Hurry Up and Wait

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

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

 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

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

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?????

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

"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

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

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?

A Trip Down Memory Lane - Starting Seeds

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

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

 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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We're Molting

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

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.