Goal Setting

In January of last year I made a list of goals for myself that I felt sure I could reach by the end of the year.  The fact is I did reach quite a few of them before things got so crazy around here, but there were others (not all of them posted) that I did not reach and I realize now that in the grand scheme of things the goals I set really were not all that important anyway. 

The only problem for me is, that without goals, I tend not to accomplish much.  So, although they be a little late getting posted, here are my goals (at least some of them) for this year.

*Continue to draw closer to God (He is my comfort and strength)

*Spend more time in God's Word

*Be sure to let the people I love, KNOW that I love them

*To be more compassionate to others that are facing trials

*Be more of an encourager to those I meet everyday whether they be close family or mere acquaintances

*Continue to exercise and try to lose the 10 pounds I wanted to lose, but didn't this past year

*Continue working on our little homestead (more chickens, bigger garden, etc.)

*Enjoy my family more every day, because we never know how long we will have them

I'm sure as time passes my list will grow longer, but for now these are the ones that I plan to focus on.  I haven't taken time to read many blogs lately, but I'm looking forward to "catching up" with my blogging friends.  Hope everyone is having a great week.

Menu Plan for Week of August 28, 2011

On this week's menu plan you will see some of the same things that were on last week's menu plan.  That's because I didn't actually get around to making those meals last week, so I just put them on the plan for this week :)

Sunday - Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans

Monday - Bar-b-que pork chops, peas, corn, slaw and cornbread

Tuesday - Deer Meat, butterbeans, corn, and cornbread

Wednesday - leftover soup

Thursday - Taco chicken bowls with tortilla chips

Friday - hamburgers, potato salad

Saturday - leftovers

Breakfast - Baked oatmeal, cold cereal, fruit, yogurt, smoothies

Lunches - leftovers, sandwiches, potato soup, fruit, smoothies

We have been getting a little more accomplished around here lately.  Some of that is due to Amanda feeling better, but some of it is due to the slightly cooler temperatures.  I have really struggled with being out in the heat this year and have avoided it as much as possible.  I guess my age is starting to show :)

Some of the things on our list for this week are:

Cleaning the porch (mine and Amanda's)
Rearranging things in the shed
Finishing the yard work (weedeating and cleaning the fence line)
Sewing (still have a couple of projects that I didn't get to last week)
Building a porch rail at Amanda's

What's going on at your place?

Homestead Update

Things are finally quiet around here (at least for the moment) so I thought I would give a quick update on the homestead. 

Due to several things coming up over the past several months, we haven't done nearly as much on our little homestead as I had hoped to this summer.  We did have a small garden and even though it didn't do as well as I had hoped, we had a few yellow squash and zucchini, as well as some peppers and strawberries for which I am thankful.  I also planted two watermelon plants and the vines are loaded with melons and still blooming.  So far we haven't had any ripen enough to eat, but some of them are pretty big.  I can't wait until they are ready to cut into :)    I LOVE watermelon!!!   

Our tomatoes did not produce at all, but our herbs did great.  I have dried quiet a few of them in the dehydrator as well as making pesto from the basil to freeze. 

My neighbor gave us a good bit of corn and squash, which I was able to put up and he also brought us thirteen watermelons a couple of days ago.  In case you haven't figured it out, I have a GOOD neighbor :) 
I'm thinking about trying my hand at watermelon rind pickles, but need to locate a good recipe first.  I've only had them once a long time ago, but if memory serves me right I really liked them. 

I've decided that I'm not going to try having a fall garden this year, but I am already making plans for my spring garden.  I've learned some things that don't work for us and figured out some things that are working, so maybe next years garden will produce better. 

I haven't done as well with the livestock end of our little homestead as I would have liked either.  My chickens are still laying, but a snake got into the nest of our "setting" hen and since that point none of our hens have expressed a desire to set.  Since we don't have an incubator we did not get any little chicks this year.  I'm hoping to have an incubator by next year though.  

We still have our two rabbit does, but I haven't had time to locate a buck yet.  Since I haven't had time to get the additional cages built that's probably a good thing.  Now that things are starting to settle down, I'm hoping to get a couple of cages built and start breeding the does by the time the weather gets a little cooler. 

I dried up my milking goat about a month ago.  I decided that, in order to keep my sanity, there were some things that had to be let go and that just happened to be one of them.  I am planning to breed her and also our little nubian doe this fall so I should have a good supply of fresh goats milk this spring.  

My two older boys also expanded our horse pasture a little bit.  It's been needing to be done and they finally had a weekend off to take care of  it.  I'm glad to have it done and the horses are definitely enjoying the fresh grazing area.

Well, that's about all we've had going on the homestead front lately.  Maybe next year we'll do better :)

A Quick Update

The last few weeks have been busy and blogging (obviously) has been low on my list of priorities.  I'm thankful that we have had quite a few "at home" days recently, which has enabled me to get a few (much needed) things done around here.  As any of you that are trying to start (or maintain) a homestead know, there is ALWAYS quite a few things that need to be done :)

Anyway here's a quick update on life here at home.

My Dad is still not feeling well, but thankfully he will be seeing his cardiologist this Friday.  I am really praying that the doctor can figure out what is making him feel so bad and get my Dad back on the road to good health.

My daughter has been doing much better the past few weeks.  She still tires easily which is pretty normal when you're pregnant during a Mississippi summer.   Throw in two toddlers and it's amazing to me that she functions at all :).  

We have started getting  a few squash from the garden and have also been dehydrating some of our herbs.  It's beginning to look like that's about all we will be getting from our summer garden.  My tomatoes and cabbage did not do well.  (Actually, I do have ONE tomato plant that looks as if it will produce a few tomatoes). 

I have already been planning a fall garden and am sincerely hoping that we have better luck with that.  I guess I need to find a little more time to spend working in the garden, but lately time has been a precious commodity with many, many demands on it :)

I'm still milking daily, but for some reason the last three or four days the milk has been tasting "off".  I don't have a mastitis test kit, but I do have a strip cup.  The milk shows no flakes, the udder is not hot and feels totally normal.  The goat is eating well, is not pastured in a weedy area, has fresh hay and grass to eat and overall appears healthy.   I guess I will spending some time this week trying to figure out what the problem is with her.  Oh well, as I said before, there is always quite a few things to be done and that's just one more to put on the list. 

I did not make a menu plan for this week, simply because I haven't had time.  A precious man of God and very dear friend of ours went to be home with the Lord this weekend and I just haven't had the time to think much about menu plans.  I know that we will be eating leftovers from the weekend and will probably have a couple of nights that are simple soup and sandwich nights.  Outside of that, I have no plan.

Well, I guess it's time for me to get started with the laundry.  Ferrell is at church camp this week helping out as a counselor, so I'm trying to take up the slack.  That boy has NO idea how much he is missed :)

Have a good week!

Menu Plan for Week of June 26, 2011

Getting back on track with menus just did not happen last week, sooo, if this weeks menu plan looks familiar, that's because it is a slightly modified version of last week's menu plan :)

And, here it is.

Sunday - Potato Soup & Sandwiches

Monday - Southern Smoked Sausage Rice Pilaf and salad

Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry with Rice

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Mexican Night (tacos, burritos, mexican cheesecake, and whatever else I think of :)

Friday - Hamburgers and Potato Salad

Saturday - Homemade Pizza


Breakfast - cheese toast, smoothies, fruit, hot or cold cereal, eggs & toast

Lunch - Sandwiches, leftovers, potato soup, fruit, smoothies

Snacks - chips & salsa, fruit & cheese, cookies, smoothies


This week is looking to be a fairly slow week and I hope it works out like that.  Last week was supposed to be an "at home" week, but I managed to be away from the house five out of seven days for at least part of the day.   I know that I will be taking my Dad to the doctor this week, but I'm not sure exactly what day.  As far as I know, that's about it, other than our normal Thursday grocery day. 

I'm hoping to get another dress made for each of the girls and also some work in the garden done this week.  At some point I need to build two more rabbit cages and I'm hoping to get to that as well. 

That's a brief look at my week, what's the plan for yours?

Hannah's Visit

I know that I haven't posted much this week, but we have been keeping busy as usual.  Actually, I guess this week hasn't been "as usual" since this week we have been enjoying a visit from a sweet young lady from Texas. 

My middle son, Caleb, and I left early Tuesday morning for Texarkana to pick up his friend Hannah.  After meeting up with Hannah and her Mom we loaded up her stuff and headed for home.  I'm not much for traveling so for me it was a LONG trip, but the good company made it bearable :)

Hannah is very sweet girl and a really good sport.   Since she is from the city, coming to our little homestead is quite a "culture shock", but she has pitched right in with a sweet and willing spirit.   We are so thankful that she has a sense of humor, otherwise she probably would have had a pretty tough time of it as we quite often have "Green Acres" moments.  We've greatly enjoyed our time getting to know Hannah and are not looking forward to returning her to her family in Texas.

I have to say that Hannah is the first person I've ever seen drive a tractor in a skirt and high heels, but it didn't slow her down one bit.   I think she could probably do just about anything she sets her mind to ;).  Here's a few pictures from our week.

Caleb giving Hannah a ride on the tractor

Rachel and Ellen wanted a ride too.



Hannah learning to drive the tractor.  Caleb looks a little scared ;)

Learning to milk.



Mornings on the Homestead

I love early mornings on our little homestead!

For me, that is the perfect start to the day.  There is such a feeling of peace in my spirit during the mornings while I milk and Maybelle is the perfect goat for milking.  She stands quietly and eats while I milk and it gives me time to think and sometimes NOT to think, but just a time to enjoy the peace and quiet.  

Now anyone that has livestock knows that by quiet, I don't really mean silence, I just mean no pressure, no stress, no real chaos, and no immediate demands on my time.  While I'm milking I can hear Ferrell moving around the barn feeding and watering the horses, moving the young goats to the pasture area, and cleaning whatever needs to be cleaned at the time. 

For some reason, neither of us really talk while we're in the barn.  I think he enjoys the peacefulness as much as I do (or maybe he's just too sleepy :).   In the background we can hear the horses softly nickering, the rooster crowing, and the goats gently bleating.  

After our time in the barn we quietly move back to the house and really begin our day.  The quiet time is over and real life begins to intrude.  Yep, I love mornings on the homestead.

Bees

I've been "kicking around" the idea of getting some bees and was wondering if anyone has any information about getting started?  I have never raised bees and don't know anyone that does, but I was thinking that it would be interesting and also beneficial for our little homestead.  I would appreciate any information about beekeeping that you would be willing to share.

So far this year, we've added rabbits, chickens, and goats to our little homestead so I'm thinking about the bees for next year.  That way I've got a little time to learn before just "jumping in" like I usually do and also the opportunity to figure out if it's something I really want to do or not :)

Mary may have had a little lamb, but Rachel has a goat!

Mary may have had a little lamb, but Rachel has a goat and everywhere that Rachel went the goat was sure to go. 

Dottie has attached herself to Rachel and it is hilarious to watch.  Everywhere that Rachel goes, Dottie is a step behind.  If Rachel starts running, Dottie is running right behind her.  The two of them have played all morning.  Here's a few pics.



More Homestead Additions





Maybelle and Sunny Wether



Maybelle & Sunny Wether didn't quite know what to think about Rachel 

Saturday afternoon Amanda and I picked up our new "Homestead Additions".    We bought a purebred (unregistered) Sanaan doe (Maybelle)  and her baby boy (Sunny Wether).   (The previous owners said that it was a sunny day when they wethered the little guy, hence the name "Sunny Wether").   

We are so excited about our new additions and are looking forward to having fresh goats milk.   The previous owners had left Sunny on his Mama so it will be an adjustment for the little guy to switch to bottle feedings.  We thought we would give them a couple of days to settle in before we start milking.    

Homestead Additions

Amanda and I have been wanting to start breeding rabbits again for about a year, but we haven't actually done it.  Saturday we had to go to the local Co-op for horse feed and while we were there we saw some folks with "Easter" rabbits for sale.   It just so happened that the rabbits were New Zealand Whites which are exactly what we were wanting to get for breeding stock and they were selling for a much lower price than the rabbits we had been checking into.  We bought two does and are hoping to find a buck from another source soon.   My grandaughters are loving their "bunnies" and Amanda and I are looking forward to breeding them in a few months and having fresh rabbit in the freezer. 

For the record, the two cute little "bunnies" we bought Saturday are our future breeders.  They will NOT be the ones in the freezer.  We don't make pets out of anything we plan to eat.

Here's a few pictures of our recent homestead additions.

Can't Wait!

I am so excited!  Yesterday on our way back from my son Caleb's doctors appointment we were able to go by and pick out our new baby goat!  Sort of! 

I've had the opportunity to milk a few times for some friends of ours and mentioned to them that I was wanting to get goats again.  She called last week and they will be selling some of the babies they have and wondered if I was interested.  After talking to my family we decided that I could get one of her little doelings which will be ready to milk by next spring and in the meantime I would like to see if I can find one that is already milking.  If I can't, we at least have this little girl to look forward to next year. 

When we stopped by we found that they have three little doelings, but my friends children have all laid claim to them.  She and her husband are planning to keep one of them and sell the other two.  I gave her my order of "goat preference" and she will be getting back to me in a couple of weeks when the babies are weaned.   I can't wait.

I also got two gallons of milk from her while I was there and am hoping my live Kefir cultures arrive today.  I can't wait to start making kefir and will be making yogurt today as well.  

I guess the plan for the moment is to get the barn ready and "dog proofed" before we bring our new little girl home.  I'm also looking for a small wether as a companion for her, since past experience showed me that goats are VERY social.  I'll be posting pictures when she gets here.  Can't Wait!

Plums, Plums and More Plums

This past summer a dear friend of ours asked if I would be interested in picking plums from the trees in their backyard.  Of course the opportunity for "free food" was too good to pass up, so Ferrell and I went two days and picked plums.  I didn't really keep track of how many plums we picked, but it was A LOT.  

At the time I had several things going on here at home so all I did was cook out the juice and put it in the freezer with plans to make jelly during the winter.  Well, I've just gotten around to using those plums during the last month or so and have been making plum butter, plum jelly and plum "leather."  Yesterday was spent making more jelly.  Doesn't it look good?

Oh, and those dear friends I mentioned?  They brought me four MORE gallons of plums that they had frozen this past summer and decided they didn't want to "fool with".   Needless to say I will be making more plum butter, plum jelly and plum leather in the very near future. 

I am so thankful for God's abundance!

A Family Made Saturday

Saturday was a beautiful day here in Mississippi and my family and I took full advantage of that fact.  Rachel, Caleb, Ferrell, and I spent most of the afternoon working in the garden.  We added a few raised beds and added some things to the beds we already have.  In addition to that we tilled up a portion of our larger garden plot hoping to help the ground dry out a bit so that we can plant that area soon. 

Here's a few pictures that were snapped while we were working Saturday.

Caleb hard at work!

Ferrell planting blueberries.

Rachel helping me add some plants to our strawberry bed. 

Rachel, Ferrell and Caleb hard at work in the garden.  The playpen was so Ellen could enjoy the beautiful day too :)

Rosemary

The Peppermint is coming back nicely.

My lemon balm is also coming back nicely.    I enjoy the lemon balm so much that I planted
another one by my front porch.

One of our smaller beds that has spinach and lettuce.

We also have oregano, thyme, sage and bee balm that are coming back from previous years planting and my basil that I planted a couple of weeks ago is now up.  I have a few tomatoes planted, but I will definitely be planting more of those in a few weeks. 

We are working hard to somewhat change up the composition of our soil, because it is mostly clay and also low, which means when it rains it takes FOREVER for it to dry out enough to plant anything.  When we do plant I make my rows really, really high to help prevent my poor plants having to stand in water.   

When the ground actually does dry, then it feels like we're trying to work concrete.  We've been adding compost, manure, dried leaves, and just about anything else we can think of to help the soil become looser and also to build it up some and after a number of years we are FINALLY beginning to see a difference.  Nothing drastic, but at least I can tell that we aren't wasting our time.  

I enjoy working in the garden and am sooo excited to see all of my plants popping up everywhere and thankful to get a few more things added this year.  So, how did you spend your Saturday?

I Couldn't Stand It Any Longer!

With all of this beautiful weather we've been having I have had a case of Spring Fever like you wouldn't believe.  I have been outside almost everyday working in the yard, moving the chicken tractor, cleaning in the barn, clearing out some of the raised beds, and cleaning and rearranging things on our front porch.  Anything that would keep me outside.   

Well, even with all of that, I have been "itching" to plant something.  I have held off due to not knowing if we would have another REALLY cold snap come through.  Yesterday I couldn't stand it any longer.  I went ahead and planted a few things.  Not many, but enough that I was able to get my hands in the dirt for a little while.  I planted a few cabbage plants, spinach plants, kale plants and basil (seeds).    I am so looking forward to gardening this year and am hoping to expand my garden quite a bit.  I love watching things grow and being able to grow things that will benefit my family is such as blessing.     Yep, I think I'm ready for SPRING!

Waking Up on the Homestead

See these guys?  I have been waking up to the wonderful sound of roosters crowing for the last couple of weeks.  I didn't realize how much I had missed it until now, and I'm really glad that I decided to get chickens again.  There's nothing like the sound of  hens clucking and roosters crowing.  I guess that's means I'll always be country girl :)

(Those awesome pictures were taken by my son Caleb.  He did a great job, don't you think? )

 

Snow on the Homestead

We occasionally have ice, but rarely do we have a good "old fashioned" snow here in Mississippi.  When we do actually get a good snow it creates a festive spirit around the old homestead and requires me to throw out all schedules and schooling to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy it while it lasts.  Here's a few pictures of  our snowy homestead.

Watering the chickens

Feeding the horses



Rachel & Uncle Caleb having a snowball fight!



Watering the horses

Shoveling snow out of the horse trough

Rascal patiently waiting for breakfast

Snowball fight!

Daddy enjoys a good snowball fight as much as anyone!

My mother got in on the fun!

I hope everyone else is enjoying the snow as much as we have!  

Preparations

With the possibility of snow and ice moving in for the next few days, I've been spending most of my time this morning and late yesterday making preparations.  We keep a stockpile of basic items on hand most of the time and thanks to the salvage store we have an abundance of canned and ready made gluten free items as well.

 Murry and Ferrell spent yesterday afternoon (since Murry was off), making sure the chicken coop was insulated against the cold and today we'll be taking care of the turkeys.  I'm also in the process of making a big pot of taco soup, chili, and potato soup, as well as baking brownies, an apple crisp, gluten free bread, cornbread, haystacks, etc.  We have a gas stove and usually when we have an ice storm we put things in a cooler on the porch so we don't have to worry about opening the refrigerator  if the power goes out.  I can really do without the ice, but I love snow.  My biggest concern is the large pine trees close to our home.  I always fear that the tops will break out and land on our house, but since I can't do anything about that at the moment, I'll just focus on having some hardy, cold weather foods available.  What are you doing to prepare?

Finished Project --- Portable Chicken Coop

My Dad and Caleb finished up my portable chicken coop today!  I am so excited, although, not nearly as excited as the baby chicks were when I put them in it!   The really great part is that the whole thing was built with scrap material that we already had laying around.

Country Living

Just a brief glimpse of life here at home!