we went in with some friends to raise our first 100 Cornish Cross chickens. I feel like I'm still learning how to raise these birds, but here are some of the things I've learned about this cross breed.


Cornish

They are a cross breed between the Cornish and White Plymouth rock chickens. I was a bit confused when I read that because the only Cornish bird I know is the Cornish Game Hen you get in the grocery store. How could such a small bird be included in a cross that yielded quick growing, large meat birds? With a little research, I found out those game hens are 4 weeks old!


Plymouth Rock

The Cornish is a large, but short stocky bird. The Rocks are large bird on a taller frame. The cross is a heavy large bird.

They are bred to grow quickly and produce a lot of meat. They are not meant to survive to reproduction, and can have a lot of health problems because of their size, especially if left to grow too large.

They are the bird that most large operations use for chicken production. They grow fast. The Cornish cross can produce a 4-5 pound finished product in as little as seven weeks. The dual purpose breeds we've used before can take up to six months to produce the same sized bird, and the meat distribution is different. The crosses have a lot of white meat, another reason they are used in commercial production.

Left- 6 month Golden Comet. Right- 11 week old Cornish Cross

Raising these birds begins like any other chickens. They are cute and fluffy. Their growth rate is noticeable after the first week.

One Day Old Cornish Rock Crosses

One Week Old Barred Rock and Cornish Rock Crosses. Note: they were about the same size at hatching.

The feed needs to be a high percent of protein. We prefer to use non-medicated feed, and started our first batch of these birds on Purina flock raiser. They grew well, but their droppings made wonder if the feed was properly digested. It reeked beyond normal chicken smell and was very loose. Later, a friend recommended a recipe online for broiler feed, and we worked with our feed store to have them custom mix the feed for us. The good news was it seemed to agree with the chickens better. The even better news was that it was about half the price.

These birds are not natural foragers. They are perfectly content to lay as close to the feeder as possible for the entire day. Our first batch of birds we had in with the hens. We figured that in the morning, the Crosses would learn to go out the door and down the ladder with the rest of the chickens. It never happened. I brought greens to them. They really didn't seem to care.The pictures below are from the first batch of birds we raised.

2 weeks.

4 weeks.

5 weeks.

7 weeks.

Since then we've converted rabbit hutches and made a tractor to get the birds on grass more. It has helped, and they will go and forage and eat bugs and scratch like I expect a chicken to, but they never stray too far from the feeder.

Converted rabbit hutches

Chicken Tractor

Since we've changed feed and got the birds out on pasture, the growth has slowed some. I am ok with that because I think it is healthier for them, and we also see less of the health problems that are attributed to their sudden growth.

The good points about these birds are they grow quickly, and are meaty birds with a lot of white meat. Those bonuses come with some drawbacks. They are prone to broken legs, often at the hip. I have yet to have one recover from a broken leg. They also are likely to keel over of a heart attack, especially in the heat, or a sudden upswing of temperatures. In the cold they will smother each other.

If you raise these bird yourself, on pasture, their flavor will far surpass any chicken you buy at the grocery store. But, I think the slow growing dual purpose birds have a lot more flavor than the Cornish Crosses.

There are good and bad points to raising these birds. You can't beat them for quick growth and meaty bodies. If you are growing them for sale, the large breast and mild taste are what most people expect from a chicken.

I've begun to read a bit about another cross breed, the Colored Ranger, that is supposed to be a better cross for foraging. Their growth is a bit slower than the Cornish Cross. I am considering trying a batch of these in the spring. Anyone else tried this cross breed? What did you think?

Who is the Momma?

2011-10-31T16:23:00.001-04:00

I have so enjoyed watching all the ducklings grow this summer. Mamaw and I were just talking the other day about how interesting the ducklings are. The come out these cute fuzzy little things. You watch them and they seem to grow so slowly. This particular brood seemed like they would never feather in. Just when you think they may never change, you turn around and seemingly they have doubled in size overnight.

This is the oldest of this year's broods with their momma. They crack me up. Many of these ducklings are larger than the hen, yet she leads them around. She still watches and protects them. At night the "little" ones all snuggle in a circle to keep warm, but momma is not far off, ever keeping a watchful eye on her offspring.

Have you guessed which one is the momma? It is the one with the white head. You know the one giving me the suspicious eye as I take photos of her babies.

Second Salt

2011-10-29T13:47:00.002-04:00

Kellen and Lydia Salting

Bright (well maybe it wasn't so bright then) and early this morning we headed down to the meat processor's for a second salting on Kellen and Lydia's Ham, Bacon, and Egg hams. It was a quick and easy process. They simply needed to scrape off the salt from the first salting, and then re-salt their hams. Now, the hams sit and cure until January. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Kellen's Hams

Lydia's Ham

Autumn Sunrise

2011-10-26T20:01:00.003-04:00

I remember when we first moved here, I was daily in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. Six years later, I admit I often take that beauty for granted, especially in this last year and a half that has been so hectic and stressful.

This morning I got out to do chores a bit earlier than normal. The schedule for the day was jam packed. I was in a hurry, and little stressed about getting everything done on time. Then, I happened to look up from the task I was completing to see this beautiful sunrise.

I stopped and soaked it in for a moment, feeling exceedingly grateful for this beauty we have been given, and appreciative of the moment to enjoy it. There was just a touch of sadness at all the moments I've missed as I've been caught up in the worries of this life.

I only lingered a minute (and then another to grab the camera.) The moment didn't make me late. It didn't interfere with my well laid out plan for the day, but in that moment my focus was changed. I wasn't consumed by my over scheduled day. I was awed by the beauty around me. The beauty is always there, but I don't always choose to look at it.

With that little change of heart came peace, and that underlying peace made the day go much more smoothly. The tasks got done in a timely manner without me being irritable and stressed.

I am very thankful for this morning's beautiful sunrise, the moment to enjoy it, and the gentle reminder that it only takes a moment and a small choice to turn my heart and my focus where it needs to be.

Ham, Bacon, and Eggs

2011-10-16T09:23:00.000-04:00

Who is ready for breakfast? Kellen and Lydia are working on the ingredients to make one heck of a breakfast from scratch. Well, perhaps before scratch. They are participating in the Ham, Bacon, and Eggs program this year that is available to local 4-H and FFA students. They each took a hog to Rolfe's Custom Meats last week. The guys there got the hogs ready for cutting, and Saturday Tim took the kids to get to work on the bacon and hams. The leaders and the butchers showed the kids how to cut the ham and bacon from one side of the hog. Then the kids cut the other side.


Lydia cutting the bacon.

After the cutting is done, it time to begin the curing process. Then we wait. There will be another ham salting at the end of month, and several other steps between now and the end of February when the curing process will be complete.

Kellen salting a ham.

Around that time the kids will start collecting the "perfect" dozen of eggs. They will be looking for uniformity of color and size.

The ham, bacon, and eggs will be judged the first week of March, and the project will end with a breakfast where the meats and eggs will be auctioned.

I just love this project, and am so excited the kids are participating this year! The kids are excited too, and enjoyed the cutting of the meats. Kellen was particularly impressed with the large saws that the butcher uses. I can't wait to see how the projects turn out!

No News and the Same News

2011-10-11T22:36:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago we had a visit with our local retina specialist about Kellen's eye. After visiting him before, visiting the best of the best specialist in Philadelphia, and visiting the infectious disease doctor, the consensus was that the lesion behind Kellen's eye was not cancer and it was not any of the long list of infections or parasites that can be detected by blood work. They all agreed that the next step was to try a round of steroids in hopes that would shrink the lesion behind the eye.

Today the doctor found that has been no change in the lesion or the pocket of fluid from it behind the eye. There had been no significant change in Kellen's vision either. We decided to continue the steroids another two weeks, and check again. At that point, if there has been no change, he will wean off the steroids, but other than that there is no planned course of action. The doctor mentioned freezing the lesion, but also said it is in a very difficult spot for that procedure.

Many of you have also asked how Tim is doing. They got the cancer with the surgeries, and then interferon chemo was recommended. The first month was intense, and I'm so glad it is over. He is now on a lower dose treatment that he is supposed to take for a year. It makes him feel weak and tired, kind of like what you feel like with the flu.

So far we've seen a pattern of him feeling pretty decent for a week or two of treatments and then gradually he feels weaker and weaker. Then his weekly blood work will come back showing his white cell count to be too low for treatments. He'll take a week off, begin to feel better, and then start the cycle again.

It does seem like he is more tolerant of the treatments as he goes on. The down part of the cycle takes longer to come, but it still does. It is very frustrating to us both.

And I wonder if it is really the best course of action. I've always had an interest in alternative/natural medicines and treatments, but never took the time to become more educated. When Tim got his diagnosis we were in crisis mode, and there was no time or energy to research or consider other treatments. We just did what we were told.

A ways into the chemo we started watching documentaries like Food Matters, and reading books about the Gerson Therapy. We started discussing these alternatives. Then we got Kellen's news, and were back in crisis mode again just treading water.

(Anyway, those two paragraphs were a complete rabbit trail, but this is my blog and rabbit trails are allowed.)

So, we really don't know what is going on with Kellen's eye. The good news is it isn't getting any worse. The bad news is it isn't getting any better, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Tim is doing about the same. The bad news is he still feels sick a lot of the time. The good news is it takes him longer to feel really bad.

Personally, I'm tired of doctors, tired of medicines, tired of not having answers, or fixes. I am just tired.

Definitely Purple

2011-10-10T17:31:00.001-04:00

Last week I was walking by the garden, giving it my normal quick glance as I went to feed animals when I noticed something purple sticking out of the ground. My first thought was that the kids had stuck some toy into the ground and forgotten about it. I went for a closer inspection.

As I got closer, I realized it wasn't a toy. In fact, it was connected to my sweet potato vine. I'll admit to being a bit confused momentarily. What can I say? My mind was a bit occupied this summer, but after a second I remembered that I did buy purple sweet potatoes back in the spring.

This is our second year growing sweet potatoes. They have earned a spot near the top of my list of favorite garden plants. They require less work to plant than white potatoes, and once they are in and mulched they are virtually care free. The only maintence they needed this year was a bit of hoeing, and that was only because the neighbors' dog kept digging up the hill. There is quite a bit of labor involved with the harvest. We harvested on Saturday.

Even though I knew I bought purple sweet potatoes, I never expected them to be such a deep and beautiful color. We roasted them with some onion, potato, eggplant, and fresh herbs tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper. It made a delicious side dish.

I'm not sure what color my sweet potatoes will be next year, but I do know that there will be sweet potatoes in the ground here again!

I Don't Know, But It is Bad.

2011-10-09T09:04:00.000-04:00

Awhile back the girls and I were on our to Farmer's Market. They were playing school, and Lydia was working with Vivian on her math skills. Vivian was counting with her fingers, and in the process had her middle finger up alone. Lydia gasped and said, "Vivian you can't put your middle finger up like that."

From the front of the van, I am wondering how Lydia knows what that particular gesture means, and what she is going to tell her little sister about it. Vivian is unfazed, and simply asks, "Why can't I?" Lydia answers, "It is bad. It means a bad word."

Do you really think Vivian was satisfied with such an answer? She kept pushing Lydia, and I kept quietly wondering how this was all going to turn out. Finally, Lydia looks at Vivian and says, "I don't know what it means. I just know that it is bad. Don't do it."

Vivian was finally satisfied with that answer, and so was her mom.

The First Day of Fall

2011-09-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not ready for this to end!

You Might Be a Farm Kid

2011-09-22T21:11:00.000-04:00

You might be a farm kid if you consider this a pocket knife,

and argue that it does fold, and in fact does fit in your pocket. The proof being found in that you just pulled it out of your pocket.

You can argue that, and there may be some logic in the argument, but I can assure you that the security guards at the Liberty Bell will not agree with you.

While in Philadelphia, when we had a few hours not spent in a doctor's office, we
went to see some of the historical sights. The first stop was the Liberty Bell. As I was laying my purse out on the counter for inspection, Kellen behind me remarks to the security guard, "Oh, I have a pocket knife." The guard responds, "A pocket knife isn't a problem just as long as we know you have it. Can I see it please?" And Kellen pulls out the knife pictured above.

The mature female guard literally jumped back. The guards inspecting my purse had eyes only for the spectacle behind me. The younger male guard next Kellen stumbled over his words, but eventually got out, "You can't take that in here." At about the same time Tim and I are both asking our son why in the world he had that knife with us in Philadelphia and why it was in his pocket. Tim took the knife with a apology laced with disbelief, and volunteered to stay outside the building while Kellen and I went to look at the bell.

As we walked away the guards kept shaking their heads and laughing about Kellen's "pocket knife." We heard one remark, "What in the world was he going to do with that knife?" Another added, "Was he going to skin an animal or something?" We did not tell them that the knife had been used for that very purpose many times. Nor did we tell them we were from West Virginia, or that we live on a farm. No need to perpetuate stereotypes.

We did have a little fun. . .

2011-09-20T18:51:00.000-04:00

The vast majority of our trip to Philadelphia involved us sitting on our rears. Leaving Sunday morning and returning late Tuesday night, we spent roughly 18 hours sitting in the van,13 hours sitting in the eye center, and of course hours spent sitting to eat and the inactive hours when we slept. But outside of those hours we were walking.

It has been a long time since I've been in a big city, and Philadelphia made recently visited cities, such as Cincinnati and Durham look quite quaint. I do enjoy visiting the city, but must admit to feeling a bit out of place when we first got there. Our hotel was mere blocks from the eye center, right in the city. Once the car was parked in the garage, it stayed there until we were ready to head home.

I played tourist and hung out our hotel window to get pictures the first night. I love how Philadelphia has the really old mixed in with the modern.

The majority of Monday was spent at the eye center.

We did have a few hours at the end of the day for a little tourist activity. With historical sites such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall within walking distance we (I) couldn't resist even though we all were pretty wiped out from the drive and the day at the eye center. Unfortunately, many of the inside sights closed before we were able to go through them. We did get to see the Liberty Bell. Well, at least Kellen and I did. Tim had to wait outside. That funny story I will save for a post all of its own.

And we were able to take in a few things from an outside view.

Tuesday was Kellen's biopsy. After that we had to hit the road and head back home. We did however, make a quick stop for lunch at Pat's King of Steaks for the required Philly Cheesesteak where New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sat a couple of tables from us enjoying his lunch. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have recognized him, but my more politically savvy husband did. Of course the suits with ear pieces hovering around should have alerted me that someone well known was eating lunch near us.

And that about covers our whirlwind trip to the big city of Philadelphia.

Hurry Up and Wait

2011-09-19T17:58:00.000-04:00

In my last post, Glasses and More, I shared that a routine eye exam showed that Kellen has a lesion behind his eye that is causing his retina to detach. Last week we made a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia to see one of the top specialists in the country.

We saw several doctors and they ran many tests, much to my frustration many of the same tests he had here in Huntington. At the end of a long day we still had no answers, and the doctor was calling the lesion atypical. They scheduled a needle biopsy for the next morning, and we headed home to wait for the results.

The biopsy showed that the lesion was not a tumor. That is very good news, but it doesn't answer the question of what the lesion is actually. Nor does it fix the problem that is causing the retina to detach, and Kellen to lose vision. The doctors suspect that it is some kind of infection, possibly something originating from an animal. We have a friend whose husband has a similar condition cause by a spore from bird/bat feces. Mom has a co-worker with a similar condition caused by a bacteria carried by chickens.

Kellen and I spent a good day at the doctor/hospital for tests before we went to Philadelphia. Now he gets to go to yet another specialist. This time it is an Infectious Disease doctor. We aren't sure which one yet though, because the first one recommended to us doesn't see minors..... So now we wait again. We wait for a referral to make an appointment with a new doctor who will run a bunch of tests, and then we will wait for those results.

Hurry up and I can do well, waiting, not so much so. Keep praying for us!

Glasses and More

2011-09-06T23:16:00.000-04:00

See what happens when he sees the camera.

There is a new addition to Kellen's face.

Kellen had been complaining that he was having trouble seeing for awhile now. We went for an eye exam, and they found that he is near sighted. We picked up his glasses today, and according to Kellen, the world looks much better now.

Unfortunately, near sightedness is not the only issue with Kellen's eyes. During the eye exam they found his right eye is not seeing anything on his left to the center. He did not respond to any of the blinking lights in that field of vision with that eye.

Further examination showed that his retina is partially detached. There is what one doctor called a tumor and another doctor called a lesion behind his right eye. That thing, whatever you want to call it, is swollen and leaking fluid of some sort behind the eye which is causing the retina to detach. The detached retina is causing the partial blindness in his right eye. We were referred to a retinal specialist. We saw him the next day.

The specialist did numerous tests, took a lot of pictures, and even took a sonogram. At the end of 3.5 hours of testing, he told us he wasn't really sure what is going on. He did say the lesion looked hollow which in his mind, ruled out a tumor and the worst possible scenarios. He said he thought it might be vascular because there was a vein going into the lesion, but he really had never seen anything like it. He wanted to discuss it with his colleagues.

A week later and the colleagues have no answers for us either. Their recommendation was to take it to the next level of specialists. Today we made an appointment with doctors in Philadelphia. Sunday we will drive there, and Monday we will spend 6-8 hours in their offices for more tests, and some answers and a fix, we hope.

I think we are all in a little bit of shock from the news, events, and lack of news. I can not believe we have to go through yet another major medical issue and traumatic event. Finding out we are making a 500 mile drive this weekend has put me in a complete doer/shaper mode of making plans and getting things ready on this end. I think having something to focus on is a good thing. It helps to keep my brain quiet.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

How Could I Forget This

2011-09-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

I am having a rough week. It has been busy. Tim has been working long hours. We got surprising and not at all good news this week at a routine eye doctor appointment. (Sorry to leave you hanging on that one. I'll post more about it later.) Tonight I was feeling exhausted, and sat down to vent (or whine) here on my blog when I had a sudden thought that made me smile. Sharing thoughts, or in this case pictures, that make me smile are much better than wallowing in the self pity I've been stuck in all day.

You may remember from Kellen's birthday that I complained that I could never get a decent picture of him. He wants nothing to do with being photographed. Luckily for me, we have a friend with a nice telescopic lens who took it upon herself to capture some pictures for me while we were attending a group picnic. Here is my teenager:

This picnic was over three weeks ago. I can't believe that I never posted these pictures on the blog. I tagged them on Facebook, and forgot about them. (Oh the blessing and the curse of Facebook.)

Kellen did eventually catch on. He asked Racina, "Why do you keep following me around with that camera?" So, glad she got some great shots first! Thanks so much Racina for getting some great pictures of Kellen, and giving me something to smile about tonight.

Well, Excuse Me

2011-08-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

Our ducks are completely free ranging this year, owing mostly to my lack of effort in keeping them in the fenced in place that they are meant to be. There are certainly disadvantages to having ducks who have the run of the place. The biggest of which is the mess that they leave on my front porch. (Can't for the life of me figure out why they like it there so well.)

There are also some advantages. They are helpful in the garden. They eat the grass and the bugs, and really don't seem to bother the vegetables themselves. (The same can not be said for a few chickens who have managed to escape their fence despite my best efforts.)

The hens also are more successful in hatching their clutches when they are not confined to a fenced in area. But sometimes, I have to wonder about the places they choose for their nests. Such as the hen that is pictured below.

She has made her nest between our shed and the steps to our side door. This is where we park. My washer and clothes line are on this side of the house. This is the door we go in and out of the most. Yet, there she sits.

She really isn't in the way, and I really wouldn't mind except for one thing. Every time someone walks down those steps she hisses and gets her dander up as if we are intruding on her territory. Really? Well excuse me Mrs. Hen, this was my space first. You're welcome to it for your month of brooding, but I really do not appreciate your rudeness!

When you have a few days off

2011-08-22T06:29:00.013-04:00

As many of you know, after a seven year hiatus from the world of paid working, I chose to go back to work a little over two years ago. I did not go back to my previous profession. Instead I chose to take a serving job that allowed me to work on weekends with a minimal disruption to our homeschool schedule. The choice was made in an effort to get out of debt.

For the most part, I am happy the choice was made. The schedule can be grueling at times, but working three days a week has been a tremendous lift to our financial position. Our debt has been significantly reduced. The credit cards have been paid off for some time, and that in itself is a tremendous burden removed.

The last year has been exhausting. We've taken some heavy hits here both emotionally and financially. The responsibilities of farm and family are overwhelming some days, but these are the responsibilities I enjoy the most. The weeks go so fast, and when Friday rolls around I often just want to stomp my feet, and scream "I just can't do it!" But I don't. There is an emergency fund that needs built back up. There are medical bills that need paid, and huge black cloud of student loans that still hovers over our heads. I suck it up, put on my best fake smile, and head to work. It needs done whether I like it or not.

This weekend I found myself in an unusual circumstance. I was off Friday and Saturday! It felt a tiny bit of heaven to not have to rush home after the market Friday to get ready for work! We did however have a wedding rehearsal to attend.

Friends of ours from church got married on Saturday. Vivian was the flower girl. It was a fun wedding. The rehearsal was Friday with dinner at Hillbilly Hot Dogs.

Saturday was the wedding followed by an outdoor reception. The weather was good, and the wedding and reception were beautiful. The Appletons however did come out of the wedding with a couple funny stories.

Of course, one would involve Nolan. We had to go a little early so Vivian could be there for pictures. Nolan spent the whole time on the DS. It wasn't until I saw him sitting at the top of the steps playing that I realized what he was wearing. His siblings helped him get his clothes, and I only gave him a brief glance before we left. How do you like his ensemble, dress pants, button shirt, tennis shoes, and no socks?

His father came to the wedding in an even a better outfit. He had on his farm clothes, a t-shirt, stained up shorts, and work boots. To be fair, it really wasn't Tim's fault.

We needed to get feed Saturday. With the time and location of the wedding, and the hours of the feed store, it was decided that the best solution was for Tim to go early to the feed store, and then meet the rest of us at the church for the wedding. Part of that plan also included that someone (who would that be?) would bring the clothes Tim had picked out, and he could change when he got to the church. That someone forgot to grab Tim's clothes.

The only store anywhere close to the church was Dollar General. So we went and found Tim a pair of short, a button shirt, and a pair of shoes for the wedding. Thankfully the wedding was pretty casual, and luckily all the items were 50% off. We spent $17.

The wedding was early, and after the wedding we wondered what to do with ourselves with the whole family home on a Saturday. Tim and I considered a date night. Honestly, I think the last time we had time completely alone was when we went to North Carolina for his surgery. We looked at the movie listings, and found nothing very interesting, and didn't really feel all that motivated to get ourselves together to go out again.

Instead Tim took a nap, I read a book, and the kids read and watched a movie in the heat of the afternoon. When it began to cool off a little we all headed out to the garden for a little work. We worked together on the best part of gardening, the harvesting.

We picked green beans. Did I mention we made my bean poles too high, and I planted them too thickly? Ah well, live and learn. This was our first year to use bamboo teepees for poles. In previous years, I've always planted the pole beans on the fence.

We also picked onions, peppers, tomatoes, a few potatoes, corn, melons, okra, and the year's star performer, the herbs. I now have two kinds of basil, parsley, and sage drying above my kitchen sink. It smells so good.

We made my favorite dinner after that, a dinner made almost entirely from food from the farm. We had roasted corn, fried okra, hamburgers, melon, peppers, and sliced tomatoes. Dinner was late, and by the time we ate and cleaned up it was time for bed. It was a wonderful day!

Our schedules are jammed packed. Our weeks are often rushed and stressful. I often wonder how this life is the the simple life. It might seem strange that when I find myself with a day off, that I would choose to work in the garden with the family instead of getting away for an evening with my husband. Tim and I rarely get to work together on farm projects, but when we do I have to say that it is deeply gratifying. Maybe it is knowing that we are in this together. Maybe it is the satisfaction of laboring together to provide for our family. I'm not sure, but I do know that it is far better than working in the garden alone, and much more appealing to me than sitting in an over air conditioned theater being entertained. I wish there were more days like this.

Gaining Ground in the Battle on Squash Pests - maybe.

2011-08-19T16:12:00.000-04:00

You've all heard people talk about how prolific zucchini plants are. You've probably heard stories of gardeners sneaking zucchini onto their neighbors porch in an effort to get rid of it. But let me be the one to dispel this myth. I have had one year of prolific zucchini. Every other year, it has been a battle with the pests to keep this family in zucchini.

It isn't just zucchini either, growing squash has become war, and I fear I am on the losing side. We are waging a chemical free war here, but I think the bugs may be smarter than I am. It was so bad last year that I swore I was not going to plant anything in the squash family this year. But then spring came and I started thinking about grilled veggies, stuffed zucchini, zucchini brownies, zucchini struedel, fresh pumpkin, and well, before I knew what I was doing hills of dirt were made and seeds were going into the ground.

The more I do this organic gardening thing, the more I am convinced the my best weapons are careful observation and quick action when pests are observed. This is the strategy I tried to implement with the squash this year. The squash have two enemies; squash bugs and vine borers.

The adult squash bugs are elusive. They are a gray color and tend to hang out in the dirt where they are well camouflaged. I mostly see them on the actual plants in the cool of the morning. If I see them, I squish them or drop them into a jar of water with dish detergent.

Their eggs however, are more easily found. Look for copper colored eggs on the leaves. Most often they are on the underside of the leaf, but sometimes on the top. The eggs are hard to squash. I remove the leaf and the eggs and feed it to the chickens or drop it in water with dish detergent.

The newly hatched bugs have gray or greenish bodies. They almost look like a tiny spider. They are easily smashed.

While I can't claim victory over squash bugs, and can claim containment. They are there, but by removing the eggs and destroying of the bugs that I do see, I am able to keep them from doing serious damage to the plants.

The deadly enemy to my squash are the vine borers. Adult vine borers are moths. They resemble a red wasp. I rarely see them, and if I do, I never can kill them. They are too fast. They lay tiny black eggs on the stems of the plant. I've looked for the eggs. I've removed a few things that may have been eggs, but then again maybe they were just dirt.

I don't know I have a vine borer until I see something like the picture to the right. See the yellow stuff that looks like chewed fibers. Yep, that is the evidence of a vine borer. Or if it is dry it will look something like sawdust.

When the stem is cut open, you'll find a white grub like worm with a black head. The one pictured on the left is a pretty big one. The tiny ones can be hard to see.

The only thing I know to do when these bugs are found is to split open the stem and destroy the bugs. This works pretty well if the borer is only in a leaf stem. When they are in the main stem of the plant, you can split it and mend the stem by covering it with dirt or wrapping it up, but the plant is severely weakened.

The first time I found borers this year, I split the stems, destroyed the borers, and covered the stems with dirt. The plants came through this nicely. They stayed upright and green. They looked healthy, but fruit production came to an abrupt halt. I wasn't able to keep up the borer vigil, and the next time I checked over the zucchini they were so infested with borers that I pulled all but one plant. It is so frustrating. My next step is to replant, and try again.

Another thing I noticed this year is the pumpkins are coming through these attacks better than the zucchini or summer squash. I have not been able to keep as close of a watch on the pumpkins, and vine borers are there. The pumpkin vines put down roots that seem to take up the slack where the borers have attacked. Maybe I should try a vining variety of zucchini?

The war is on, and though I think I gained a little ground this year, the bugs definitely have the advantage. Any one have a secret weapon they'd like to share?

A Little Patience Pays Off

2011-08-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

If I were to list my finer qualities, patience would not be at the top of the list. I'm not a patient person. I want things to happen now, and I get impatient with people (especially my own children) more than I'd like to admit. But if there is one place that I can say Tim and I have learned to be patient, it is with regards to making purchases.

Being patient is absolutely necessary when it comes to parting with our hard earn dollars. We've learned the hard way, finding a way to buy things we can't afford costs you dearly in the long run. We've also learned that a little patience usually pays off.

I can not count the number of times when we've really wanted or needed (or thought we needed) something, but decided to wait for it, and were so glad we did. Sometimes we found we really didn't want it that much, or that doing without it wasn't so bad. Other times we were able to find the item at a much better price, and often for free. We've seen this happen with so many things. There have been small things like clothing, bigger things, like furniture, and really big things like a vehicle.

The latest example of this happened a few weeks ago. For the entire back story, we need to go back about a year. Tim's office used to be a restaurant. When the building owner converted the space he walled off the kitchen to create an office space and a kitchen. A caterer was working out of the kitchen, and then he went out of business.

The caterer left most of the equipment, and Tim approached the building owner about purchasing a couple of things he thought would be useful on the farm. Mainly, at the time, Tim was thinking of the stainless steel tables. He wanted them for deer processing. There were also freezers and stoves, and a few other things. Tim offered a price. The landlord countered, and no middle ground was found.

The kitchen sat vacant for over a year, and then the landlord approached Tim to see if he was still interested in any of the equipment. There was a new tenant coming, and they didn't want most of the things that had been left in the kitchen. The timing couldn't have been better for us.

Our current freezer space really was not enough for the business of the farm. The freezers we did have were old and inefficient. New freezers were on our purchase radar already. The kitchen had two good sized chest freezers, a small commercial upright freezer, and a small walk in freezer. Cash is a little tight, but the owner assured Tim they could work out a plan for payment.

In the end Tim took all the freezers, two household stoves (one that is needed for the canning kitchen, not sure where the other one is going,) and a lot of miscellaneous type items. There was a wonderful commercial gas stove there that I would have loved to have. Sadly, I have no place or no gas for it! He also cleaned up the place a bit. The owner was just pleased to have it all gone, but we offered to trade him some farm goods for the items. A wonderful deal for both sides!

The freezers came just in time as we just had a whole beef and hog processed. The chest freezers are already full. We need to decide exactly where we want walk in freezer, and do some prep work before we can set that up. Tim didn't get the tables he was originally looking at, but those weren't really needed like the freezers were.

No matter how many times it has happened, it still amazes me how a little patience pays off, and how often the need is met just at the right time. We are truly blessed!

Our New Tools

2011-08-11T07:16:00.000-04:00

It was chicken processing day, Rob from Wild Sage Homestead and a friend were joining us to learn how to process a chicken. The whole family was excitedly gathered around. Tim went to work a little late that morning. Our thirteen year old even posted on Facebook that he was excited about the morning's event. The kids couldn't wait to get started.

What was all the excitement about? We've processed hundreds of chickens, and the kids normally make themselves scarce on processing day. This was no ordinary processing day though. This was the day we got to use our new chicken processing tools, a plucker, and an eviscerating table.

Thanks to the help and support of the community, we were awarded grant money that enabled us to step up the whole process of processing. Thank you Gail Patton of Unlimited Future, who has been a cheerleader for us all along and got the ball rolling on funding for a plucker. Additional funding received from CAFE Huntington, and matching funds from Create Huntington allowed us to purchase a ready assembled plucker, and a table designed for the job of processing. Remaining funds will be used for some more kill cones, and a new water pump for our rain water collection system.

So the big question of course, is how did our new tools work? I couldn't be more pleased. The plucker turns my twenty minutes hand plucking into a two minute job. And even more importantly, it does a nice clean job. Even after spending a lot of time hand plucking, it seemed I was never done. I would keep finding feathers I missed. The plucker machine gets the birds clean. It does miss a little on the inside of the wings, and occasionally the thigh, but finishing up those areas only requires another minute or two.

The table allows me to stand up instead of hunching over like I used to. There is a convenient hole to drop all the mess through. When you're done a simple spray of the hose, and the remaining mess washes down the drain, and leaves you a clean slate for the next bird.

I am so thankful for these new tools! With them we will be able to process and sell a lot more chickens!

And in case you're wondering, the excitement for the kids didn't last. The youngest two pressed the on switch on the plucker a couple of times, and then disappeared. The older two did stick around to help. Kellen is the kill cone master, and Lydia does a great job picking any remaining feathers. Their excitement over the plucker may have faded quickly. Mine, however, has not! I am still thrilled, and looking forward to using it again!

Simply Delicious

2011-08-08T15:06:00.000-04:00

Grilled Center Cut Ham Slice

Occasionally, someone will ask my favorite way to cook a certain cut of meat. Most of the time I don't think they are expecting the answer I give. If it is a large piece of meat, my answer is something like this, "I throw it in crock pot. Sprinkle it with a few spices, and let it cook all day on low." For the smaller cuts of meat the answer is simply a variation, "I sprinkle it with some spices, and toss it on the grill. Flip it every so often until it is done."

How do you like those recipes? Truth be told, I really do enjoy cooking. I love to try new recipes, or more often use a recipe as a guide to create something new and delicious for the family. Following recipes, or creating new ones requires a rather scares resource. That resource would be time.

If you ask me my favorite way to prepare something, it will be a way that is quick, easy, and produces a delicious result. That my friends is likely to involve a crock pot or a grill. When you have a good piece of meat, you don't need to spend a lot of time, or add a lot of extra ingredients to achieve a wonderful result.

But if you were looking for a more specific recipe than "Slap it on the grill with some salt and pepper," here are a few recipes I like. Hope you find something useful.

Lamb
Curried Chops and Leg Of Lamb
Gryo Burgers

Chicken
Cooking a Skinned Bird
Summer Garden Chicken

Beef
Meatloaf (simple)
Meatloaf (variations)
Homemade Sloppy Joes

Pork
Blackened Chops

Why We Feed our Animals Grain

2011-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Love Happiness Photography

Since venturing into the public sale of our meats, we've encountered a lot of question about how our animals are raised. I think that is wonderful. It means people are educated and care about where their food comes from.

Probably the most frequent question we get is whether the animals are fed grain or not. I understand the concerns. Some are concerned about animal welfare. If you've seen video of chickens or beef in a feed lot type setting, there is good reason to be concerned.

Others are concerned about nutrition, and the fact that most animal feeds contain GMO grain. Honestly, I am just beginning to understand these issues, but I do understand the concern that is there.

We raise beef, chicken, pork, and eggs for sale to the public. All of our animals are pastured. They have access to large open spaces. They forage, and eat all the good things the pasture has to offer. They all also are fed a ration of grain daily.

One reason we choose to feed grain is nutrition. The pork and chicken grow very quickly. They need the extra protein in grain to sustain that growth. The cows do not grow as quickly, but they still need a good diet. Our pastures are in good shape. They probably could maintain our small herd of cows in the summer without grain. The trouble comes in the winter.

Good hay is hard to find in these parts. We do bale some of our own, but it isn't enough for all the animals through the winter. Our hay is normally pretty good, but then hay is subject to timing and weather. This year our hay is not as good as normal. Our first cutting was delayed because of the rain. Hay loses nutrition if it gets too tall and stem-y. When we could finally cut and bale the hay, we only got one field cut before Tim started his treatments. The other two didn't get cut for another month. That hay was way overgrown, and unfortunately, got baled damp. Hopefully, our second cutting will be better. We won't get a third cutting this year. Giving grain helps to cover any deficiencies in the hay.

Photo Credit: Love Happiness Photography

Another, and perhaps less important reason, we feed the animals grain is to keep them a little tame. Feeding them everyday helps them get to know us. We talk to them. We give them a little love. We watch for any signs of illness or other things that require our attention.

The animals know us. They are comfortable around us. They know our voice, and they certainly know what a bucket of feed is. It may not seem like much, but it goes along way when you're trying to work with them.

I'm very thankful the animals know what a bucket of feed is when we're moving an 800 pound sow from pasture to pasture, or loading a 1400 pound cow into the animal trailer. With a bucket of feed and the call of the person who feeds them, they will follow you just about anywhere you want them to go.

Our animals are humanely raised, and get lots of fresh air and exercise. Our animals are fed grain. While I understand the interest in grass fed meat, exclusively grass feeding any of our animals is not an option that works for this farm. Hopefully, now you understand a little better why.

Apple Sauce Oatmeal Cookies

2011-08-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

Beginning to sell at the Farmers Market has been a great adventure this summer. Our main focus here on the farm is meat and eggs, but when the market began, we had precious little in the way of meat to sell. We decided to add baked good to the items we had available.

The market we participate in is a producers market. Baked goods are required to contain local ingredients, preferably those grown yourself. So, I went on a search for recipes which could be made with products from right here on the farm.

One of my favorites was found at Allrecipes. I tweaked it a bit to create the Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies we've taken to the market. We make ours with our eggs and applesauce. By request, here is the recipe:

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
1/3 C butter, softened
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 C applesauce
1 1/4 C flour
1 1/4 C oatmeal
1/2 C raisins (optional)
1/2 C walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter. Add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix in applesauce and egg. Add flour, a little at a time. Stir in oatmeal. Fold in the raisins and nuts.

Put spoonfulls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.

In the Midst of Chaos

2011-08-01T12:07:00.000-04:00

The morning sun was just beginning to come over the trees. There was a cool breeze. The birds were singing in the woods. The kids were occupied with other tasks elsewhere. All seemed peaceful and right in my world. I felt a deep and abiding contentment even though the task at hand was butchering chickens. It was a couple of the best hours of my entire week.

The younger two were with Tim's parents for the week. Though I missed them, it turned out to be incredibly good timing for their annual visit. The week was incredibly busy. In addition to our normal activities, both Kellen and Lydia had their Battle of The Books Tournament, and Lydia had a lamb at the fair. If you ever have had an animal at the fair, you know what all the entails. We were there everyday to care for the lamb, and most days there was some kind of showing to do. It was extremely hot and humid. It was also one of those weeks full of extra farm surprises. Such as a 800 pound sow breaking floor boards and getting stuck, and the keys (with the spare) getting locked in the van.

I don't mean to sound as if it was a horrible week. It wasn't. Lydia did well with her lamb. Kellen won his tournament. It really was a good week. It just was a very very busy one.

It was a week where I desperately need some quiet alone time. I had plenty of down time at the fair between activities. I spent a lot of time reading then, but that wasn't what I needed. I didn't need to be entertained. I needed to be quiet, to be still, and to disengage my brain for awhile. That time was found last week while processing chickens.

There is something about engaging the hands in productive, yet mindless, activities that brings about a deep satisfaction. I've found it before while hanging clothes on the line. I know others find it in washing the dishes and in cleaning.

So often I look for rest in the form of entertainment. I turn to the computer. I turn to a book, or perhaps a movie, seeking a little time to rejuvenate. While those activities may provide a bit of physical rest, mentally they are only a distraction. They turn my brain from the never ending to do list by occupying it with something else.

I'm not very good at being still, taking a deep breath, and enjoying the moment around me. When it actually happens it often catches me by surprise as it did this week. All I can do is be thankful for those moments of rest and peace amongst the chaos of our daily life.

I turned around and he is a teenager.

2011-07-21T02:36:00.000-04:00

Today Kellen turns thirteen. Our first teenager in the house.

It certainly doesn't seem like it has been ten years since he was this cute little toddler, and wasn't it just yesterday he was an inquisitive little boy? It is hard to believe he is now such a sensible young man. Sensible, for a teenager anyway.

I'd love to show you a picture of the handsome young man he has become. Conveniently, he is rarely around when there is a camera in hand. The recent pictures I have of him are candid, and at a distance. A visitor to the farm somehow talked him into standing still, and half smiling for this shot. As you can see, he was already taller than me back in February when this was taken. I would not be surprised if he has grown another couple inches since then.

He has changed so much in the past year. In the homeschool year book pictures from the previous year, he still looks like a little boy. He has decidedly lost that look now. His voice has gotten deeper. He is wearing his dad's shoes, and there is just a tiny bit of peach fuzz on that upper lip.

We are so proud of him. He often was my dad's right hand man working around the farm. He was here to help while Tim was at work. He learned a lot, and has been a huge help to us all on the farm. His specialty is electric fence building. He puts up the new hog pens by himself, or occasionally recruiting a younger sibling to help. Tim will check and sometimes make a couple adjustments, but Kellen really has the skill down. He helps take care of the pigs, and is a big help around the house too.

Though Kellen has changed a lot in the past year or so, he still is the bookworm that we all know and love. He reads, and reads, and reads. Give him fiction. Give him non-fiction. Give him a business magazine. He'll read them all, and likely remember most of the information he read. The things he picks up, and concepts he understand from his massive reading amazes me sometimes. Of course, for pleasure, he'd prefer a good fantasy novel or manga. His slight obsession with manga, I may never understand, but his younger siblings are right behind him.

Today Kellen turns thirteen. Five more years and he will enter adulthood. Five years is nothing. Vivian was born a mere five years ago. We've lived here over five years. Five years fly by in the blink of an eye.

I know these years will likely be full of bumps, growing pains, and letting go pains, but I plan to enjoy them. Kellen is a wonderful child, and I am excited to watch the development of the man he is becoming.

Happy Thirteenth Birthday Kellen.

And a week later.....

2011-07-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

I am planning events for September. September! As in, summer is over and it is time for fall activities. Say it isn't so?! I've barely begun my summer!

With the late start this spring, we've harvested very little from the garden. In fact, about all we've harvested is herbs and berries, and most of the berries, like those pictured, are wild berries. I have not canned a single thing yet. My canner and equipment are sitting untouched in the closet. It is sad.

Not as if I know when I'd I have time to can anyway. This summer has been a whirlwind of activity. We've had friends and family in. We are going weekly to a farmer's market, and just trying to catch up from the month or more of work time lost with Tim's melanoma treatment. Maybe it is a good thing I don't have beans or tomatoes ready to harvest yet.

In other happenings around the farm, we have a new foal, which I have yet to get a picture of, and we have lots of kittens. Anyone have a suggestion for how to get our feral females to stop reproducing? Our current overload of cats goes way back to our two original females. We mistakenly thought it would be fun to allow them to have kittens one time.

At least the feral mommas do bring their kittens to the chicken house once they are a few weeks old. The new kittens are fairly tame. Want one? or two? or a half dozen? Lydia took this adorable photo. I have to say this kitten is one of my favorites.

How is your summer going? Did I ask if you wanted a kitten?

Ungratefullness...

2011-07-07T07:38:00.000-04:00

We are on our way to the park to play with friends. We've stopped at the store to pick up snacks and drinks. I throw some fruit and healthy options in the cart along with a few things that are not so healthy, but the kids consider treats. One child spends the majority of the trip to the store asking for things I haven't put in the cart and then whining when I say no.

I work in a restaurant where most of the items on the menu are made in house. Occasionally, the prep cooks will run behind for whatever reason, and we'll run out of an item for up to an hour. I am always shocked by the reactions of customers. Disappointment, I can understand. Honestly, some people just get down right irate. It is a big menu. Really, you can't find anything else you want to eat?

We sell at a local producers only farmer's market. When we started selling in May, some people just couldn't understand why none of the vendors had tomatoes or peppers. I didn't even have all of those in the ground before June.

Another child pushed the boundaries, and got grounded from a new video game that was on its way in the mail. When the game arrived the rest of the family was allowed to play it. This child was not happy, and argued vehemently with me over the issue. Then suddenly the arguing stopped and the child smiled. When asked what changed, the reply was, "I think about the starving children in Africa and then things in my life doesn't seem so bad."

Hmmmmm...

We are such an incredibly blessed people. Yet, no matter how much we are given, we want more, and we want it now. We are so accustomed to getting whatever we want when we want it, that we pout and throw fits when we don't get our way. We completely forget the many blessings we do have.

Please don't think that I'm being judgmental. My name is right at the top of the ungrateful list. I have spent much of this year thinking how unfair it all is. People have been so wonderful to us, but I've wanted more. I've pouted, and grown a tinge of bitterness. I've forgotten to be thankful for the many blessings we do have while I've focused on the things that we don't.

This has been a terrible year filled with loss, stress, illness, and struggle. It could be said that it is only natural that some of these feelings should develop under these circumstances. My reactions are definitely natural and fleshly. Is that how I want to live?

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:25 NLT)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV)

No. Living by the spirit is so much better. Here I am humbled again.

Our Holiday Morning.

2011-07-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Berry pies, muffins, and biscotti to come!

And Normal Life Returns

2011-07-02T07:52:00.000-04:00

June was a long, hard, month. I am so glad it is over. Tim's treatments were hard on him. He was down for the month, which made it hard on the rest of the family. In addition, it was one of those months were nothing seemed to go right.

Cows got out and wandered far from home. A predator all but wiped out a batch of meat bird chicks. A tree fell and took our power lines and two sections of fence with it. The hot power lines were in the chicken pasture requiring us to move all the meat chickens. We were without power for about 12 hours that day. The garden was behind, and what we did have in didn't look good. The weeds were taking over. It rained, and rained, and rained all month. By the end of the month I was feeling so frustrated and discouraged.

With the flip of a calendar page, Tim's treatments were finished. Suddenly, our normal life returned and chased away the cloud that seemed to be hanging over my head. Of course, not everything went wrong during the month of June. It only felt like it.

During the month of June we were awarded two grants. With these funds we have purchased a chicken plucker. The plucker will pluck a bird in about 20 seconds. Hand plucking takes me about 20 minutes. I can't wait until this baby arrives and we can take it for a spin.

In June there were play dates. There were camps. There was the support of friends and family. A horse was born. Cows were purchased. Pigs were sold. There was a lot of baking and the selling of bake goods at the farmer's market. Ducks made nests in places they shouldn't. Well, maybe that isn't a good thing, but it is certainly interesting. We're leaving the nest, by the way. The poor duck hens have been having a heck of a time with their clutches this year. They keep getting pushed off the nest by predators. Here is hoping this nest in my garden, right next to the house, will be a safe place to hatch out some ducklings.

With the treatments over, Tim is feeling a world better. He isn't 100% yet, but he is up and doing things. He is back to work, and back to working on the farm. We are all happy about this. The weather has been wonderful. Friends came and helped whip the garden back into shape. Tim has the hay cut, and life feels normal again. It is busy. It is full of hard work and challenges, but it is good. I am so glad to put June and Tim's treatments behind us!

Hot Cheese Twist

2011-06-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

The other day I was searching through recipes, and discovered this favorite from our early years of marriage. It is so delicious, I'm not sure why I stopped making it, and it got buried in the piles of recipes. Maybe little kids and diapers and a overly busy life had something to do with it? No matter, it is time to pull this recipe back to the top of the stack.

Hot Cheese Twist
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 TB. + 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 TB. butter
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 1/2 cups flour

Hot Cheese Filling
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2-4 TB chopped, canned, hot peppers

Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/2 tsp. sugar. Warm butter and milk to lukewarm. Add to the yeast. Add remaining sugar and salt. Mix in the egg, yolk, and 2 cups of flour. Slowly add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Knead dough until smooth. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and roll into a rectangle on a floured surface. Roll to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with cheese and peppers, Roll up tightly from the long side. Pinch the seam. A little water will help the seam seal. Coil the foll on a baking stone. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Six more to go.

2011-06-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

I can't remember what all I've updated here about Tim's melanoma, so bear with me if I'm repeating myself. The second surgery went very well. It left Tim with another large scar, and a deep depression under his arm, but the most important news is they found no more cancer cells in the soft tissue that was removed there.

Interferon treatments are recommend following the surgery. The treatments started about three weeks ago. This has been an incredibly long month. I am so ready for it to be over. Tim is at the hospital every week day for about an hour to receive the treatments intravenously. Before starting treatments we had read that the side effects were flu like symptoms. "Flu like symptoms," well that could mean a lot of things, and we hoped for the best.

The first week was rough. Following his treatments, Tim first got the chills. Chills so severe that he was still cold in the ninety degree heat we were having that week. The chills were followed by the sweats, and it was all accompanied by body aches, nausea, and fatigue. We hoped the next week would be better.

The severity of the chills and sweats was a little better the following weeks, but the nausea, and extreme fatigue remain. The treatments also caused his triglycerides to skyrocket. The doctor gave him a prescription for this. The side effects of the medicine is more nausea. *sigh* He has lost over ten pounds, has little appetite, and has basically spent the month of June going to the hospital and staying in bed. Even the simplest of chores or task zap all his energy. It has been a very long month. He has six more of these treatments, and I think the whole family will be much relieved when this is over and done.

When these treatments are completed, he will have another year of treatments at a much lower dose. These treatments are done at home three times a week. The side effects should be much less severe.

That is where we stand in this process. The treatments have been far worse than the surgeries, but we know that in the realm of cancer treatments it could be a lot worse. We're almost through the worst of it. Gritting our teeth and pushing through.

We'll be Saving on Shampoo

2011-06-09T07:24:00.000-04:00

When it has not been raining this spring, it has been unseasonably hot. Long hair and heat makes for hot heads, and lots of pony tails. The girls have been begging me to go get hair cuts. Lydia and I have both donated our hair before. Lydia's was long enough to donate again, and Vivian wanted to donate hers this time too. Wednesday, we finally found a good time to go and get hair cuts.

Viv's hair has always been long. It has only been trimmed up here and there. I was a little hesitant to have her hair cut. In the last six months or so she has completely lost any vestige of baby chub. She has gotten tall and slender, and looks like a little girl instead of my baby. In my mind, keeping her hair long was an attempt to hold onto the baby just a little longer I think.

I was right. Cutting her hair did make her look even older. I can't be upset though. It is super cute and she loves it.

Lydia has had short hair before. So, cutting her hair again was not as dramatic. She has extremely thick hair. It was hot for her, and a lot of up keep. See how thick it is. That is the top of her pony tail where they cut it off. That is a lot of hair.

Both the girls' hair is stacked in the back. Funny how the same hair cut looks so different on each of them. Cute on them both, but definitely different.

Oh and I got a significant amount of hair cut off too. Guess you'll just have to see me in person to see how much.

The Drama that is Nolan

2011-06-08T07:18:00.016-04:00

All of my children have a bit of a flair for drama. It may be best if I keep my opinions of where that particular trait comes from to myself. Of all the kids, Nolan, by far, is the most susceptible to dramatic outbursts. Don't be fooled by that sweet little face. Even at seven, this kid knows how to throw a good fit. The latest example occurred Monday evening.

Nolan asked me if I would cook him two eggs for a snack. Normally, I would readily agree to this request, but it so happens that I was just about to start dinner at the time. A snack right before dinner is never a good thing. A snack I have to cook right before dinner is just down right a bad idea. I told him as much. Let the whining begin.

Seriously folks, I do feed this child, frequently in fact, but if you'd been in my kitchen at that particular time you may have thought he hadn't eaten for a week. I was having none of it, and swiftly sent him outside to complete a chore. I was feeling rather smug at nipping the episode in the bud and getting on with the evening. I set about getting things out for dinner. A few minutes later I heard a yell and crying. It was the kind of cry that says I'm hurt. Even Tim thought Nolan hurt himself so I went out to check.

When I found him he was sitting on the ground in the chicken run. At first he wouldn't answer me when I asked him what happened. I asked him to get up, and he said he couldn't. After a cursory inspection I could see no cuts, no scrapes, and no reason for him to be sitting on the ground, unable to get up, and crying. With some urging he finally told me he was crying because he was so hungry. So much for nipping it in the bud. I set him on his feet and got him started on his task while explaining that if he was really hungry he would do what he was supposed to so I could go cook dinner.

By the time I got dinner in the oven, he was back in the house whining about how he was so hungry. He literally threw himself on the kitchen floor whining and crying. When I told him he'd have to go to his room if he didn't stop the whining and crying, he was quiet, but he stayed on the floor writhing, as if in pain.

At this point in the story some of you are probably wondering why I was letting this poor kid suffer so. Why didn't I just get him a snack? How could I let him go hungry? Maybe I really am just that stubborn? Or maybe I'm well acquainted with the drama of Nolan? Whatever the reason, I was pretty confident that he would not die of hunger in the fifteen minutes it was going to take for dinner to be ready.

Blessedly, the timer finally went off. I sent Nolan outside with the task of finding Kellen to let him know dinner was ready. He wasn't happy about it, but he went, after I helped him pick himself off the floor. I got the girls and began dishing out dinner.

A few minutes later Kellen came in for dinner. I asked him where Nolan was, and Kellen told me that Nolan was outside playing with the kittens.

Did you catch that?

The kid that was so hungry he was in tears and could barely get off the floor decided that instead of eating he was going to play with the kittens! Really?! A few minutes later he came strolling back into the kitchen as if none of the previous drama had occurred. All he wanted to do was talk about the kittens.

That is the drama we live with. That is Nolan.

A New Repurpose Project

2011-06-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

Re-purposing, recycling, and making do mean a lot of things to different people. Some are motivated to save the planet. Others are out to save a dime. Around here, it is a way of life. We simply can not go out and buy new every time a need arises.

Some time ago, on another blog, I shared some of our re-purposed items in Re-purpose Recycle and in More Repurpose Recycle. It is funny to look back at those posts from almost four years ago. Many of the items are still in use in the same way. Some of those items have been re-purposed again. A prime example is the storage shelves Tim salvaged from a previous employer. One of those is now in the chicken house with the bottom fenced in. It is our brooder pen.

Over the years there have been a lot of projects involving re-purposing of items. Sometimes it is a simple matter, like most of the items shared in the posts above. Other projects have involved quite a bit of time and physical labor. The biggest of these that comes to mind is the tearing down of a barn. Those materials were used to build a pig house, a chicken house, and various other building projects.

As you may recall, we have been working on getting our broilers out of the chicken house and onto pasture. The first step of the project involved re-purposing some unused rabbit hutches to make them more suitable for chickens. Those pens worked wonderfully for the broilers. The problem was we had more broilers in the brooder that would soon need to be moved out. We needed another pen.

And now we have one. Tim built this over the weekend.

Can you see what the frame was in its first life? Does this help?

It is the frame of a kitchen table. It is upside down and used to have a glass top. Everything in this project is re-purposed, save the wire fencing which we already had on hand. The metal roof may still be from that barn. Is that right Tim? The door is metal scraps from another project. The wood floor frame is scraps too.

We needed a new chicken pen. In the matter of a day, we had one for free. Alright, not free if you want to get technical, but we didn't have to run to the store to buy a single thing for it. That is my kind of project.

The chickens seem to like it too. Not that you can tell from this picture. The chickens were all out running in the grass and chasing bugs when I took this.

Homeschool Reflections

2011-06-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

Homeschooling in our area seems to just be exploding. When we first joined our local co-op about five years ago, I would guess there were maybe fifty kids in the co-op. Then a couple years ago it just began to grow like crazy. Our numbers swelled to over 100, and we were forced to start a waiting list because we could no longer accommodate such a large group of students. At the same time, at least three new homeschool groups began in the area.

With the sudden influx of so many homeschoolers, I often find myself in the midst of conversations with new homeschoolers with a million questions about what curriculum to use, or how to get started, or how to handle a toddler while schooling an older child. Most of the time my answer is to just relax and enjoy the process. Not as easily done as said, and probably not the answer most people are looking for, but really, it is the best advice I have.

It was in the midst of one of these conversations, with a complete stranger who stopped me because she thought we looked like homeschoolers, I realized I am no longer a novice homeschooler. I'm a veteran. I am not exactly sure when that happened. Quite, honestly, I still feel like a novice at about every turn. Every year there are new academic skills to learn. Kellen pushes me to teach, or facilitate his learning of, new things on a daily basis. The younger children may be learning skills that I've previously taught to an older sibling, but they learn at a different pace with a different set of talents and interests. I still feel like I am trying to figure out this homeschooling thing.

When we began homeschooling with Kellen in kindergarten, almost eight years ago, we were very much homeschooling in a school at home manner. In fact, we used an online charter school at home. In some circles, that isn't even considered homeschooling.

We moved here when Kellen was in second grade, and that kind of schooling was no longer an option. By the time Lydia entered the homechool scene, there were two more babies to care for, and the beginnings of the farm. Over the years there have been a lot of times when life has just gotten in the way of the book work of education. This last school year we may well have had more days without school books than we had days with the school books.

It is hard not to feel guilty about this. It is easy to feel like I am failing my children, and that I really need to get my act together. When I feel that tinge of guilt come on, I just have to remind myself that by any academic standard our kids are doing just fine. And more importantly, that education is not about how far we get through a text book. It isn't about how many facts my kids can spout off. A lot of the education I want my children to have for this life has nothing to do with anything you'll ever find in a text book.

Many of our best lessons come when we aren't using a text book. Someone will ask a question, or maybe we'll see something that sparks a conversation, and we are off on a educational moment. It is amazing to me how much education happens when I simply turn off the screens (TV, games, and computer.) The kids go outside and find things in the woods. They create clubhouses. They read. They play board games, and just yesterday Kellen and Lydia had a globe out. Kellen was quizzing Lydia on world geography. Education happens. It doesn't require a text book.

Even though I've been in this process for a long time now, I still don't know what I am doing. I still wonder how to challenge my gifted student, how to make math click for my child who struggles with math, and how to get a certain child to sit still long enough to learn the things he should. I'm quite certain they don't write enough, and I've yet to figure out a plan of attack to address that, and the big question looming over my head currently is how in the world I am going to add another student into this mix next year.

Despite all my shortcomings, despite our crazy life, despite all the things I've yet to figure out, these children are getting a high quality education. They are thriving. They are learning. So, my advice to new homeschoolers is also my advice to myself, "Relax, and enjoy the process."

Maybe trainable is a better description. . . .

2011-05-27T11:14:00.000-04:00

Pigs are reputed to be very smart animals. I believe I've even mentioned here how intelligent and wonderful they are, but after this week, I am wondering if trainable is a better description of a pig than intelligent.

Our pigs are pastured. We aren't there yet, but the idea is to have several pastures to rotate them through. Three pastures would be ideal for the feeder pigs. We can let them eat and dig up one pasture, and when it is cleared, rotate them to the next, and plant the first with goodies for later.

Since weaning, the feeder pigs have been in one pasture. They have done a wonderful job clearing it and digging it up. We finally got the second pasture fenced in about a week ago, but we can't get the pigs to go in it.

We gated off the first pasture with an electric fence gate, and made an opening next to that gate to go into the second pasture. Please note that electric fence was there before the opening to the second pasture was made. Kellen and I tried to herd the pigs into the new pasture. They wanted nothing to do with it.

They would go as far as the line where the electric fence was, and then they would budge no further. They jostled and pushed each other and us, but no pig would cross that line into the new pasture. A couple of them went through the electric gate into the old pasture, and several of them got by us before Kellen and I gave up in frustration.

It was time for plan B; lure them with food. We let the self feeder run out. This morning I called them out of the building with a bucket of feed. I put a small pile of feed right at the line where the fence used to be. Very gingerly a couple of them started to eat. Soon all ten of them were pushing and shoving for position on that pile of feed, but none of them would go around to the other side of the pile which would cause them to cross that imaginary line.

I took a little more feed and drew a line with it from the first pile to a second small pile beyond the imaginary line. I sat and watched for about 15 minutes. Still no pig would cross that line. I got tired of watching and went about some other chores.

An hour later, I went to look again. This is the picture I saw. Most of the pigs were still outside sniffing around for feed. Look closely. The black pig on the left has its nose right about where the fence was. Just past his nose is the pole that marks the corner of the two pastures. Keep looking left and you can see two untouched piles of feed on the ground. Apparently, they aren't hungry enough yet to cross that line. I wonder how long it will take?

Pigs, smart enough to train to electric fence, but not smart enough to know when the fence is no longer there. Trainable? They certainly are. Smart? I'm not inclined to think so at this moment.

Mint

2011-05-19T11:46:00.000-04:00

Our extremely wet spring has certainly caused some problems here on the farm. Our spring garden has been one casualty, and now it looks like we can add our first cutting of hay to the list. Even so, there are a few things around here that are simply flourishing with all the extra moisture. Mint is one of them.

Mint is extremely easy to grow, and will spread and take over in just about any space. Give it a little sun and a wet area, and you can almost see it grow. Our mint is planted near a ditch where it is welcome to cover the bank it is planted on.

I use a lot of mint fresh during the warm months, and I dry it for use over the winter. Mint is a delicious and different taste to use with roasted meats. It especially pairs well with lamb, but my favorite way to use mint is for tea.

There is not much that is more refreshing to me than sun brewed mint tea over a tall glass of ice. You can find a gallon of it in my refrigerator all summer long. It is so simple to make.

Peppermint Sun Tea
8 tea bags
a handful of peppermint
gallon of water

Put everything in a glass jar, and allow to sit in the sun. The time it takes to brew depends on your taste and the temperature outside, but it should take a least a few hours. I bring it in when it looks right. I remove the tea bags, but often just leave the peppermint in. We drink it unsweetened, but if you are a sweet tea fan dissolve some sugar in hot water to add to the tea. Serve in a nice tall glass over ice.

Of course, if the sun is hiding, (as it has been most of this spring,) simply put a pot of water on the stove with the tea bags and mint. Bring it to a boil. Remove from heat. Strain into a gallon container and fill the container with cold water.

What is your favorite way to use mint?

Keeping Cool

2011-05-16T08:08:00.000-04:00

It felt like summer last week. Though you wouldn't know it by the 50 degree temperature I woke up to this morning, last week was hot and humid. We were able to keep cool enough by cooling off the house at night, and closing it up tight in the morning. Our animals however do not have such an opportunity. They have to find other ways to stay cool.

I walked over to check on the meat birds. You may remember that they are now completely free ranging, and that I'm betting their proximity to the house (and our dogs) will keep them safe from predators. As I walked toward them, I couldn't see a single chicken. I couldn't even hear any of them. My heart began to race a little.

As I got to their pen, there was still no sign of the birds. I could feel the dread creeping in while I kept walking past their pens. I was well past their normal hangout when I finally heard the faint sound of them. Moving toward the sound I caught a glimpse of white among the green. They were all deep in the brush at the edge of the woods just keeping cool in the shade.

Directly across from where I found the chickens are the fat hogs. Do you know how hogs keep cool? They don't sweat. Though I didn't catch them in the act, it is pretty obvious. Pigs lay in the mud to keep cool.

Of course when they saw me standing there, they thought I was bringing something yummy for them. In a matter of minutes I had drawn a crowd. Pigs just flock to me what can I say?

Finally, I'll share one cool momma. She apparently, thinks the way to keep her and her chicks comfortable is to hang out in my strawberry patch. I probably should have shooed her out, but I was too busy snapping pictures of all that cuteness!

According to the forecast, I don't think we are going to have any trouble staying cool this week. Staying dry however may be a challenge. Hope the spring weather is better in your neck of the woods.

Where to start???

2011-05-11T16:31:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is Nolan's 7th birthday. It is also May 12, as in the almost the middle of May, for anyone else who has lost track of time like I have. Seriously? The middle of May? Where did April go?

There is always a lot going on here, and I don't know how many times I've seen something, or thought of something, and said to myself, "I really need to write about that." Occasionally, I even snapped a picture.

I knew it had been awhile since I'd written, but I was surprised to see it had been two weeks! Goodness. So where to start?

I guess with the important stuff. Tim's surgery was April 29th. The surgery went well. He will have a large depression where they took out the lymph nodes and other soft tissue. It is under his arm, and thus isn't really noticeable, but really who would care anyway when given the alternatives? He is pretty tender in that area yet, and his energy is not quite up to normal, but everything is healing up nicely. And the best news, they didn't find any more cancer cells in the tissue that was removed. What a huge relief and answer to prayer! He will still have interferon treatments, but those won't start until June.

As for other things happening around here, one night we found the siding by the back door of the house covered with moths. Among them were several of these pink and yellow ones. I have no idea what they are, and I have never seen them before. They certainly are unusual. I probably should consider them a garden pest; moths lay eggs that hatch caterpillars that eat my plants, but seeing as I have nothing planted (and it is almost the middle of May,) thanks to all this rain, I decided to enjoy looking at them.

Our end of the year picnic for our homeschool co-op was yesterday. This year we had a drama and music class. They were able to perform for us at the picnic. They did a wonderful job! The weather was great for the picnic. The food was abundant and delicious. We had a great time.

The kids are always up to something. Their imaginations and ability to entertain themselves astounds me sometimes. They had my camera the other day. I've come to expect some surprises when I upload from the camera. Among them this time were the one at the top of this post, and the one below.

Quite honestly, I have no idea what they are doing in either picture, but I thought they both were pretty cute!

Slip Sliding Away

2011-04-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Our driveway has always been an interesting topic of discussion for visitors. It is 3/4 of a mile of gravel road. Comparatively, by West Virginia standards, it is not overly narrow or curvy. Of course, not all of our visitors are from West Virginia, or regular drivers of West Virginia country roads.

Our driveway does boast a few interesting features. The first of which, you encounter almost immediately. This little knoll looks innocent enough, but driving up it puts your car at angle which prevents you from seeing where the road goes after you pass the crest.

When you finally can see the road, your eyes are confronted with the following:

A steep downhill immediately followed by an even steeper and longer uphill which shows up better in this picture that was taken earlier in the season.

After those initial hurdles, the road settles into another couple small hills and a bit of flat driving before ending at our houses. First time visitors would relay their experience of thrill or anxiety in navigating Blackberry Lane. Those of us more seasoned to the road would merely roll our eyes, or perhaps snicker a bit. The road didn't phase us one bit unless of course, there was snow on the ground.

Then last spring the hollow between the second set (smaller set) of hills betrayed us. It began to sink. It was just a bit, but enough to make the drive just a bit more interesting.

This winter brought extra snow, freezing, and more cracks in this spot on the driveway. The first rains of spring came, and the drive slipped even more. It slipped to the point that even we stopped using it with our two wheel vehicles. Even with our all wheel drive vehicles, we had to be careful where we drove to avoid dragging the bottom. We warned visitors with low cars to not use our road.

Then it happened. Our continual and heavy rains this spring caused the driveway to slip and slide to the point that it was no longer usable.

We weren't sure what we were going to do. We do have an alternative driveway available to us, but it is not our legal right away. Our neighbor is very gracious to allow us to use it when we need to, but using it permanently is not an option. We do have equipment that could do this job, but not the knowledge as to the best way to fix the problem, or the time to do the job. Nor do we have the cash to pay someone to do the job.

At about the same time the drive had its big slip, the man we sold our bulldozer to came to pick it up. He brought a contractor with him to help with the job. The contractor was interested in some equipment my mom had and no longer needed. He asked how much she'd want for it. We asked how much he'd want to fix our driveway; both the slip and a few other places that needed attention. In the end he got the equipment he wanted and mom got a half price deal on the driveway.

He started working on it this week.

I wouldn't recommend using our drive right now.

After the Pilgrims Came

2011-04-26T19:14:00.000-04:00

Easter weekend was jammed packed with family, food, and rain. Several of my aunts and uncles came for a visit as did my brother with his kids. The aunts and uncles mostly sat around and talked (and ate.) The kids played and played and played, rain or shine. Overall it was a good weekend.

I have to share a little story about my nephew Jude. He and Nolan are basically attached at the hip whenever they are together. Those two are all over the place. They love to play their DSs together. They love to run around outside together. They laugh and giggle and run, and act like little boys do.

One of the adventures they had this weekend, courtesy of all the rain, was playing in the mud puddles. One of these puddles was particularly deep, and the boys had a grand time in it. They were up to their knees in mud and water. We all shook our heads, and let them play.

When Jude returned home his mom was talking to him about the weekend, and asked when he and Nolan played in the puddle. His response, "Sometime after the Pilgrims came." Really, he wasn't smarting off to his mom. To his mind, we had Pilgrims at our house. Did I neglect to mention that the aunts and uncles who came to visit were Amish?

Vivian trying on a "Pilgrim" hat.

Free Range Broilers - Finally

2011-04-21T19:40:00.000-04:00

When we got our first batch of Cornish Cross chicks to raise for meat, we figured we would raise them like all our other birds. We would brood them in the brooder pen until they were big enough to be turned out into the chicken house. Then, like the other chickens, they would eventually venture out into the wide world beyond the chicken house to feast on bugs and plants.

The brooder pen worked fine. Putting them out into the chicken house worked fine, but the Cornish Cross never would venture down the ladder to the great outdoors. They preferred to stay nice and close to the feed all day long. In fact, if they could lay down and eat, all the better.

In hind sight, it was probably best they never tried to go out from the chicken house. Our chicken house sits up high, and the ladder is long and fairly steep. This breed has a propensity to break legs. Our ladder probably isn't a wise choice for them. So, we thought, if they won't go down the ladder, we'll just put them outside.

We have another shelter within our chicken run. It is not nearly as nice as the chicken house, but it serves the purpose. It is great to brood in when the weather is warm, or to use as an overflow pen if we have too many birds. We thought it would be perfect to use for the broilers to make free ranging work for them. They weren't impressed.

They would go out the pen door; a foot or two, but they still would not venture beyond the run into the pasture behind them where all the free range goodies are to be found. They wouldn't even venture over to the rabbit hutches, contained with in the run, to forage under the pens. All the other chickens seemed to think that spot was akin to a daily Thanksgiving feast. I gave up on getting them to go out, and brought greens and weeds to them instead.

With this batch of broilers we wanted to try something new. We talked on again, off again about building a chicken tractor for them. We weren't sure exactly what we wanted, or what would work for the number of birds we have, and the mostly sloped land we want to use.

There also was that ever pesky issue of time. Building something new takes time for planning, material gathering, and of course construction. Like most homesteads with farmers who also work away from home, time is a very precious commodity. Then it dawned on us. Why not use something we already have?

Last winter we got rid of all the rabbits in an effort to save time, and focus more on the meat animals that sell better. This left us five empty hutches just sitting there. Our first thought was to use the hutches Tim and my Dad built. They are large. They are sturdy. They also are very heavy. That is a problem if we want to be able to move the birds into fresh grass every now and then.

The other problem is that Kellen is considering raising rabbits again. So, we may need those hutches. Our other two hutches were ones we acquired elsewhere. We really didn't like the design of either of them for rabbits, but for chickens we thought they'd work well.

They did need some slight modification. We cut the legs off them, and made some steps with scrap wood. We stapled some feed bags on the sides to cut the wind until the weather is warmer. One pen is light enough to move by myself. The other Kellen and I can move together. They are the perfect little shelters for the birds.

We set the pens up close to the house. I set up a heat lamp, just in case it gets really cold at night. At night the broilers are closed in the pens. In the morning the feed and water is moved out into the grass, and believe me, these birds follow the feed.

They are not fenced in at all currently. I think as long as we stay close to the house fencing won't be an issue. They do not roam far, and predators won't come this close during the day. If we decide to take the birds farther out, we'll need to set up fencing of some sort to keep them safe.

They seem so happy out there. They are eating clover, chasing bugs, digging through leaves, and acting more like I expect a chicken to act than any other batch of broilers we have ever had. It is good to see!

Building Bat Houses

2011-04-18T06:47:00.000-04:00

Our county 4-H camp had a dilemma. There were bats living at the camp. On the one hand that can be a very good thing. The bats will eat thousands of bugs every night, making the camp a much more comfortable place for everyone. The problem is the bats were taking up residence in the eaves of the main building. The health department was none too pleased with the droppings said bats were leaving near areas where food is stored, prepared, and consumed. What to do?

The camp couldn't kill the bats even if they wanted to. Bat proofing the building wasn't working either. Yet, the bats had to go. Our club leader decided the solution was to give the bats a better place to live, and the building of two bat houses began.

There were hand and power tools involved,

and some caulk.

When the houses were built, it was time to stain them and make them more attractive to the bats.

I think this was Vivian's favorite part.

The camp caretaker will soon be mounting these houses away from the building. We are all hoping the bats find these new homes comfy and cozy.

Moments to Cherish

2011-04-15T06:59:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night the three oldest kids stayed sitting on the back deck long after the rest of us have came in to get out of the chill. They were cracking jokes, giggling, and just generally enjoying one another's company. There were dishes to do, and laundry to put away. Bed time was close at hand, but who wants to break this magic moment?

I will be looking to this post again in the future for proof that they really do love each other and can get along.

Not the News We Were Hoping For

2011-04-13T17:33:00.000-04:00

We got the result from Tim's biopsies this week. They weren't exactly what we had hoped for. There were a small amount of cancer cells in the lymph node that was removed under his arm. The good news, according to the surgeon, is that the cancer was microscopic and that Tim is young and healthy. The bad news is obvious....

This makes his melanoma a stage three. There will be another surgery at the end of the month. This time they will remove all the lymph nodes in the area under his arm. For that we will be going back to North Carolina.

There will be treatment after the surgery. Interferon treatment is the normal treatment course at stage three. Basically Tim will receive large doses of a synthetic copy of a natural protein. It boosts the immune system while making the cancer cells weak. It is not without side effects though. These treatments will be done here in Huntington. We meet with the oncologist next week, but treatment likely will be weekly.

I'm really not sure what else to say. I think I'm still in a little shock that this is really happening. I feel numb. Tim, in typical man style, is mostly worried about the things he isn't going to get done around the farm. It is likely that we will have to slow the farm down again, and put some plans for the farm on hold. The truth is we really don't know what is going to happen after this month.

Home-Ec 101 Skills for Everyday Living

2011-04-12T06:14:00.009-04:00

I've been a long time follower of the blog, Home Ec 101, and online acquaintances of its founder Heather Solos. Heather is knowledgeable, witty, and has great practical advice for homemakers regardless of their skill level. I was happy to hear that she was putting that advice all together in book form, and even more excited when I was asked to review the new book, Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living - Cook it, Clean it, Fix it, Wash it.

There are four sections to the book; Clean It, Wash It, Fix It, and Cook It, with added appendixes. Each chapter contains a wealth of information written in Heather's trademark witty style. In this book you can learn to make keeping a clean house a manageable task, get stains out, fix a hole in the wall, and set up your pantry.

This book would be an excellent resource for the new bride or young adult living on their own for the first time, but there is plenty in there for those of us who have been cooking and cleaning our own homes for some time now.

F+W Media provided a copy of this book to use for this review. All the opinions are mine.

Gotta Enjoy It While You Can

2011-04-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

There was sun today, at least until about 1:00 when it started raining. So, after having all four kids into the Dr. at once for checkups (imagine four kids and one adult in an exam room) we picked up some lunch and headed to the park.

It was a great way for them to burn off some energy before it rained (again) and we ran a gazillion errands. Sometimes you just have to catch the sunshine when you can.

Challenges and Bumps

2011-04-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

Last night after dinner, Tim and Kellen loaded up the cattle rack to the farm truck, and I loaded the kids into the family van. We were off to look at some pigs, and hoping to bring home one to be our new poppa pig, and possibly more if we liked what we saw. We headed down the highway toward our destination. About half way there the farm truck starting spewing white smoke out the exhaust; transmission fluid.

Apparently, we have some sort of transmission curse on us. It is unbelievable how many transmission problems we've had with different vehicles since we moved here. Luckily, the whole thing didn't go out, and we were near the exit for the repair shop. We got the truck to the shop, and left it with the cattle rack parked on the street in downtown Huntington.

We decided to head onto our destination to check out the pigs. We hoped we would be able to pay for them, and the farm would hold them until we were able to pick them up.

When we got there we discovered that they only had one pig left! But it was a boar. He looked good, and the price was right. So, we paid for him. Then the guy asks, "Why don't you just back your van down? I bet he'd fit right in the hatch." And he did.

We laid some old feed bags down in the back, and the farmer hoisted up the pig in his arms, carried him out to our van. Did I mention that this is a very tame pig? And back toward home we went with six people, and a pig in the family van.

And because that just isn't enough excitement for one night. . .

We wrecked our van on the way home. More precisely, a deer wrecked our van on the way home.

We were driving up Big Seven Mile. Tim slowed down at a spot where the deer normally hang out to eat in the evening. The deer were there. There was one in the road, and Tim honked the horn while driving slowly. The one in the road jumped out of the way, but it wasn't the only one to move. The stupid deer on the side of the road started running into the road. One of them ran right into the van.

It wasn't hurt. It bounced off my van, and went running back into the woods. Quite honestly, I wish it had been hurt, and was now sitting in my freezer. If you're going to bang up my car, I'd like a little something in return. Banging out a dent, just add it to the to do list.

These are the times that are frustrating to me, and overwhelming to Tim. We are learning though that these are just part of the journey of this life. The to do lists are never ending. The likely hood of a plan going off with out a hitch is small. This is part of life. It just seems amplified when you're farming, especially when you're tired from working your paying job, and making trips out of state for medical treatments.

So, we take a deep breath. We adjust. We do what we can while addressing the most pressing items on the to do list. We realize that in the big picture very little on that list is all that important. We enjoy the process, and our family while while dealing with life's challenges and bumps. We rest in the knowledge that our life really is found in Christ, and that the challenges and bumps of life in this world don't change who we are or what we have in Him.

Our Mini Vacation to Durham & Again With the Waiting

2011-04-04T14:13:00.000-04:00

We headed to Durham, NC last Tuesday. The main purpose of the trip was for Tim's surgery, but we took a couple of extra days for some fun family time. (A huge thank you to the Kines for farm sitting for us while we were gone.) The weather was cold and wet. The kids were all fighting colds, but we refused to be deterred. There was fun to be had.

Everything started on the right foot when we checked into our hotel. I know the hotel itself really isn't usually one of the highlights of a trip, but we loved this place. The deal I got it on it was fabulous too, and if you know me, you know how much I love a great deal. I took a chance and booked two nights of our stay using Expedia's unpublished deals. The rates here are fantastic, but the catch is you only get limited information about the hotel. You don't even know which hotel it is until you pay for the room.

It ended up that I booked Homewood Suites. The suite was bigger (and nicer) than my first apartment. A full breakfast was included, and what we didn't know until we got there was a dinner was also included. Everything was nice and clean. The staff was friendly. The only thing that would have made the stay better was an indoor pool or weather that was nice enough for us to use the outside pool. We loved staying there, and we got it for a steal. After I get the rebate back from Ebates, I will have paid just less than $50/night for our stay there!

Photo from Kidzu. Photo credit: Jim Sink.

I hoped to visit some historical (and free) places while we were there, but the nasty weather forced us into indoor activities. The savings from dinner being provided at the hotel enabled us to spend a little more than we planned on activities. We went to the Kidzu Children's Museum. This was a little smaller than I expected, and was definitely geared toward the younger kids. For those of you who are local, it reminded me a lot of the basement of Highlands Museum. There were lots of educational play stations. Even the oldest boys, Tim and Kellen, had fun with the over sized building blocks and other construction type areas.

Photo from Museum of Life and Science

The next day was spent at the Museum of Life and Science. This was an incredible museum. There was so much to do there. We spent the entire day, and still didn't see everything. Our favorite spots there were the Butterfly House, the Dinosaur Trail, soundSpace, and Amazing Structures. The kids were less than thrilled with the Farmyard. Gee, I wonder why? They were probably afraid someone was going to tell them to grab a feed bucket.

The next day was Tim's surgery. I can't thank Bev enough. She is a friend of a friend who gave up her day to take three of my kids and three of her grandkids around for the day. The weather was finally nice, and the kids had a great time. This made the day so much easier for me. Tim spent the entire day at the hospital. Kellen and I were there for the afternoon.

The surgery went well. Tim is going to have a nasty scar on his shoulder, but that really is not a big deal. The surgery really doesn't tell us anything until the lab results come back. They will be checking the removed lymph nodes and tissue surrounding the original melanoma to see if the cancer had spread. The odds are in our favor, but we'll be waiting about a week before we know what happens next.

Again, I want to thank all of you have helped us in so many ways! We have a wonderful community of support!

Hurry Up and Wait

2011-03-26T07:48:00.000-04:00

Last week we made a quick trip to Durham, NC to see a surgeon at Duke. We knew going into the trip that our appointment was a consultation only, but we were really hoping that they would be able to do the surgery while we were there. No such luck.

The surgeon was very nice. He examined Tim, and explained what needed to happen next, a larger removal of tissue around the melanoma, and a sentinel lymph node biopsy. We knew this going in, but he did explain it in a little more detail. They couldn't schedule surgery until April first though. So, back we go next week.

We were supposed to go to The Midwest Homeschool convention to see Tim Hawkins April first, but that isn't going to happen now. Since we are missing that, this time we are going to go a few days early, and take the kids with us to North Carolina. They still want to see Tim Hawkins, but are happy to be able to go with us this time. Nolan, who has been asking to stay in a hotel for about a year now, is particularly happy.

The odds are greatly in our favor that no more melanoma will be found, and the only treatment that will be needed after the surgery is regular and close follow up with our local dermatologist. Of course, that is what we are hoping and praying for. If that is the case, perhaps we could have done all this local, but we are making the trips to Duke in case there is more to it than that. Duke has the experts in melanoma. It is worth the extra effort for that peace of mind.

Thank you again for all your well wished, prayers, and support. It means so much us.

The Bare Facts

2011-03-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

As many of you know our family is facing yet another major bump in this road we call life. In my head, while driving, washing dishes, or folding laundry, I've half written a dozen different ways of writing about this challenge here on the blog. The reality is I don't have the time (things are happening so fast,) or the mental capacity at this point to put a well thought out post together. Also bits of information have been shared here and there, but we haven't been able to contact everyone we should or would like to. So here is what is going on in the bare facts.

Tim had what looked like a mole start to change and to look strange. He called and made a Dr. appointment, and ended up at the dermatologist. She removed the spot on Monday March 14th. We didn't think anything of it. Tim has had several moles removed before.

Thursday the 17th, Tim was at work, and I was out running errands when he called and said that the Dr. called and wanted to see both of us in her office that day. You know that can't be good news, and this was no exception to the rule. It wasn't a mole. It was skin cancer; melanoma.

She said that the next step was a PET scan, and then a surgical procedure to check the skin round the area and remove the next set lymph nodes to check them. The results of those two procedures will "stage" the cancer, and determine what comes next as far as treatment. She scheduled the PET scan here, but recommended that we go to Duke for the rest.

An appointment was set for next Wednesday, the 30th, at Duke, and plans were being made. Today Duke called me to say they could get Tim in this Wednesday, and we decided we should take it. Today Tim had his PET scan, and we both spent the day rearranging everything for us to be gone a week earlier than planned. Tonight the Dr. called to let us know that the PET scan came back clear. It is fantastic news, but it does not mean he is in the clear. The surgical procedure and pathology report will determine if the cancer was just in the skin that was removed or if it had spread.

We are off to NC early Wednesday morning. Tim's parents have been able to get vacation time to come here to stay with the kids. Between them and my mom, who happened to be on vacation this week while my brother's kids are visiting, the kids will still be able to go to testing and the other things we already had scheduled this week.

Our appointment Wednesday is only a consultation. It is not the surgical procedure. Our dermatologist, Dr. Touma, who by the way has been fantastic through this, says the procedure needs to happen even with the clear PET scan. Basic explanation, the PET scan would catch big things. The pathology report will catch things the PET can't. Best case scenario for our trip to Duke is to meet with the Dr. on Wednesday, and for them to schedule the procedure for this week while we are already there. And of course then for all the results to come back negative.

We greatly appreciate all the wonderful friends and family who are praying for us, and bending over backwards to make this trip doable for us on such a short notice. We are greatly blessed!

I Can Only Blame Myself

2011-03-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

I like to cook, and I like to bake. I enjoy the process almost as much as I enjoy the finished product. I've been cooking for a long time, and I learned to cook mostly from scratch. There was a period in our marriage where money was very tight. During this time, I learned to cook just about everything from scratch. It was a habit that stuck with me.

Just about all of our meat, and many of the vegetables we eat are raised here. Almost everything is made from scratch. I don't make my own bread, pasta, or cheese. I'm sure if you went through my cupboards you might find a few things that technically I could make myself, but in general meals are created from scratch here, not from a box. Our meals are more economical, healthy, and tasty I think. Apparently, the family agrees on the tasty part.

Even so, we all enjoy convenience every now and then. When I can match up the right sale with the right coupons, I do not hesitate to buy a few meals in a box to use in a pinch. I mean kids love that stuff right? Not these kids.

The last week or so I've needed some convenience at meal time. One day for lunch I pulled out some frozen pizzas. I told the kids we were having pizza for lunch, and they were very excited, until they walked into the kitchen. When they saw the pizzas, their faces dropped, and they said, "Oh, that kind of pizza." They ate them, but about half way through the meal Lydia looks at me and says, "Mom, I really wish you would have made homemade pizza."

A few days later I made pancakes for lunch from a high end organic mix a friend had given me when her family went gluten free. The first question I got as the kids came in the kitchen was, "You made them from a mix?!" Again, they ate them, but made it very clear they prefer pancakes from scratch.

And on this very same day, about the same time, Tim tells the world that microwave meals I bought were "utter crap." Then he asks me to make larger meals so he has leftovers to take to work.

Perhaps I should take it as a compliment that the family prefers my cooking to convenience food, and I do. But I think I've created my own monsters.

This Little Piggy Went to School

2011-03-16T07:19:00.063-04:00

We love to share the farm with others. We've given tours to families. We've hosted workshops on processing chickens, and we've invited our homeschool group to come and visit the farm. It is as much fun for us, as it for those who are visiting.

Long range, we'd love to open up the farm to the public more. I wish we could host field trips, but there are a few things that need work and a few thing that need cleaned up before we'd feel comfortable allowing a bus load of children (whose families are not there and whom we don't know) to come roam the farm. Maybe someday, but we're not quite ready now. But we can bring a little of the farm to the kids.

I received a phone call from the basketball coach at a local private school. She was planning a promotion for the basketball program. Part of what she wanted to do was encourage students to attend the basketball games. If they could fill up the gym, then the headmaster would kiss a pig. She wanted to know if we had a pig available for a smooch. It just so happened that we had a litter of pigs just about the right size. They were big enough to take from momma pig for awhile, but small enough they could still be held and handled. Later a fund raising aspect was added that got two teachers kissing pigs, and finally the kindergarten teacher asked if we could come a little early to show the pig to her class. That was the best part!

Our pigs are not tame. Catching one to take was a challenge in itself, but we did it. Since it was a particularly muddy week, I brought the pig in and gave it a shower. After sufficiently drying the pig off, we let it roam around the house a little while I wondered what I had actually gotten myself into.

The kids in the class were so excited for the pig. The pig did not feel the same. She was happiest wandering around the room, and that is what she did. She mostly kept to hiding under the tables sniffing at the crumbs left from snack time. The students behaved excellently, and sat patiently in a circle on the floor while I told them a few things about pigs, and the pig explored the room. Eventually the pig felt more comfortable and came into the group of kids for a few minutes at a time. They loved it, and we all laughed when the pig started rooting at Vivian's shoes. Apparently, the shoes smelled like home to the pig.

The big event was loud. It was fun, and a little crazy, but the pig did well with it. The teachers and headmaster graciously accepted their pig kissing status, and the kids absolutely loved it. Check out the pictures from the local newspaper article, Covenant School headmaster, teachers kiss pig for fundraiser, to see what I mean.

We may not be ready to bring schools to the farm, but taking a little of the farm to a school was a fun and rewarding experience. I'm so glad that we did!

Princess Vivi

2011-03-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

Vivian is the self proclaimed princess of this house and the 100 Acre Wood. This self proclamation does not sit well with her siblings who are constantly reminding her that she is not really a princess. Personally, I think the description fits, and enjoy seeing the look on Vivian's face, not to mention the looks on the other kids' faces, when I call her My Princess Vivi.

The other day Viv and Nolan were playing together in the living room. I was in the laundry room and was unable to hear all of the conversation over the noise of the washer and dryer, but it was obvious the topic of conversation was Vivian's royal status.

Soon I hear the pitter patter of little feet behind me. As I turn and look there is Vivian spurting out, "Mom, are princesses real?" And of course they are, so I answered her in the affirmative. I barely got the word "yes" out of my mouth and she was sprinting back to the living room.

A few minutes later, I hear the sound of two determined foot steps stomping toward me. As I turn to look at Nolan and Vivian, I am again asked by Vivian, "Mom are princesses real?" My answer hasn't changed, "Yes, Vivian princesses are real." How I wish I would have had a camera to capture her smug look toward her brother coupled simultaneously with his look of utter disbelief.

Always a quick thinker, Nolan asks, "Does West Virginia have a princess?" My response, "No." was quickly followed by a complete reversal of their looks to one another. Making sure he covers all the bases he continues, "Does America have a princess?" And of course I must answer, "No," but I couldn't let him get off that easy. I added, "But other countries do have real princesses." Not to be outdone he says, "Well only really small unimportant countries." I responded, "No, not really, England has princesses."

At this Vivian finally gets a word in to say, "See princesses are real, and I am one of them!" With this statement she turned on her heal and walked regally out of the room. The discussion was over.

Spring?????

2011-02-28T11:07:00.000-05:00

The daffodils are budding. I heard frogs and birds singing this morning. There is mud everywhere. We've had thunderstorms, and this morning it was almost 70 degrees out. I know the warm temperatures aren't going to last, but all signs point to spring! I am so excited!

Game Over - A creative writing assignment by Kellen

2011-02-27T18:18:00.001-05:00

"Game Over", the TV screen blared. I had just died AGAIN; but just in time for I was playing my 15 year old Nintendo 64 before my family and I went to a friend's house. "What ever." I thought, because our friends have a Wii! I look forward to this every week, a night of fun, talking, and video games! As we leave our house, I think, "This is going to be EPIC!" My prediction comes true that night, for after about 5 hours of hanging out we start home. As we drive, I think, "I need a Wii."

The next day after school, I call a meeting of children, and propose, "We're going to get a Wii!" "Yeah!" W00T!", and "Boo-yah!" where some of the responses I got. We pooled our money together, and ended up having about $30. As the Wii cost about $265, we had a ways to go. So, we sold stuff, and sold stuff and sold stuff, and ended at about $100, still a ways to go. We scoured the house for change, drew one of those thermometer chart thingy-ma-bobs to watch our progress grow. We sold more stuff, earned money and had about $150; still a ways to go.

We dreamed. We picked out which games we were going to get. We kept moving up the chart. Then, nothing; absolutely nothing. We couldn't find work, got all the change in the house, sold all our stuff that we were willing to part with. We thought we would never get the $115 that we needed. Therefore we waited, and waited for nothing, or something, or anything! Then we got $70 dollars in change our grandparents had put in a piggy bank since we were little. Then we were celebrating! Just $45 dollars to our goal! Then we went through another week of nothing. As I watched TV one Friday, it hit me! We still had over $60 dollars in Wal-Mart gift cards!

On Saturday we called the bank, as most of our money was coins, we needed cash. They said, "Yeah, just bring them down, we can cash them." We drive down, but they lied! They wouldn't take our coins. Therefore we went to Coinstar, the coin to cash machine! Armed with bills, and gift cards we went to Wal-Mart. As the cashier checked us out, I was literally bouncing with excitement! As I held it on the way home, I was visualizing the games. When we got home, and Dad set it up I turned it on and played, and played, and played, and played for 7 hours to be exact. I played and loved my Wii and still do as I play it to this day.

A Trip Down Memory Lane - Like a Momma Bird

2011-02-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Originally posted in 2006, this is one of my favorites, and one whose moral I try to remember daily.

Outside, on our make shift patio, a bird built a nest in one of my baskets. She may be a wren, but we aren't sure. There were four eggs in it. We watched her sit on those eggs. Then we saw four babies, so ugly they were cute; no feathers, just skin and beaks. We watched the momma feed them while the dad sang a few yards away, trying to divert our attention away from the nest and precious contents. We watched them grow and now they are gone.

I watched them a lot. I could see the nest out my kitchen window, and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen! Awhile ago, momma started placing the food just a bit outside the nest, encouraging her babies to venture out to get it. It struck me how the instinct given to her is so amazing. She seems to know just what to do. It got me thinking about parenting.

The momma has nurtured those babies, keeping them warm in the eggs, bringing food, and keeping up the nest. The parents have guarded and protected their young, yet all the while preparing them for one thing, to leave the nest.

Are we preparing our young to leave the nest? Sometimes I think we get too caught up in the daily stuff and lose sight of the goal. It is hard to imagine the kids as adults. Hard to see past the dishes, diapers, and laundry. Hard to find the balance of nurture and discipline. Hard to know exactly what each little one needs to learn before venturing into that big wide world. Momma bird seemed to have the perfect balance. I know baby humans are much more complicated than baby birds, but isn't that our ultimate goal; to train our kids to be adults, to function on their own?

It strikes me that God gave momma bird the instincts she needs to train her young. I wish it was as easy for us humans, but I guess that is by design. Raising our kids is yet another area of life that we simply can not do alone. We are not enough. We have to rely on Him and teach our kids to do the same. Find our strength and wisdom in Him and teach our kids to do the same. To trust that He will work all things together for the good and teach our kids the same.

A Quiet Week on the Farm

2011-02-24T17:16:00.000-05:00

It has been a quiet week on the farm. Nothing too exciting to talk about, and a lot of times that is a good thing. It has been a rainy dreary week that makes me just want to sit on the couch with a book all day. Not that I've actually done that, but I sure have wanted too.

Tuesday Tim took the kids to Homeschool Day at the Capital. It is a day for homeschoolers in our state to come together, present a little about homeschooling, and learn about our state government. While there my family toured the Supreme Court, and performed with our homeschool band. Tim is the band director. They had a great time. I stayed home with the youngest two because Vivian was sick. Thankfully, her illness was just a twenty-four hour thing.

We've started some more seeds, and we even had a tiny window of opportunity to till the garden. An opportunity that we missed. It happens the same way every year. Many of the cold weather vegetables can be planted very soon. In fact, I know people who already have some things in. Our soil is heavy, and stays wet a long time. I start watching for the garden to be tillable mid-February. It could have been tilled last Sunday while I was at work and Tim was at church. In fact, Tim planned to till it when he got home. It started raining while he was at church. It was down pouring by the time he got home. It has rained daily since, and I see more rain in the ten day forecast. Not looking good for my early crops. I miss them every year, and by the time we dry out enough to till it is late for things like peas.

We cut the youngest litter of pigs this week, downsized the sheep population by one, and took a load of metal to the recyclers. Metal prices are up, and we have a lot of scrap metal around here. We are hoping to get as much in while the prices are high as we can.

There really is no typical week around the farm. There are always lots of different things going on depending on the season. There are exciting times. There are frustrating times. There are sad times. Every now and then there are quiet times. They don't happen often, but it is kind of nice when they do.

The picture really doesn't have anything to do with this post, but isn't a post always better with a picture? It was taken last Saturday (the last sunny day we've had) by Dusty Hurley of Love Happiness Photography while she was visiting the farm. This impromptu family portrait is only of part of the family as Tim was at work and Vivian was shopping with Mamaw.

Want to Take a Ride?

2011-02-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

A Trip Down Memory Lane - Starting Seeds

2011-02-18T07:28:00.000-05:00

The weather has been gorgeous here this week, and I have the gardening itch bad. The outside garden itself is too wet to till. I am waiting patiently (sort of.) My gardening activities now are limited to clean up outside and starting seeds indoors. We start our seed in our bath tub. Below is a post from February 2009 explaining how we set it up. We have since added more lights and reflective blankets to use the sides of the tubs too. You may note that it is now 2011, and the bathroom still hasn't been remodeled. There are always too many farm projects to get done to worry about the house. Besides it is working out great to start my spring seeds, and it is a great conversation starter when someone, especially someone who knows this story, comes to visit and notices the glow from my bathroom.

When we bought this house, the master bathroom needed quite a bit of TLC. We made some repairs, and started on a remodel. House projects are not top priority around here. They are superseded by farm and garden projects. The bath remodel went slowly. After being here for a summer, we realized that what would really be best for that space was a major re-haul involving removing the garden tub, expanding the laundry room, and creating a breezeway to a garage the currently does not exist.

Needless to say, that project has not even approached the top of the to do list yet. In the meantime, we are left with a very ugly bath room, and a garden tub that we do not use. I thought the tub would be the perfect place to start some seeds.

It was space we weren't using. It is an out of the way part of the house, and messes from the dirt and watering could simply be washed down the drain. Keeping in mind some tips learned from Phelan's Box and from the recent tutorial at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op, we set out to turn the tub into a seed starter.

Using a gift card, we picked up two fluorescent shop lights and some ceiling hooks. Tim put the hooks in the ceiling. Then he attached the lights using twine. The lights were hung very low, and will be adjusted upwards as the plants grow. We used twine because it was freely available to us. If you have to buy something, chains may be a little easier to work with.

Next, we wanted to use something reflective on the bathtub sides, to help the plants get all the light they can. What you see in the photo is a solar blanket. This is an item that we once used on back packing trips. They aren't expensive, and this particular blanket, although still very reflective, was pretty much shot for use in backpacking. I cut the blanket in half so the bottom of the tub would not be covered and water could still drain.

Lamb Recipes

2011-02-15T19:02:00.001-05:00

Lamb is a popular meat world wide, except for here in the United States. It is so delicious. It is a red meat which we Americans love, and it is nutritious. I wonder why it has not been popular in this country.

In fact, I actually wondered that in a Facebook status a while back and got some good feedback.

#1 The cost.
Yes, lamb is more expensive. The cost of lamb puts it in the category of a special occasion meat for most family budgets. I know it would be if we didn't raise it ourselves.

#2 Never Had It
Well that is an easy fix. Go try it. But then we get back to #1. Most of us aren't going to spend the money on pricey meat we aren't sure we'll like. *sigh* I wish I could invite you all over to try some lamb.

#3 Didn't Like It.
What??? Lamb is tender. It has a wonderful flavor that isn't too strong. I don't know how you could not like it, unless you just don't like red meat in general. But then a friend pointed out, and I think he is likely right, that perhaps people have actually tried mutton, not lamb, and not liked it. That does make perfect sense.

When comes to sheep a little bit of time makes a huge difference in taste. Lamb is a sheep less than a year old. It has a wonderful flavor. Mutton is a sheep over a year old. Mutton has a stronger taste. The older the sheep the stronger the taste. At its worst it tastes almost a metallic. I do not like it at all.

So people, if you try lamb make sure it is really and truly lamb. Lamb will make your mouth water. Mutton does not sit well on the unaccustomed American pallet.

Those were the main objections to eating lamb. Well, except those who said lambs are just too cute. Lambs are terribly cute, but then so are calves, piglets, and chicks. They all are adorable, but then they grow up and lose their visual attraction to become much more attractive steaks, hams, chicken, and lamb chops on our dinner tables.

Cooking lamb really isn't much different than cooking other red meats. In fact, I use beef, venison, pork, and lamb interchangeably in a lot of our meals. The techniques are essentially the same. The tastes are a bit different, and different herbs and spices may work a little better with one than the other. The differences are subtle. If you can cook beef, you need not be afraid of cooking lamb.

A couple of tips about lamb. It pairs well with mint. It will get tough and dry if cooked to well done. Lamb will also cool quickly. Keep it moist and hot by cooking it to medium at the most, and serving it with the cooking liquid.

Curried Lamb Chops
I fix lamb chops on the grill most times, but last week I was in the mood for curry. Lamb pairs well with curry. I tried to look for a recipe, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, and ended up combining two recipes to create the dish you see on the left. Below is how I made it.

Lamb Chops
Oil
Curry Powder (or make your own)
2 Carrots chopped
1 Head of Broccoli chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 C Flour
4 C milk

Heat about 2 TB of oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sprinkle both sides of the chops with curry powder. Brown chops in hot skillet for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove chops. Add onion to skillet and sautee until onions begin to soften. Add carrots and broccoli. cook about five minutes. Sprinkle flour over the pan contents. Stir and cook about a minute. Add milk slowly stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer and add the chops back to the pan. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes for medium cooked chops. Serve over rice.

Leg of Lamb
If this were pork, it would be an unsmoked ham. My favorite way to do any large piece of meat is in the crock pot. Season it. Turn on the crock pot and forget about it until dinner. This particular leg half is about five pounds, and is seasoned with salt, pepper, and mint. It cooked in the crock pot for about 8 hours on low.

I love how tender meats come out cooked this way. Crockpot roasts aren't quite as visually appealing because the meat doesn't brown nicely. You can sear the outside of the roast in a hot skillet first to brown the meat. Or if you want to roast the leg, do so at 325 for about 30 minutes per pound for medium.

I thoroughly enjoy lamb. It is certainly an under rated meat in this country. I encourage you to give lamb a try if you have the opportunity. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

You Might Have to Be a Farmer to Understand

2011-02-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

You might have to be a farmer to understand the dread that comes on a frigid morning when there are new babies on the farm. You've given them straw, and provided heat lamps. You've done everything you know how to do to keep those fragile little ones warm.

Though you try your best, sometimes when the temperatures have plummeted into the teens or lower, you go out in the morning to find your best wasn't good enough. Then you get to spend the day with a pit in your stomach wondering what you could have/ should have done differently to help that little one make it through the bitter night.

You might have to be a farmer to understand the overwhelming sense of relief when your morning goes differently. You've dreaded going out, afraid of what you might find. You've approached the buildings where the brand new babies reside, and hesitated at the door. You've cautiously approached the pen, and glanced quickly to see if you spot any babies that have fallen overnight. Relieved, you take a closer look. You might even start counting to double check that everyone is accounted for, and then there is an audible sigh of relief as you realize that they all made it through the night.

This morning was such a morning. *sigh*

The Farm Project of the Day

2011-02-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

I think one thing that you may never expect about farm life is that there really is no such thing as a boring routine. Just when you think you know what you're doing the farm shakes things up. Maybe the chicks you're expecting in the mail don't come on the day you plan. Maybe you get an unseasonal bitter cold snap. Maybe the sow you knew would farrow soon, but hoped would wait a day or two for better weather, will farrow on the most bitter night in weeks. Likely, all of these things and more will happen together in the same 24 - 48 hours.

That has been the last couple of days here. It has been bitter. The lows have plummeted into the teens with the highs in the upper twenties. We lost a lamb, likely due to the cold. Tim was home yesterday, and we spent the day working on projects, some of which didn't go as planned and didn't get finished. Lydia, Kellen and I spent most of the morning getting the brooder pen ready for chicks. Since we were expecting the chicks yesterday, that project really should have been completed, but that is how it goes sometimes. We were working under the buzzer, expecting the Post Office to call any minute to let us know the chicks needed to be picked up. We got the project done, and spent the afternoon hanging close to the phone waiting for it to ring. It never did.

The call got me out of bed this morning. I grabbed a bagel and a cup of coffee from the pot Tim made before he left for work. Then I woke Kellen up just enough to let him know where I was going, and off I went. I got the chicks, got them settled and did my morning chores.

Then it was time to motivate the children to get their morning chores complete, and to start on school. After I finally got them back on task, I sat down to Facebook and to contemplate what I wanted to get done today. There are lots of projects that need worked on, and I knew I would want to be able to check frequently on the chicks. I was concerned about them staying warm enough in this weather. As I was considering the options for the day, Kellen burst in the front door with a piglet all wrapped up in his hat.

He had found it in the outside part of the sows' pens. There was some confusion about whose piglet this was, and how it got there. Turns out the sow who we thought would farrow any day, and hoped would wait for better weather, farrowed last night. This piglet, and one who was not so fortunate, somehow made their way into the wrong pen. Well, as often is the case, the farm determined my plan for today. Today's project had become newborn pig care.

This piglet had me worried. She was very weak and cold. We wrapped her up, held her close, and still could not get her stop shivering. She had almost no sucking reflex, and we ended up giving her Kick Start with an eye dropper. Lydia held her almost all through school, and named her Charlotte. We kept her wrapped up and laid her near a sunny window. She slept for a couple of hours then still shivering off and on.

When she woke up the change was remarkable. She got up and walked around, and nosed at things like any healthy piglet will do.

Then she started the grunt that means, "I want food." She went after the bottle with vigor, and then promptly fell back asleep. I am not saying she is home free, but I am very pleased with her progress. Now, the hard part will be getting Lydia to let me put the pig back with its mom.

Ah, farm life, it keeps you hopping, and makes life interesting.

Because Underwear Really Isn't That Important

2011-02-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

Once upon what seems like another lifetime, I had the laundry in my home under control. I faithfully would gather all the laundry in the house, and have it washed, dried, folded, and put away in a matter of a day, or sometimes two if we had a lot going on. Somewhere along the years of adding children, animals, and activities, I have lost all control over the piles of dirty laundry.

Loads of laundry are still washed, dried, folded, and mostly put away, but on a more sporadic basis. No longer is laundry gathered religiously for laundry day. The motivation for starting laundry is no longer the day of the week. It more often is the pleading of a family member claiming that they have no clean pants, shirts, or sometimes even underwear. The rule has now become if you need clean clothes, and are over the age of ten, wash it yourself. If you're under the age of ten, get your laundry to the laundry room for mom to wash if you have any hope of ever having clean clothes.

The other day Vivian (4) says to me, "Mom, I don't have any clean underwear." With I sigh, I realized this means I must do some laundry even though I had other plans for the day. I went to the laundry room to sort out the laundry that was already there, and sent her to gather laundry in her room. I found a few articles to fill her need in the laundry I sorted, and added some other items and started a load.

She brought me the laundry from the hamper she shares with her sister. I was not surprised to find relatively few items of her clothing in the basket, and not a single pair of her underwear. Strange as this may seem, there is a perfectly logical explanation for the phenomenon. Lydia actually puts her dirty clothes into the hamper. Vivian drops the dirty clothes wherever she happens to change. The true mystery here is how any of Vivian's clothes actually ended up in the hamper.

I thanked her for bringing the laundry, and then explained the situation, "You'll have to pick up your laundry from the floor if you want me to wash any of it." She seemed to understand what I was saying, and we both went along with our day.

Later, when the first load was done and I was ready to put in another load containing her needed items, she had yet to pick her laundry up from the floor and bring it to me. When I again explained to her that she needed to pick up her laundry from the floor before I could wash her underwear, she said to me, "Ah, I really don't need underwear that much."

I think it is a sad statement of the state of our household when my four year old would rather go without underwear than put forth the effort to pick up her dirty clothes.

The Creative Writing of a 12 Year Old Boy

2011-02-04T12:31:00.002-05:00

I awaken in a small dark room, my brothers, squished up against me. They have not yet awoken. I hear a loud THUD, THUD, it goes. Then very suddenly I am bathed in a shower of light. I am rudely handled by strange beings. I am being moved. I see a small red box, covered in blood with a hole just big enough to fit my head into. Then I am thrust towards the hole. As I am inside the hole, I hear the great WHRRRRR of motors spinning blades. My head is being whittled into a point that exposes my spine. I pass out from the pain. I get jerked awake by the movement of someone pulling me. I feel my head and my spine is whittled into a sharp point. I see a white sheet, and I am thrust towards that sheet. My spine is pressed up on the sheet and rubbed back and forth in a seemingly random pattern. After what seems like hours, I am put back in the box with my brothers. Resigned, I rest for tomorrow, and the continuing of my life as a pencil.

Spoon Rolls

2011-02-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

Winter time around here means there a lot of soups and stews on the menu. They are warm, easy, satisfying and nutritious. The perfect compliment to a steaming pot of homemade soup is warm homemade bread. What is chili without homemade cornbread? Beef stew must have homemade biscuits or dumplings, and sometimes yeast rolls are what my mouth is craving. Unfortunately, that craving often comes after it is too late to get yeast rolls done for dinner. Luckily, we have a reasonable alternative, spoon rolls.

My sister-in-law gave me a recipe for Harrow Road Spoon Rolls years ago. If I remember correctly, this is a recipe from a restaurant in Tennessee where her family is from. They have more flavor than a biscuit, and a lighter texture than cornbread. Spoon rolls aren't exactly a yeast roll. They are perfect though when you're short time, but want a delicious homemade bread to go with dinner.

Harrow Road Spoon Rolls
1 TB yeast
2 1/4 C. lukewarm water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C. sugar
2/3 C. melted butter
4 C. self rising flour (1 C self rising flour = 1 C flour + 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder + 1/8 tsp. salt)
2 TB cornmeal

Add yeast to lukewarm water and stir. Mix together egg, sugar, and butter. Add yeast mixture. Add flour and cornmeal. Mix by hand with a wire whisk until well blended. Do not use an electric mixer. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool in pans about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Dough can be kept covered with foil in refrigerator. It gets better with age. (or so I've been told I always bake it all right away.)

Thanks!

2011-02-03T07:55:00.000-05:00

We have incredible people around us. Often times I get caught up in the responsibilities and plans of the farm, and take for granted those that support us. I want to take a moment to say thank you.

We have incredible neighbors who have been instrumental in getting this farm going from the beginning. In the last six months, they have done even more. There are a lot of things that wouldn't have gotten done around here without their help and advice. We are so blessed to have moved next to them.

I am blown away by the support of friends and customers. Not only do these people buy our products, they also tell their friends about our farm as much as we do! We've been connected to people through mutual friends more times than I can count. We are so grateful.

It is a wonderful feeling to be supported by our community. Thank you!

The Secret

2011-01-28T14:39:00.000-05:00

We've had a whole lot of winter this year, too much. This picture was taken Wednesday. Last night we got another three inches. We are covered in snow.

Winter weather came early this year, and it has stayed. Snow in the winter is normal here. It sticking around is not. I haven't kept an official count, but I bet the number of days without snow on the ground since December could be counted on two hands.

Thankfully this time around it isn't horribly cold. In fact, it is great winter play weather. Just cold enough to keep the snow, but not so cold that you have to bundle up like an Eskimo to go out.

Unfortunately, the kids have also had enough of winter. They've sledded. They built snowmen. There have been forts and snowballs, but the thrill is gone. Even though the weather is great (for winter,) they have no desire to go out and play. Unless there is a video camera involved.

I'm not sure what the attraction is, but apparently middle school students love to video themselves. My nephew Miles has a bunch of short videos of himself doing silly things posted on YouTube, and Kellen loves to help him make them. Those two are quite a pair.

Today, Miles had a snow day and is here with us. When I informed all the kids that after lunch they were all going out to play, I was met with groans and sighs and complaining. They didn't care when I promised that the snow was great for packing, and the temperature was perfect for sledding. No, they didn't get excited until Miles and Kellen realized that they could go outside and make videos in the snow.

Out they went after lunch. They made a plan for what they wanted to video. They rehearsed, and then they got the camera. They made videos of an "Epic Sword Fight." There was one of Miles wrestling with the dogs, and then this one of Miles talking about how wonderful winter is. Hmmm funny he didn't think that before the video camera.

They made videos until the camera ran out of charge.

Who knew the secret to getting them to go out and play would be a camera? It isn't exactly what I had in mind for them to do this afternoon, but quite frankly I don't care. It got them out and active, and it got me a little quiet. What else can you ask for?

A Walk Down Memory Lane - Romance

2011-01-27T09:40:00.000-05:00

Tim posted this picture on Facebook today, and asked if we should make it a date for Valentines Day. He is so romantic (as I roll my eyes.) So, today, as I was looking through old posts, I thought this one from February 2006 was very appropriate. I love this man!

If you read Tim's blog you know he said that we aren't very romantic because we don't do anything for Valentines Day. Actually, we don't really celebrate any of the occasions in the typical way. We don't do cards, flowers, or candy. If you do, and enjoy it good for you! Keep doing it. It isn't that I don't like those things, but I tend to be very practical (maybe too much so) and those things really aren't. We do (for some occasions) do small gifts or dinner out (sometimes).

I do think Tim is romantic though. I guess to me "romantic" just means letting me know he loves me. Which he does everyday, not just on Valentines, birthdays, anniversaries or other "special days" Romantic to me is . . .

-Last night he let me take a nap while he made dinner, fed the kids and cleaned up.

-Working his normal week, trying to keep up with endless projects around here and picking up the house too b/c I can't keep up and never complaining!

- After a day of the trying to clean the house with the whole family he says in frustration, "I will always work out of the house, don't ever think we will switch places again. It isn't going to happen!" It made me laugh! Translation - trying to do anything with these kids is hard work. I so appreciate what you do! For those of you who don't know, when Kellen was 2 I worked full time and he stayed home with Kellen and the foster kids we worked with. We switched after Lydia was born. On my most frustrating days I threaten that I am ready to go back to work and he can stay home again.

-He brags about me even when I am not around! (Actually I prefer to not be around for that!)

I could go on but these are just a few examples that popped into my head from the last couple of weeks. So some may look at us and say, "Boring" and some women may be disappointed by the lack of gifts, but I think our life is anything but boring and I am not disappointed. I love my husband and our idea of romance!

Sunday Morning on the Farm

2011-01-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

Wake at the crack of dawn to the sound of a goat wanting milked.
Fall back asleep.
Wake again to the sound of children bickering underscored by the cries of a goat wanting milked.
Drag self out of bed in search of coffee.
Husband goes out to feed animals.
Bundle up to go out and shut that goat up.
See brand new lamb.
Smile.
Milk goat.
See lamb is not nursing well.
Milk sheep.
Attempt to bottle feed lamb.
Worry about lamb.
Ask husband and daughter to check on lamb frequently today.
Help get family ready and out the door for church.
Take a deep breath, and enjoy the quiet.
Ingest caffeine and vitamin C in preparation for the day ahead.
Try and convince self to get off the computer and go get ready for work.

(Obviously still working on that last one.)

Pigs are Amazing.

2011-01-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

That room looks like a pig sty. He eats like a hog. Fat Hog. Pearls Before Swine. Lipstick on a Pig.....

Poor piggies, they get a bad rap. Now, those sayings are rooted in the truth, but our colloquial sayings have somehow missed pigs really are quite amazing animals. Though they do wallow in the mud, it is simply a way to cool off because pigs do not sweat. They really are quite clean, and will potty train themselves. They are smart and trainable. But the most amazing thing about pigs is that they breed like rabbits.

Sows can be bred twice a year. Their gestation is about 3 and half months. They give birth to relatively tiny piglets each weighing about three pounds. The photo below is of a larger than average litter of 24 hour old pigs. It is normal to lose a piglet or two in the first couple days, but on average a sow will raise up eight piglets in each litter.

And piglets eat like pigs from day one. They grow quickly, and in addition to momma sow's milk, will nose around in the feed in the first couple days. The piglet below is two weeks old.

We normally wean at about 8 weeks or so depending on the time of year and our breeding schedule. The piglets continue to put away the food, and grow seemingly before your eyes. In a mere six months they have gone from piglet of a few pounds to tipping the scales at around 250 pounds.

At this point they are ready for the freezer, and momma sow has either had another litter or will soon. That is a whole lot of pork production. . . delicious ham, bacon, chops, sausage....oh excuse me I think I just got lost in dreams of pork fat.

And before you tell me how fatty and bad pork is for you, please know that pork raised here, pork that is pastured is a lot leaner and contains a lot less of the bad fat than pork that has been raised indoors and exclusively on feed. It seems that the studies on this are just beginning, but you can tell when you cook it that is much leaner than the store bought pork you're used to.

So say what you might about pigs. Here, we are living high on the hog.

Our Family Christmas

2011-01-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

It has become tradition for the Miller's to be untraditional for Christmas. I can't remember when exactly it started, but I do believe it was before we moved to West Virginia, that the Miller's do not get together for Christmas. We get together after Christmas. When we started celebrating later we kidded that we were only following tradition by celebrating Amish Christmas, but since then our celebration has moved even further away from the traditional date to Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

Waiting until later has its advantages. The primary one is that all the other Christmas gatherings are done. Families don't have to pick and choose who they are going to visit with, or run around from one place to the other on Christmas day. The kids who are in public school have Monday and sometimes Friday off which makes for a nice long weekend for the family gathering.

This year we were missing some family. Their absence was felt, and made our celebration feel a little off at times. But with nine kids in the house there really wasn't much time (or quiet) to reflect on the absences.

The cousins played and played and played. Nolan and Jude are especially close, and it was hard to find them apart. Saturday was our big celebration day. We had a big breakfast of pancakes with strawberry topping and sausage. Then we opened presents, and got everyone cleaned up quick to head to the movie theater. Since someone looked at the movie times wrong....we had a bit of time to kill. We shopped at a local bookstore that had tons of books marked down to $1. I brought a bag of books home with me. Then we saw Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

After the movie it was time for the best part of our gathering. Not holding much to traditional holiday foods, we have Seafood Stew every Christmas along with homemade rolls, and cheesecake. Eating great food is better than presents any day in my book! The kids may not agree.

Below are a few pictures from our morning. And yes, that is my real Christmas tree still up. I'd like to say that I carefully preserved it in order to have it up for our celebration. Truth is I just never took the time to take it down. It is starting to look pretty sorry.

A Trip Down Memory Lane - Life Language Live

2011-01-17T07:11:00.005-05:00

I plan to take a trip down memory lane every so often to revisit some my favorite stories or important events here on the farm. This story was originally shared in February 2006. I have since changed my mind about Nolan being a doer. He did help me in this case, but I now think that was a responder responding to please me. Of course, Vivian was not yet born. She is the true doer. Anyway, it is a still a story that makes me smile.

I realize some of you don't know what Life Languages are. I think you will still enjoy this story, just think of it as the difference in kids instead of Life Languages. I am just telling it to you this way because it is exactly what I thought of as it happened.

Just for a quick intro though, Life Languages is about our communication style. It is like a personality test only much more in depth and accurate. The test is helpful, but the workshop was where it really clicked. Tim & I attended a workshop almost three years ago. I can't tell you how much it helped us understand each other. (And we had been married for about 8 years at that point) Here is the website if you would like an overview of the languages.

The cast
Kellen age 7 Influencer - Lydia age 4 Resposnder - Nolan age 1 1/2 Doer - Me Doer/Shaper - Tim Influencer/Responder The kids haven't actually taken the test. This is just what we think they are!

Yesterday (before Tim came home) I left the three kids in the kitchen with snacks and drinks. (big mistake!) I was in the next room on the computer. I was gone maybe two minutes when Kellen comes running full speed out of the kitchen yelling, "I have to get out of there, AAAH, I can't be in there!" He ran all the way to the other side of the house.

Now most moms probably would have gone running into the kitchen to see what happened expecting something horrible. What would you expect? Barf, blood, poop, maybe Nolan eating his snot? Well, I know my son and the Influencer's flair for drama and I didn't move from the computer. I sat thinking, "Oh now what!" Then I told him (ok I was probably yelling) to walk back in here and tell me what happened. He walks back still saying, "I can't go in there!" and we go into the kitchen together.

What was going on in my kitchen? What horrible thing could cause such a reaction from a seven year old? It was spilt milk. Yes, one glass of milk spilt on the table and dripping off both sides. Oh the horror!

What, you may wonder, were the other two children doing? Miss Responder, who was still sitting at the table eating her chips, looks at me sweetly and says, "I am sorry mommy. I knocked my cup reaching for more chips." (note: she didn't get up to DO anything about the problem) My little Doer is pointing at the mess like "Look what happened" Ok, he didn't do anything (yet) either but he is 1 1/2!

So, I am explaining (yes I think I was still yelling at this point) to Kellen for 1000th time that his reaction would be appropriate for maybe a cut off finger, someone throwing up or Nolan pooping on the floor (it has happened!) It was not an appropriate reaction to milk being spilled. As I am explaining this, I have gotten several rags out of the cupboard and am wiping up some of the milk. I continue to say (as Lydia munches on chips) that next time they should either grab a rag and start cleaning or calmly tell me what has happened so I can start cleaning.

Then, I look at the other side of the table and there is my little Nolan. He has grabbed one the rags and is wiping up the milk on the floor. Oh, finally a child I can relate to!

Lydia's Birthday

2011-01-14T07:08:00.000-05:00

Lydia turned nine on Wednesday. To celebrate we asked friend to join us at The Pottery Place. The girls had a great time painting their pieces, chatting, and giggling.

The boys had fun too, but they spent less time painting and more time eating!

Adventures in Rendering Lard

2011-01-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

A few trips ago to the butcher with pigs, the butcher asked me if we would like to save the lard from our hog. The word lard brought to my mind the neat little tubs of lard that they sell in the predominantly Amish area in which I grew up. This thought was closely followed by the memory of flaky pie crusts made with lard, and my mouth began to water. Do I want the lard? Oh yes, I do.

You may imagine my surprise when we went to pick up the meat and there were no neat little tubs of lard waiting for me. No, my lard was in the form of big slabs of fat, like the one pictured below. In fact, there was a whole bag of these frozen fat slabs awaiting me. My mother informed me that I had to render the lard to create my own neat little tubs of the stuff. It sounded like work to me.

So, the bag of fat slabs went home with me, and went directly in the freezer. I Googled rendering lard, and browsed a few instructions, and put render lard on my mental, "I'll get to it someday" list. That bag sat in the freezer, and at the bottom of my to do list, for quite some time, about a year I think.

Then a few months ago suddenly there were posts everywhere about people rendering their lard, and I re-discovered that bag of fat slabs in the depths of my freezer, and the kids were out of town with their grandparents for the week. I decided it was meant to be. All these things happening at the same time could only be a sign that it was time to add a little lard to our lives.

To the interwebs I went searching for best way to get the lard that I was seeking. There are 100's of pages out there about rendering lard. You can render it in a large pot on the stove, in a crock pot, in the oven, or in a kettle over a fire. In fact, I think every single page of instructions I read was a little different, but they all involved cutting the slabs of fat into little pieces and applying heat.

So, I cut up some slabs and filled the crockpot. I cut some more and filled a 9x13 baking dish. I cut the rest and filled a pan for the stove, and then I turned on the stove, oven and crockpot to low settings. The heat melts away the fat which eventually boils the bits of meat that are left; the cracklings.

Rendering lard seems to be one of those things you can only eyeball to know when it is done. It is one of those skills that when learning, it would really be nice to have someone next to you who has done it before. I was on my own, and it was a guessing game.

One thing that I somehow missed in all the instructions that I read was how long it takes. It took a long time, much longer than I expected. I started the lard in the afternoon, and by night it still wasn't done. I didn't want to leave the stove and oven on over night. So, I poured off all the melted fat and combined the rest of the fat pieces in the crockpot to cook overnight.

Other people warn of the horrible smell. I didn't really think it was all that bad, until the middle of the night. Maybe it was because I had been in the smell for too long. Maybe it was because a body is not supposed to smell melted pork fat at three AM, but that smell kept me awake that night half nauseous.

By morning I was done with the rendering lard process. The lard really wasn't done rendering, but that is beside the point. As a result, my cracklings were not exactly cracking. The crispy pieces were quite delicious with a bit of salt, but the majority of them were not crispy. Although I found those soft pieces rather revolting, the chickens did not share my opinion. We let them enjoy them. I did later wonder if the premature pour off of the lard contributed to the under cooking of my cracklings. Something to consider on the next lard adventure I guess.

But even with my missteps, five and a half quarts of lard were rendered from my bag of fat slabs. You can see it below in various stages of solidifying.

No mouth watering pie crusts have been made yet, but we've been enjoying our lard in other ways. Instead of frying our eggs and potatoes in butter, we've been using the lard. It makes those things taste delicious, and we've found that a little lard goes a long way. We've also enjoyed making cornbread with it.

It took me awhile to finally tackle those big slabs of fat, but I am glad that I did. Next time though, I will start earlier in the day. I will cook it outside on the camp stove in one pot, and not remove any of the fat until the cracklings are done. The process wasn't perfect, but the results were good. That is all part of the adventure of learning new things.

Little Hams

2011-01-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Six day old piglets. Aren't they cute? They'll be even tastier in six months.

We're Molting

2011-01-08T08:39:00.001-05:00

The weather is nasty. The sun is hiding, and we hens are in a state. It is so stressful on a girl. I'm quite embarrassed at our bedraggled appearance, but this just happens every now and then. It is part of being a hen.

Our apologies to all our fresh egg customers out there, but we just can't produce when we are like this. We are getting a little extra light, and some extra yummy treats with our feed. We're trying to pull ourselves back together, and get back to producing. Thank you for your patience.

Cooking a Skinned Bird

2011-01-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

If you keep chickens, at some point you will have to decide what to do with the hens that are no longer laying. There really are three choices. You can keep them as pets. You can give them to someone else. Or you can use them for meat.

You've already invested a significant amount of time and money in these birds. The most frugal choice is to butcher them to get a little more out of your investment.

And if you've made that choice, the next choice you face is how to process the birds. You could choose the traditional way of plucking the bird, or you can skin the bird and avoid the plucking process. We've tried it both ways. We like skinning best.

Skinning the birds takes a little skill, and a little practice, but once you have it down, it is a very quick process. The end result is cleaner looking, and we don't eat the skin anyway. So, for us skinning the birds just makes sense.

From a cooking perspective though, it is a little different. We are all used to getting whole birds, or really any chicken with the bones, with the skin on. How do you cook a whole chicken with out the skin?

If you are cooking an older hen, the best way to cook it, with or without the skin, is to stew it. Simmer it in a big pot of liquid and spices for a couple hours, let the carcass cool, debone the meat and use it with the broth for dumplings or soup. Or the meat can be used for creamed chicken sandwiches, in casseroles, or chicken salad, and the broth can be reserved for later use (even frozen.) The same result can be achieved in a crock pot using less liquid. Older hens (or roosters) are too tough to be cooked any other way.

We normally skin our younger roosters and our meat birds also. They can be cooked the same as above. The majority of the time I cook them in the crockpot. Adding liquid is not necessary with a younger bird. I just season them, and let them cook. The skinned birds come out of the crockpot tender and moist.

To get the most from your whole chicken, debone it and use it to make many meals. I once challenged myself to see how many meals I could get out of one chicken. This was before we had many chickens. So, the challenge was taken using a store bought bird, but that bird was about the same size as the meat birds we raise now. I stretched that chicken for five meals. See a Stretched Chicken to see what all I made.

Honestly though, I rarely try to stretch a chicken like that anymore. I still like to make the chicken in the crockpot, but now we carve off the meat for a meal. Any remaining meat is picked off and that with the broth are used for soup, or the like, later in the week.

A skinned chicken can also be cooked in the oven. I like to brush it with olive oil, and then add spices depending on my mood. Ginger is one of my favorites, but often I use rosemary, curry, or other spices. Really, a skinned bird can be prepared just as you would a skin on bird for roasting except a skinned bird needs to be covered while it cooks. The end result will look a little different, but the taste is excellent.

To skin or pluck? Both have advantages and disadvantages. Skinning birds is our preferred method of processing. Cooking a skinned whole chicken (or duck) only takes a slight adjustment in your cooking method. The crockpot is my favorite way to produce a tender, moist and tasty bird. The oven works well also if you have a young bird. Sinned birds need to be cooked a little differently, but they produce delicious results.

And now we are farmers - Part Five

2010-12-29T12:06:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing the story of how we came to live on our homestead. This is the final installment. If you missed the beginning, And now we are farmers - Part One, Part Two, Part Three,and Part Four.

And now we are farmers....or are we? Or perhaps we are homesteaders? Maybe just crazy people living in the woods with animals?

When we moved here we really didn't have much of a plan for what the farm would be, or really what we wanted it to be. We had dreams. We had ideas. We wanted animals, and gardens. We wanted to build homes; timber frame for mom and dad, earth bermed for us. We wanted to enjoy the land, the quiet, and a more simple life.

Yes, we had dreams, but we didn't have a plan to follow toward the goal. We came here with one rabbit. We added a dog that fall, and soon we were adding animals left and right. Now we have cows, horses, donkeys, ducks, goats, sheep, cats, dogs, and pigs.

Many of our animals were added because people gave them to us. People gave us chickens, a sheep, and ducks. Some of our animals were purchased at the spur of the moment because we found a really good deal on them. In most cases, the animals came first, and then we figured out fencing and buildings for them.

My dad was a tinkerer. The buildings he designed and built are wonderful. We have a rain collection system tied in to a self water for the chickens. The system also can provide water for other livestock and the garden. The pig house is designed for easy farrowing for the sows, and easy loading at harvest time. He always had wonderful, and big ideas. He also couldn't pass on a good deal. As a result, there were always several projects going at once with pieces and parts of several more waiting in the wings.

I think when we moved here I saw us as providing for ourselves. I really never expected to become farmers selling our goods to the public. We quickly learned though that raising animals is expensive. We like to keep our own breeding stock rather than buying young animals to raise for our use. (I think that desire comes from wanting to be more self sufficient.) For some animals, like pigs, keeping breeding stock automatically results in more meat than we can use.

Over time my thought process about raising animals has changed. I still want to produce enough for us. In a lot of areas we are doing that. We produce all our own meat. In the summer we produce all our vegetables. We are still working on getting a larger variety of vegetables preserved for winter, and adding fruit to our gardens, but we could survive on only what we grow here if we had too.

I realize now, though, that we really do need to sell some of our meat and produce to make it economical to raise our own food. Generally, I'd say that is where we are now. What we raise is mostly done with providing for ourselves in mind. What we sell is the surplus.

Putting our homestead/farm together has been a lot of shoot then aim. It has been a lot of figuring it out as you go. There has been a lot of learning the hard way.

I think now we are at a cross roads in many ways. We are still trying to figure out how to make what we have here work with out my dad. He was the main farmer, and none of us could replace the skills and labor that he put into this place. We have downsized quite a bit, but still have a hard time keeping up with everything.

At the same time, interest in locally grown food is on the rise. We've established a nice customer base, and I think that we could make a transition into raising more specifically for other people, while still providing for us, and perhaps making a little profit. We probably need to focus on a smaller variety of animals.We may need to change some of our garden crops. We might need to rethink how we get our products to the public. We definitely need some goals with a workable plan.

We certainly are crazy people living in the woods with animals. I wouldn't have it any other way. We are homesteaders who started with nothing but the land a mere five years ago, and have made it a place to live and provide for our family. And yes, now we are farmers selling our goods to the public, and contemplating where to go with that.

What will happen in the next five years? I really have no idea.I don't think we will be building houses. I do think we will continue to enjoy the land and the hard work that comes with raising food here. I do think we will still be selling to the public. I guess the big questions are what, where, and how much.

_________________________________________________________

Thank you for joining me in my trip down memory lane, and my bit of reflection on the past five years. This weekend a friend of ours reminded me that there are some very good stories in the archives of this blog. Stories that he still shares with other people. That got me to thinking that maybe some of those stories need to be shared again. I plan to pull out some of my favorites to share with you. I'll be posting my Trip Down Memory Lane every so often. For starters, here are some pictures:

Christmas Ready or Not!

2010-12-24T07:49:00.002-05:00

Here I sit Christmas Eve morning and I can hardly believe that it is already here. In fact, I can hardly believe that it is December. Where has all time gone?

I clearly remember a beautiful summer night. The family was relaxing together with a group of friends. We pulled chairs out onto our host's driveway to watch the fireworks display. It was a wonderful evening.

A few short days later and our lives changed forever. Everything since then is a blur. Since that day there have been a lot of tears. There have been a lot of changes. There has been a lot of work.

It has not all been difficult. There have been moments of fun, of joy, and of laughter. There have been celebrations, and there has been a lot of love. It has just all happened at warp speed. So fast, that it can hardly make an impression on my brain.

Now, here we are on the verge of Christmas, whether I am ready or not, and by many standards I am not. We virtually did no baking this year. Goody trays were not made up, nor sent to their usual places. Fewer gifts were mailed, and those that were sent were of purchased items instead of our traditional homemade things. No cards were mailed. No Christmas projects were completed. It isn't that I didn't want to do those things, it just didn't get done. On many counts, I am not ready for Christmas.

In other ways, though, I am completely ready for Christmas. We chose many years ago to forgo the running around on Christmas Day. We visit with extended family on other days through the season, but Christmas is spent at home. Today and tomorrow will be very quiet days. We will attend a Christmas Eve service tonight, and tomorrow the kids will open their presents, and we will spend a quiet (as it gets) and restful day together. That my friends is something I am very ready for.

May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

On a Winter's Day

2010-12-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

This winter has come early and hard. Winter care for animals involves a lot more work than the milder months. The very cold temperatures this early in the season caught us unprepared which has caused even more work in the form of frozen and broken water pipes.

Even so, I must say winter is beautiful in its own way. The kids enjoy the snow, and some of the animals seem to thrive in these cold temperatures. Here are a few pictures I grabbed while doing chores this morning.