My Initiation As a Farm Girl

Yesterday a very unfortunate thing happened.  One of the new pups was run over by one of our cars, fracturing his scapula (shoulder blade) and breaking the tip off of it and also some hip displacement.  The vets office was SO very sweet to us and especially Copernicus and they were very comforting and careful. However, because of his injuries he has to be restrained from walking a lot and certainly any horseplay. So yesterday after we got home from the vet I kept him inside in a really big Rubber-type Brand Name tub in the house, lined with paper and with a blanket, food and water.  He was medicated and so he rested quite a bit but later began to whine and I couldn't comfort him too well. So we brought Zeta inside and put her in there with him.

They both slept for a long time, Zeta laying her head or her paw over him as if to hold him or protect him.

I paid close attention to when they woke and seemed to need to go out and potty. And while they were outside I would change out the newspaper because when they drank they sloshed it everywhere. 

The confinement drove them batty. Great Pyrenees are roamers by nature, so eventually The Dude carried him out and put him in his doggie house so he could snuggle with his sister.  She was NOT staying in that little (to them!) tub all night! And then The Dude brought him back in this morning to get back into the blue tub.  He was definitely not having it and neither was Zeta and everybody was whining and I was going nuts, so after talking with both moms we had the idea to use the chicken wire we have here and some bannister rails and make a small pen using the dog house as a corner.  This would keep him confined enough where he couldn't walk around TOO much, couldn't go down to the creek and drink and then not be able to make the climb back up (this happened yesterday) couldn't get out around other dogs that would try and play rough with him and jump on him, yet he could go out of his house and potty and sit in the sun if he wanted to. The importance of the confinement is that according to the vet this is a critical growth time for them and growth plates are shifting about in their bodies and if that fracture doesn't heal right or he further injures himself it could cause permanent damage and possibly even cause some physical limitations.  Great Pyrenees are more susceptible to hip dysplasia anyway and so his hips need time to rest too.

Here is a picture of the make-shift pen I made today.  I know the short post is leaning but by that time I had to call it quits with the sledgehammer.

So, the vet says he should be perfectly fine so we're doing every little thing they said to do for him.  He has pain meds (once daily) and an antibiotic (2x per day) that we have to give him and we have to make sure he's eating and using the potty each day too. 

In other animal related news Sambo said he found Zeta in the neighbors yard up the street a little ways, so I am ordering their doggie tags today or tomorrow hopefully.

Christmas is coming up very soon!  We each got a card in the mail from grandma and grandpa with a gift card inside! (shhhh, don't tell her I opened them... but I did.) So after my morning initiation into farm girl life (building a animal pen all by myself!) I told The Dude that we all needed some "muck boots" soonly!  And since we're going to grandma and grandpa's farm on Christmas Eve I thought it'd be good to have them before we went.  Well, then I remembered the gift cards we all got.  Each one could use their card to buy their own pair... and everyone wants some!  (for those of you who don't get my terminology, I am referring to the rain boots like at GetItAllMart and Tarjay. I just happen to call them muck boots because I will be walking through muck, not rain... well, not all the time.) So I am going to look online today and get us all our own pair.  Then when we go to their farm on Christmas Eve they can see what their gift got them!  Don't you think they'd like to see?  Of course, my girls will probably want the Hello White Cat from Japan or whereever... boys=camo... me?  Who knows...I'm not exactly the "pink" type of gal... not sure I'd want anything with any kind of fancy design or colors on them either but I guess I will have to choose from what they have before I can really say either way.

Well, I'm off to check on puppies and kids and then do some more typical mommy-type stuffs.

The beginning...

Did I already write a post titled that?  Ah, no matter.  For this feels like it really IS the beginning.  Beginning of what, you ask?  Life with animals.

A number of things have happened since my last post.  I learned that the puppies would be pickable-upable on the 6th of this month and because we wanted all of us to go so we could all tour the farm there we were going to wait until the following Saturday.  So this past Saturday we had a full day of work planned. The main thing being to finish the dog house.  So imagine our surprise when I got a phone call that morning saying we could come pick up the pups today if we wanted to.

!!!

!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

??  This kinda threw our day for a curve.. (huh? did that make sense?)  Anyway, I of course, wanted to go pick them up so we loaded everyone up in the truck and headed off to the farm to get them.  There were only 2 boys in the litter of 9 and we picked the only one with badger markings.  We told them we had wanted a white female but there were so many it took us forever to pick one out.  The Dude had one picked up but I was a bit afraid of her because she seemed so spooked.  But she was keeping herself separate from the other puppies almost as if to say...."Here I am.  Pick me!  Pick me!  The one over here!"  So I went ahead and took her too.  :o)  We figured if we loved her enough she'd snap out of it.  So we picked them out, they got the worm meds and first immunizations (did you know i canNOT say that word?) and then we toured the farm and checked out all the goats and headed for home.

We had taken this huge rubber-brand name tub and put chux pads in the bottom in the back of the truck for them to lay in but I wanted to hold one on the way home. One of the boys held the girl and I held the boy.  One chux was under the boy on my lap and the other started out under the female.  Then kid #2 put it in the floor.  Well.... long story short the female got car sick and although most of it was caught by the chux laying in the floor, quite a bit landed on the beforementionedkid.  He was now pretty grossed out by it.



We unloaded and set the puppies down.  The female (Her name is now Zeta.) went under the truck and could not be persuaded out.  Even with dog food.  The boy (His name is now Copernicus.) went somewhere... I don't remember where.  Anyway...  The Dude and The Before Mentioned Kid and I (though I did very little) finished building the dog house so they'd have a place to sleep, although at this point I'm sure we'd have all let them sleep inside with us.  Later on we gave them both a bath in the mop sink (I used heavily diluted Dr. Bronners Lavender Castile Soap) and used the hair dryer to dry them off.  Then we all sat in front of the gas heater taking turns petting and brushing the puppies.  Sadly at some point it was time to put them down for bed.  I think around this time The Dude and I were still finishing the inside of the dogs house.  We put some scrap carpet down in the floor (Or HE did rather.) and some rugs and some old shirts in there for them to snuggle with.  We stayed in there with them for a while... just making sure they were nice and snuggled down for the night and plus because we wanted to keep petting them.

Copernicus...

Zeta...




















Before then and since then a number of things have occurred. (hey, it's my blog I can talk how I want and not make sense if I don't want to. and not capitalize either.) Several days ago a stray dog  showed up here and hasn't left.  I've posted pictures of him and tried to give him away and he's just not going.  So he now has a collar and a home apparently. He is maybe part husky though I really don't have any idea.  He seems to be really smart but that kid is ENERGETIC!  And he's eating all the food and making it known to the puppies that he is the alpha.  The head honcho.  De Boss.  I have been concerned that this will continue and only get worse until the pups are big enough themselves to where they can easily intimidate the other dog and thereby prove their dominance.  Also, at first it seemed Zeta might be the more dominant of the pups, but since then I have seen small glimpses or Copernicus coming out of his shell.  For instance, yesterday the black dog (the kids named him Attila.) bullying her.  Going up to her and nudging her with his flanks or his nose.  This is how they show their dominance.  Well, Copernicus (smart dog!) saw it and went over to her and laid his head down over hers and put his paw over her obviously in protection.  Then today I rescued "Perny" from a corner trapped behind some stuff and when I took him out Zeta ran over and started rough-housing and playing with him.  (I forgot to note that anytime I talk to the puppies Attila runs over to where I am and shoves them out of the way and wants all the attention.) Attila came over and started bullying and I heard Copernicus growl at him.  At first I thought it was Attila but then I heard it again and saw Perny clamp down on his neck a few times.  This is proving his dominance.  When training a dog (according to some online research) you can pinch them on the neck mimicking what their mother would do when they were being bad, thereby showing them Oh no you don't!

This is their dog house..very nice and cozy inside...carpet on the floor and everything!  Needs a bit more trim work and paint but it's basically done.  The Dude Done Did Good!

So let's recap a little.
I was worried about Attila maintaining dominance over the pups for so long it would remain later even after the pups grew full sized.  However on day 3 Copernicus has already been showing some signs of establishing his dominance over the pup pack.

Oh, did I mention he's only 5 weeks old?

Yes.  Seriously.

Every day I am noticing they are more relaxed and at ease where they are.  Last night I watched them come out of their house and start wrestling with each other.  Then they went potty and walked around and explored for a while.  When I went to feed them this morning, they saw me come through the door of their house and they jumped up and ran over to me.  They wanted some snuggles and love! (no, they didn't just want food.  They still had some in their dish.  I know you were thinking it!) After I gave them some love I went to get their water and when I came back they were out nosing around here and there.  A while after I finally came back inside I peeked out through the kitchen widow and saw them chasing Attila and exploring some more.



I think they're happy here. :o)

Notes on training:
I worked with them a little bit with the "sit" command and rewarded them for what they did.  I also rewarded Copernicus for showing his dominance over Attila today.  It's one thing for dogs and puppies to want attention from humans but it's another to bully other animals into believing they're the boss.  He does it to me too and today he was biting me and biting Muffin and jumping all over her and me.  I've been working with him on the "sit" command also and rewarding him too.  When he's up close to me he will obey but if he starts to get up and I tell him again he won't do it.  And he never obeys when he's not right in front of me.  He just has so much energy and wants to boss everyone else around.  I might have to put our babies on hold until I get him under control.

I am still learning as I go but it's fun and I know it will be very rewarding when they will obey and do the things they're asked to do.

OH!  I forgot another time that Copernicus growled at Attila when he was jumping all over me and ran over to me when I started yelling at him (Attila).  He did the same thing when the Attila was jumping all over Muffin.

I think he's going to be okay. :o)

Now if I could keep his paw out of his collar I'D be okay!

Until next time...more pics and video to come. <3

Another update on random happenings...

Imagine my shock when I learned a few days ago that I would be getting my pups in a week and a half!

Say WHAT????

Yup.

So, this holiday weekend The Dude and I worked on the dog house. I have an in-progress pic but haven't got the energy right now to upload it to my online album and what-not. It's coming! Just be patient! ;o) The framing is done and the trusses are finished too. Doesn't that make it sound like it's going to be HUGE? Well, it is a little big. 4x4x4 or thereabouts I think.

The Dude also worked on the chicken coop some more which is good because I think we will be getting some soon. Not sure what "soon" means exactly, time-wise, but...soon. :o) I can't have pups around here with nothing to do, can I? LOL! He put the front side wall on after he cut out the door and I then painted the front and the door. Just a few more things to do and it will be complete.

I got a few new pictures of the puppies to show off too. :o) I canNOT WAIT TO GET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just love their little waggy tails and cute fluffy bottoms. Sigh. Not too much longer! And I have a ton to do before they get here. Collars, leashes, food, food DISHES, tags, etc...

Anyway, I think that's about all I have to mention right now. I'm feeling a bit under the weather and it's been raining non-stop since yesterday so I'm taking every opportunity to rest that I can. Tomorrow is the first day back to work and school for everyone and I need to do my part.

p.s.  I think I have the pups names picked out.  I will keep it to myself for now... I want to see the puppies to make sure they fit, if that makes sense. :o)

Have a lovely evening. :o)

Puppies and Farm Update~

So, we had previously decided on a boy and a girl pup. Here's why. The way I see it, someone around here would LOVE to have a local dude to breed their dudette with and also I would love for someone local to have a dude that I can breed my dudette with. Like a barter, possibly. (I love bartering!) At any rate, we want a female so we can sell any future pups (If we're able to part with them!) and a male so we can let people pay to breed their dog with ours. Make sense? Good.

Now, I have PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!

Out of 9 pups born, only 2 were boys. One had badger markings and the other was white. After questioning The Dude and the gang, we decided on the badger, and here he is!

The 7 females are both badger and all white and since we got a badger male we decided to get a female with white coloring. A good way to tell them apart later, depending on how much of the badger-coloring fades as he grows. I don't have a picture of the specific female we're getting but here is a group shot of the puppies with their mama. <3

So, now we just get to sit back and wait on them for about 5 more weeks or more. Wait. WHAT? Sit back and wait? Hardly! We have a double dog house to build, collars to find and purchase, along with leashes, fencing to put up, food and treats to buy...grooming equipment, studying to do, etc....

This is going to be so fun! And the best part? They will come home around Christmas-time. Couldn't get more perfect than that, could it?


In other news: We did our first REAL thing to the farm on Saturday. The Dude and I stopped and purchased 3 fruit trees and then went and planted them on the homestead. We want more (2 of each or more) but a little at a time and all that rot! I wish I had taken my phone out there with me because it would have been REALLY neat to have pictures of that but I didn't have any pockets to put it in so I left it in my truck. Booo. :o( It was chilly out that day too so we didn't spend a lot of time just walking around like we normally do. Muffin and Punkin' were with us and both had on short-sleeved shirts so they got cold quick! (so did Mama!) At one point Muffin had my skirt on like a poncho. (I had leggings on underneath LOL!) Another reason I should have brought my phone so I could take pictures. Ah well... live and learn. Next time I will make sure to wear something with pockets!

The goal of our homestead, as with most, is to grow as much STUFF as we can on our own to provide FOR our own. So the fruit trees are just the first step. There are LOTS of fruit trees, bushes, vines, gardens, etc planned, but it's kind of hard to plant things when you aren't positive where your house is going to be OR where all the trucks hauling stuff to BUILD that house are going to be driving and where all the people are going to be tromping around, but I think these trees are safe. :o) Hopefully.

The Dude and I (well, mostly The Dude) have been working on the chicken coop. We're starting small because well, it's our first go at building one and though we might increase the number of hens where we are- for right now we will just get a few to start.

Here are a couple of pictures of the progress.

I love to watch him work. <3

Looking good, huh? We like it! It's actually progressed further than this picture but all those pictures have kids in them. As in, they are IN the coop. They apparently think they're getting a playhouse. Maybe I should let those 2 be the egg-gatherers! Ha!

I might post some recipes soon because this weather is perfect for yummy soups and breads. It's been nice chili weather and we've had it twice in the last 2 weeks!

Happy Birthday, Puppies!!!!!!!! *yesterday*

I got an email yesterday afternoon saying the puppies were being born! I am so excited and will post pictures as soon as I get some!

Keep the name ideas coming!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY for Puppies !!!

It's been a bit since I've posted simply because there hasn't been too much going on. The Dude and I have started construction on our first chicken coop. No pictures yet because after learning a bit more we determined we needed to alter a few of the plans. So, pics of that coming soon!

Also... I finally found someone fairly local that had the puppies we needed. Well, I say puppies because we're getting two now. A brother and a sister. Below is a pic of a littler of Great Pyrenees but not THE litter as they won't be born until around the end of this month. This is just one I found online to share. :o)

Now, the next two are of some more mature (obviously) pups. I have no idea how old these pups are but this is just to show how large they get sometimes. :o) LOVE IT! Can't wait!

Are those some doggies or WHAT?

So, I am awaiting the news that they have been born and then I can go pick out my girl and boy.

Any name suggestions? It has to be very different, ya know because that's how I roll. :o)

One last pic... Just because it makes me smile. :o)

Until next time....

Gluten-Free Greek Chicken

Well, after talking with an herbalist about our oldest child, Bricker-who has high-functioning Autism- we have started on a gluten-free diet. In the last few days he has only had gluten twice that I know of. Once because he was visiting someone else and they didn't know (our fault) and another time because we forgot and gave him a slice of bread. (oops)After discussing how he has Autism, I have RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis), Punkin' has chronic respiratory issues as well as Eczema, Jerome Bettis (JB) has some of the same respiratory stuff as does Shamu. In fact, the only one who doesn't seem to have any issues at ALL is Muffin. Wow. 5th one's the charm? So, the herbalist said we would ALL benefit from the gluten-free diet. No harm in trying, right? So, from time to time I will post some recipes... most of which probably will be gluten-free, and will label them so they're easy to find on the bloggy.

Here is one we tried last night.. I modified it just a little to make it more to our taste.

Greek Chicken

(Cooking spray)
½ c chopped onion (I always use more... onion is good for you!)
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise & sliced thin (I don't like zucchini but I sucked it up and ate some anyway. Not bad.)
1 lb or so of boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced thin
(½ c white cooking wine)
(2 t oregano, ¼ t pepper)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
¼ c crumbled feta cheese
½ c (or one of those small cans would be better!) sliced black olives *olives make the world go-round people!*

Preheat oven to 475°.
Coat 9x13” baking dish
with cooking spray.

Heat large skillet, coated with
cooking spray, over med-high heat. Add onion &
zucchini; sauté 3-4 min or until tender. In large
bowl combine sautéed vegetables, chicken, wine,
oregano, pepper & tomatoes. Spoon mixture into
baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake 12-13 min or
until chicken is cooked & mixture is bubbly.

*Side Ideas*
Make some "5-min a day" crusty bread and home-made butter because there will be lots of yummy juiciness left in your bowl/plate and you won't want to waste that!

Farm Update:

The MAIN reason I started this blog was to chronicle the adventures of our life on the farm.  Beginning with the purchase of the land, moving in the house, setting up shop and everything in between.  Seems I've slacked a bit and posted more to Crackbook than to my blog!

So, a couple weeks ago we closed on our land.  A nice 4-acre wooded area on a bluff.  We love it!  Since then we have begun to clear out the "drive-way" so we can pull up into the property as opposed to parking in the ditch on the road.  Well, in doing that we've basically determined that we need a culvert in the driveway because even in my big truck I bottom out bigger than life.  Too many humongous roots to just transfer dirt around... we tried, hence the broken shovel post on Crackbook. 

We also have marked several trees as our corners for the goat pen.  Boy, if they get that area cleared out Mama will be VEDDY happy!  We also determined quite a few trees need to be felled and even MORE trees need to be cut up that have fallen naturally and made into smaller pieces that are easily carried and stacked in some area that will be later decided upon until which time we decide to purchase a shredder.  There are a couple of nice little clearings where we thought would be a perfect place for our garden and for our small orchard.  We've picked places for the small barn and another inside the goat pen for goats and the pyr.

I have a local supplier for purebred chickens and will get those maybe this weekend... we will be discussing that later and will be getting the pen put together BEFORE that... of course.  I think the same supplier probably has goats too and we might pick out a couple just for experience and then get the dairy goats later.

I think that's about all the updates I have for now but tomorrow is another day.  :o)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the poplar leaves are blowing in the breeze.

I am thinking... I hope I'm not getting sick. :o/

I am thankful... that I have a lovely "future-farm" to go walk on today, but still have a place to live with people I love, until time comes to move to the farm.

From the learning rooms...my children are thriving here at school and I've only seen one B since the beginning!

In the kitchen... the beef stew Mama made smells wonderful and I can't wait for everyone to get home so we can all dive in!

I am wearing...one of my new favorites: my long, tiered, denim skirt, tie-dyed t-shirt and my Sketcher sandals that I love love love.

I am creating... a legacy for my children.

I am going... to go stake out the goats pen on the farm this afternoon. I hope! <3

I am wondering...if we should / could keep animals there before we move there ourselves?

I am reading... Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace. I am hoping... we will get a LOT done at the farm today.

I am looking forward to... just getting over there with a tummy still warm and full of home made beef stew!

I am hearing...the distant sound of a truck engine and wondering if it might be my tribe.

Around the house... there is always much to do- PILES of washing and folding to be done.

I am pondering... planting the orchard this next week and wondering if it's still a bit soon.

One of my favorite things... the smell of freshly cut hardwood.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Off to do birthy stuff tomorrow, then home to make more home-made laundry soap and probably more laundry. ;o)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Let's talk kitchen stuff !

What are the things in your kitchen you cannot LIVE without?


The first thing I thought of was my bamboo wooden spoons. I really don't like using metal or plastic. Plastic because, yes.... it does melt. Metal, I guess, because it will scrape pans. And I'm not really even talking about scratching off Teflon. I am referring to the scraping SOUND that I really don't like. But I don't like Teflon either. Just sayin'.

Anyway, I love cooking with those! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

However...

I would have to say that I love my bread machine the most. I love home-made bread.

There, I said it. Still really warm after baking and with butter just melting right down into it.... *drool*

*Ahem*

I know it's hard to believe but there it is. And I love baking to share too. I have this really AWESOME friend that keeps my kids for me and likes my goodies. LOVE YOU CATHY!!! <3 <3 <3 BUT... I also love my Kitchen-Aid mixer.

So I guess there is a 3 way tie. The thing I thought of FIRST is kind of funny because if you know anything about me at all you would know that me and stirrin' just don't jive well together. Whereas the other two, ya see, are justified LOVES! Because they do all the kneading and stirring for me.

Then there are all the things you can do with either of those 2 appliances. Man... good thing I just ate or I might be drooling in my lap right now thinking of all the possibilities.

So... what is YOUR favorite kitchen accessory, appliance or thing? Oh come on... who cares if it's a vegetable peeler, garlic press or even a cupcake pan. Share your fave and tell us WHY! That's the most important part here.

Why are we doing this?

A lot of people probably look at us funny when they hear we've bought a few acres and are going to start a small farm. Okay, maybe they just WANT to look at us funny. At any rate- it's quite a change, I must admit, and really... Why ARE we doing this? It might be a good idea to chronicle how I feel today, before it all really begins to get hairy, and then I can re-read it when I have one of those days where people ask others... remind me WHY I'M DOING THIS!!!! I expect there will be quite a few of those days ahead of us. :o) So let's first start out with WHAT we want, then I can break each of those down and explain the "why" part of it. At least from MY standpoint. The Dude might have something else to say about it on his own bloggy.

1. A farm. As general as that is, we just want one. I mean, we live in the country and why not? It would be a lot of work-yes, but also a lot of FUN! Especially for the kids, don't you think? Another reason is that we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. This means being able to produce enough food to feed our family, winter time included, however, we won't be getting any meat from our farm unless we decide to do that in the future. I can't tell you how warm and fuzzy I feel inside just knowing that one day I will be able to walk our farm and pick an apple off the tree and just eat it, knowing that there were no pesticides used and that WE grew it! Another BIG reason for the farm is that when we are old enough to retire we can already have a farm and know how to run it and what it takes to maintain it, barring any changes like a decision to start keeping cows or like/such-as (I love saying that!) One thing I know my parents enjoy about their own farm is the ability to share what they've grown with their family and friends. I look forward to a lot of that too. :o)

2. Goats. Well, they are just way too cute not to want about 10 of them. I mean, go look for yourself!



And you HAVE to watch the whole video!
These are dairy goats, yet smaller ones and adorable! I want to be able to provide milk for my family that comes from a source that I know without a shadow of a doubt what they were fed and treated with medically. Why wouldn't I? And besides, it would be FUN!

3. Chickens. Same reason as the goats. I want to be able to provide enough eggs for my family PLUS enough to sell to others because a LOT of people prefer farm-fresh eggs. And again... fun. Also, if you looked into the video I posted "here while back" about Back to Eden then you will remember how Paul gave all green (meaning grass too) and veggie scraps to his chickens who in turn make great compost/top soil for his gardens.

I already have people wanting eggs AND chickens from me and I haven't even build a coop yet!

4. Tractor. Oh wait... I will let someone else post about that but... why would I have a farm without a tractor??? That's like having a farm without a barn to me. Why, it's bad form, old boy!

5. A Great Pyrenees PUPPY!
And yes, I do want a dog that big and I believe they are the best ones for the job they do.

I want my children to grow up outside like we *zee Dude and I* did. I want them to know responsibility by helping to take care of the animals. I want them to have respect for the animals yet love them as one would a pet. I want my children to really appreciate that warm and fuzzy feeling they will get knowing that they helped to plant, water, maintain, harvest, clean and cook (or not, says the nappy-headed person who is working to convert to a mostly-raw diet) all, or most, of the food they are putting in their mouths.

My dream is to wake up before the sun, start making a good breakfast of fresh eggs, sprouted grain breads and fresh fruits, or even biscuits, pancakes or muffins from stuff I MADE while the kids are out milking and gathering those eggs. Then after they go off to school I can do other jobs that need to be done or make time to get my craft on. I look forward to baking more bread and hopefully one day prep food for the dehydrator and tend to other things that are in the works, like kefir and sprouting... etc. All these things I want to do. I have so many IDEAS!!!!!!!

And slowly the dream becomes reality.

New post ideas...

I'm kinda brainstorming LIVE, I guess you could say, some ideas for future posts so I won't forget them. Feel free to comment with anything you would personally like to learn more or read more about. :o)

1. fermented foods - "Fermented vegetables are rich in nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria."

Read more: HERE on the benefits of eating fermented foods. I will be doing some of this in the next few days. Maybe as early as tonight!~

2. Getting started with chickens and raising them for eggs both for self-consumption and for sale and DIY chicken coops and pens.

3. Bread baking! (This one is for you, Linda!)

4. Choosing the right goats to raise and all about housing them, DIY stuff!

5. Recipes for children's head to toe wash and also deoderant and other bath-related products.



Stay tuned!

Cleaning is a passion of mine...

Ummm, okay, maybe not a "passion" but I am a bit OCD about it. I just like stuff to be clean. That's all. But over the last "little while" (yep, I'm southern) I've been more concerned about what I was cleaning WITH!

These days it seems every label you read says its energy-efficient, good for the environment, or one of my favorites "all natural"! Between you and me-they put that there because they know that's the "IN" thing these days and you will therefore buy it. Have you ever read the requirements of a product to put that on their label? It's a joke, but one that's not funny at all. It's very deceptive and misleading to consumers. And just what ARE all those things on the label we can't even pronounce anyway? How do you really know what you're putting on your body or into the air that you and your babies are breathing?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to pick up a product and look at the label and it have only a handful of ingredients? And they were things you knew were safe for you AND your environment? Doesn't that sound nice? Well guess what?

It's possible! And you get to pick your packaging too! That's right! And pick your own scent, according to what smell YOU like! I know, I know, you're thinking I've gone off my rocker, right? Nope. Hear me out...

Baking soda.
White vinegar.
Essential oils.
WATER.
Castile soap(I use Dr Bronners)

Do you realize what all you can do with these wonderful things? Well, here are just a few things I USED to use when I cleaned... ready?

Hair- whatever shampoo I was in the mood for, conditioner, hair gel or mousse. For the kids I used a kids tear-free head-to-toe wash and because Punkin's hair is long and Muffy's hair is tight curls I used a detangler also. The Dude uses Head and Shoulders, plus hair gel.

Body- I used to use Neutrogena Body Wash, Dude uses Irish Spring ORIGINAL (everything else leaves him oily) and the kids used the same tear-free head-to-toe stuff.

Toilets-Comet for the bowl, Clorox Wipes for wiping down the whole toilet.

Tubs- either Comet or a "spray and walk away", "come back later and wipe off" kinda thing like Tilex or the scrubbing bubbles... you know what I'm talking about.

Mirrors and windows- Windex of course!

Carpets- a long time ago I used to use carpet fresh all the time because I loved how it would smell up the entire house! Now I have a hubby and a daughter who have allergies and Punkin's allergies are both respiratory and eczema. I have to be very careful using products on her because she can flare and be covered in hives and scratch until she bleeds. Sound fun? Nope. And as miserable as it is to watch her going through it I know she is 100x as miserable.

Counter tops- I had off-white counter tops that seemed to stain very easily so bleach had to be in the product. Windex sometimes. Sometimes just a multi-purpose cleaner.

WOW. That's a lot of stuff, isn't it? Why do we need all that stuff? Especially when we can use the alternatives I mentioned and get the same results but with a lot less fumes and money spent!

So what do I use now? Well.... going back through the same list:

Hair- I cut out a LOT of washings... I was always one of these people that had to wash my hair before I went anywhere. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I "HAD" to put my hair up when it was wet. If I didn't, it was really fuzzy. NOW... I wash once a week. Sometimes twice, lately though it's been LESS than once a week. What do I use? I wash with baking soda and water. WHAT? Yep. And I rinse with apple cider vinegar and water. I usually alternate the baking soda wash with a Dr Bronners wash diluted heavily in water. How is my hair? It's awesome! And when I go out I just use a spray bottle of water with Essential oil of Lemongrass in it to feel fresh. I was thinking of adding some peppermint or rosemary essential oil for a bit of a tingle. That's stimulating and refreshing. :o)

Body- Dr Bronners, heavily diluted in water. :o) Love it!

Toilets- baking soda to use as a scouring agent (if you need it) and for maintaining use equal parts water and vinegar and spray in the bowl.

Tubs- white vinegar and water.

Mirrors- Equal parts white vinegar and water.

Carpets- Nothing. yep. When we bought our house we had to rip up all the carpet and when we did we saw what was left underneath the pad. Guess what it was... dirt, of course, and carpet fresh. Yep. Your vacuum doesn't get it all... even if it's a Dyson or Oreck.

Counter tops- Guess... yep. white vinegar and water.

Are we seeing a trend here? You can use this stuff on everything! There are other recipes for home made cleaners out there and I use them from time to time as well. There is a multi-purpose cleaner that I like... I'm not positive of the ratios of the ingredients but I will find out... the ingredients are water, borax (that's interesting stuff right there!), Dr Bronners soap, and Essential oils of choice. I think that's all.

HERE is a good website for some home made cleaning recipes... I will have my own list up soon enough for a quick and easy reference.

Another HUGE thing that I make my own of is..... tada!!!! Laundry soap. For those of you who don't know us personally, we are a family of 7. We have 3 boys and 2 girls. Every one of those 5 like to get nasty outside and this stuff cleans it all.

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

For those of you who are not familiar with Fels Naptha soap, it is a time-tested stain remover and pre-treater working especially well on oil-based stains. Know what else it's good for?


Poison ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels-Naptha® will eliminate the dangerous resin from your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of your exposed clothing including hats, gloves, coats and pants in shaved or grated Fels-Naptha® (about 1/16th of the bar). This will effectively remove the poison ivy resin and prevent further outbreak.

No wonder millions of people for over 100 years have been saying, "Nothing can take the place of my Fels-Naptha®!

WOW. And guess what we have around here a-plenty? Yep. Poison Ivy.

So, like I said, I will be sharing recipes for home made cleaning products and organizing them all with Labels so they are easy to locate here on the blog.

I'd love to hear from you... Leave me a comment and share a recipe you've tried and loved or any other tip or trick for cleaning that you've learned.

Also, how about some comments with post ideas?

Getting "Back to Eden"

http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/



"The Dude" and I (I have decided not to use real names here in case for some reason LOTS of people from all around somehow stumble across this bloggy they won't learn too much about me and the tribe... so until further notice, the hubs will be hereinafter known as "The Dude".  Cool?  Good. So, like I said... The Dude and I ... we watched this film last night. I had to tell ya'll about it.

A pal of mine sent me the link to this film on Crackbook and we were immediately in agreement that THIS was how we wanted to start our farm.  THIS is how we need to garden. 

Basically the gist of it is that we work and work and work at bettering the soil because it's too dry and too acidic and too basic and not enough phosphorus and blah blah blah...  but the Earth in and of itself grows.  It lives, survives... THRIVES, and does it wonderfully!  WITHOUT added compost, bloodmeal, frequent waterings (other than naturally provided rainwater) and tilling....

If we were to walk into a forest right now, you and I, we would find WHAT on the ground?  LOTS of stuff, right?  Like what?  Well, fallen pine needles, leaves, grass... and also wood mulch too.  So this dude in this film, Paul, he goes and says that he doesn't till... doesn't compost... doesn't WATER any of this orchards, gardens or ANY of it, other than after the initial planting, I believe.  His reasoning is that wood mulch acts like a sponge or blanket that holds in all the rain water and then creates it's own compost and topsoil underneath. 

NATURALLY.  Without help from any man. 

How AMAZING is that?



By the way... this is Paul. 

Paul Gautschi.   Say "HI", Paul.

So he prunes his trees and takes those cuttings and has them chipped up into the most awesome looking stuff and spreads it over the ground in all of his gardens.  He has layers upon layers of this same material and he just keeps adding to it.  Another thing he does is takes all the green garden waste, i.e. wilted plants, grass clippings, stuff that didn't get used in the kitchen, etc, and feeds those to his chickens.  The chickens are fed awesomely healthy foods rich in all KINDS of vitamins and minerals and then guess what they do?  Yep.  They poop.  Then Paul takes a screen he made and lays it over his wheelbarrow and shovels the dirt/poop from the chicken yard/pen onto the screen.  Then he sifts it.  All that is left on top are rocks and other things that one wouldn't want in their garden and what he was left with in the wheelbarrow was the darkest, richest, healthiest looking topsoil/compost mixture that I have ever seen!



Guess what he does with it?

He does NOT turn it into the existing soil.  That's what you or I would do, right?  Yep.

Well, not Paul. He simply spread on top of the existing ground. 
I remember hearing him state that his only garden tool used was his garden rake.  To spread the wood chips and this soil/compost mixture like stuffidge.

WOW. 



So, what about weeds?  Well, yes, he gets a few here and there but says that it's probably from where others are cultivating and scattering seeds into the wind and they are then blown his way and germinate in his awesome soil.  You can pull them up almost so easy it was like they weren't even rooted in, but they were.  The stuff is so moist and LIGHT that it doesn't dry up and solidify, per se like the plain ol' dirt stuff does.

LIGHT?  Yes, light.  However... not so light to where it will just blow away in the wind.  You can drive over it and everything and it stays in place.  At one point in the video they showed a close-up of his feet walking over the wood chips and The Dude noticed how it sprang back up after he stepped off of it.  Like a sponge that you squeeze and then release.  Can you picture it?  Good.  Just making sure everyone in class was paying attention.

There is so much more that I could say and add but I have forgotten so many of the details.  ((This is one very good reason to have your own Dude.  They remember what we cannot and vice versa.))  Let me state, though, that all I've listed here already?  ...Came from watching less than half the film.  Imagine what I will post next after I finish watching it!!!!  The Dude has already finished it and is so super pumped about getting started on our property.  I am too, of course!  Absosmurfly!

This is a picture of one part of Paul's gardens.



Look.At.That.Topsoil.

Wow.

So, go check out that film and see for yourself.  And just an FYI he quotes a LOT of scripture....

Okay, so go watch it... And buy stock in a good chipper.  ;o)

Well, I'm off to finish watching it....  Until next time!

New Beginnings

Happy rainy day to everyone....  I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to my new blog. 

This is going to contain all of the fun-ness of our tribe and our new life on a real homestead!  We recently purchased 4 acres in the country on a lovely bluff and hope to build a home there soon.  There will be chickens and goats and dogs and cats and who knows what else!  I will post recipes, tips and tricks, crafty stuffs, etc.  Basically just every day life stuff.  So I hope you will tune in and learn about the homesteader's life as we do.

Namaste and Welcome!  I hope you will subscribe while you're here!  :o)