Christmas Blizzard

Just wanted to share a picture of the front yard as the snow is still coming down.  We have accumulated about 15 inches of the stuff and it's warm enough to build a snowfort. 

Finally some snow! 

Homesteading Field Trip

Yesterday was a day spent up North.  We took the dog to get spayed and then went to the feed store.  Stopped to visit  a dear sister in Christ and then went on a field trip.  The field trip was to a fellow homesteader's.  I was excited to meet this woman.  She lives at the end of a mile long driveway.  She's off grid and has built a log home.  We met her goats, donkeys, horses, and a mule.  She took us to her garden, now sleeping, and her orchard.  Showed us her projects under construction and led us inside to warm up in front of a crackling fire.  Don't you love meeting fellow homesteaders?  It's like you have an understanding right off.  No need to explain things, they get it.  No need to apologize for the way you live, they totally understand.  She extended an open invitation to stop by whenever I'm back up that way.  I think I'll take her up on it.

Back to our homestead.  Lord bless your day and your endeavors.

From Glory Farm

Rain, Goats, Sheep, and a Mountain

Drizzle and snow, cold and wind, a perfect day to stay inside and bake.  I'm blessed that I can be so picky and not have to work outside today if I don't feel like it.  Tomorrow they say, the sun will be out and I can enjoy being outside. 

This is just a random picture I stuck in here, because I thought it was pretty.  My daughter took it up on Beauty Mountain which is a few miles from our house.

I just pulled the brownies from the oven and put the granola I made in the fridge.  I have this cup of coffee to drink and the Saturday paper to read.  So much to do....

I discovered that I have a dairy doe that's expecting in a couple of months.  Not a good time to have kids up here.  I thought I had been diligent enough to prevent this from happening,but....

I have a Saanen buck coming to breed my other dairy does and the Angora does should be bred already.  I have three sheep that won't come home.  I'm thinking of organizing a sheep round up with some friends and see if we can't get them into their paddock.  They are a wild bunch.

Washing and carding fiber, that's what I want to get done on these drizzly days.  Cleaning for Thanksgiving.  I'm going to use Kim Wolf's idea for furniture polish- some olive oil with a little lemon or orange oil in it.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Don't we all?

This is kind of a hodge podge of thoughts, hope you followed okay.  My son wants to get on here and play some Indiana Jones.  He likes to read over my shoulder to get me to speed up.  It works.

Love to you Ladies-

From Glory Farm

Back 40 books

One of many  books available at Back 40.

I don't know how many of you have a weakness for books, especially homesteading ones, but it's a major problem of mine.  There are sites out there full of these books and I just visited the Back 40 Books site.  I ordered a homeschooling math book for my son called "Arithmetic in Agriculture".  It comes with a teachers' book and is for 8th grade and up.  I'm so excited.  This is the kind of practical knowledge that we need here on the farm and it's an old book, kept in print by the Amish. 

Be sure to check out the November issue of Homesteading News.  You can find the link on my side bar.

Have a blessed day.

From Glory Farm

Gone

Somewhere out in cyberspace is the entry I just wrote, 5 minutes ago.  Funny how when that happens, I don't feel inspired to write it all over again.

So my entry for today is just to say, I hope you enjoy your weekend.  Sleep in a little later, play a little more, read a little bit and have one more cup of coffee.

The bluejays and timberjays are playing in the spuce trees outside my livingroom window.  I haven't seen them since early last summer.  The timberjays are so cute.  I call them teddy bear birds.  I just want to hug them. 

The cattle are complaining, so I'd better go and see about hauling in some hay bales.

From Glory Farm

 

Jumper Cables????

Anyone have a leg long enough to give me a kick start?  So quiet this morning.  My two youngers are gone to their freinds' house, and dd2 is at school.  This means I have to do chores alone this morning and I need to get the house clean today because my honey will be coming home tomorrow for a few days.  Here I sit looking out at the drizzle and gray skies.  The temp is a balmy 43 and the fields are brown.  I just can't seem to get moving.  No children to prod and set an example to this morning.

One more cup of coffee..........

Finally!

The October issue of Homesteader News is up.  Check it out at www.homesteadernews.com .  There are a lot of good articles in it and I think they're always looking for more.

From Glory Farm

Tuesday, August 25

Two girls off to college this week.  One is down in the Twin Cities, one is staying home and going to a two year college instead of high school.  They are best friends and they're seperated.  My younger one, the one at home, sure misses her sister. 

Today promises to be a pleasant day, the sun, a few clouds and near perfect temperatures.  Beans to can, fenceposts to pull, a barn to continue to clean, and I'd like to start scraping the house to repaint. 

I have found a home for one of my llamas, and I still need to shear the two alpacas.  I've just spent my time with them getting to know them and giving them treats.  I also have a ram, born this spring, who is completely black with the most fantastic fiber.  He's just a doll.  I'm keeping him to breed back my ewes and selling the other two at the animal swap next Sunday.  I have two Angora goats for sale, also.  We still have to put up some hay, but it's awfully late this year, as my honey is working out of state and my neighbor is going to help me after he finishes his hay.  Thank you Lord for neighbors.

That's it for a quick update.

Hope all is well and Lord bless.

Real Life Learning Opportunities

As homeschoolers we're always using life experiences to enhance our children's education.  So imagine how happy I was to stumble upon a new opportunity.  It was completely unplanned and allowed my children to use not only their problem solving skills, but also a bit of physical science and geometry.     I locked my keys in the van!  Leaving the back two windows opened just a crack allowed for some hope of unlocking it without calling the garage.  They tried broom handles, sticks, clothes hangers and even a dog leash, while trying to figure angles and force.  But, alas, we were not meant to be car theives and had to call the garage.  God sent over a wonderful man who was willing to do it for free.  We paid him, but it was much less than I thought it would be.  I really don't want that learning opportunity again.

Catfish Days

This morning it's off to Catfish Days.  DD2 is running the 5K and there's a flea market and animal swap I want to get to.  Pictures coming up.

From Glory Farm

Fun, fun, fun

I woke up early this morning, for a Saturday, that is.  The skies were overcast and the wind was blowing at  40mph.  We had and still have a balmy 32 degrees.  Stepping out onto the deck, my feet slid.  Ice and snow! Then the electricity went out.  Trees down on the power line.    I lit a fire in the fire pit, put on the bacon and eggs, and a pot of coffee.  Believe it or not, I really like this.  This is usually the only kind of weather I go camping in.  Cooking outside this morning, I felt like I was at the lake.  The smell of woodsmoke lingers in my hair.  The coffee tastes like real coffee and stays hot forever.  The bacon just slightly burnt and the eggs swimming in bacon grease. 

Yep, it really is fun, fun, fun.

The power is back on now and it's back to the real world, and farm work.

From Glory Farm

Syrup is done.

I think  our sap collecting is coming to an end.  I've put up a gallon and a half so far.  This isn't as hard as I originally thought.  Even I can do it. 

I started shearing this week.  I have seven left to go.  Three goats and four sheep.  I still have a lot of hoof trimming left, also.  Today I have the children home, so I think I'll see if I can round up some help.  I'm still learning to shear.  This will be an ongoing education for quite some time.

There's the van to wash, bathroom to clean, floors to sweep, hay to move, sap to boil, yard to clean, paperwork to do, birthday cake to bake, hotdish to cook , get ready for Easter dinner,  "Get Everything Done" day.  I'll check back this evening and let you know how it went.

Life is busy, but life is good.  When we go to "Simplify" our lives, is this what happens?  We, as in I, take on more and more learning experiences and create a life that is so full its ready to burst.  Teach me to work hard and rest in You, oh Lord.  Help me to hear your voice in the din I've created.

So off I go.

From Glory Farm 

We did---wash the van, bake the cake, make the hotdish, sweep the floors, get the sap, move the hay... we didn't clean the bathroom, vacuum the livingroom, do the paperwork, or clean the yard, but.....we peeled some fenceposts and trimmed the hooves on three goats and got one more goat sheared.

Easter dawned this morning with new life in the barn. We have a new kid, a doeling, an Angora.  She is the cutest.  Pictures coming soon.

Sap, sewing and the soup kitchen

The sap is running.  We're getting measurable amounts now and we can start boiling it down tomorrow.  We are also under a winter storm warning until Wednesday morning.  My children threaten to cry when they hear the weather report, but then so does my mother.  Spring will come.  It always does.

I'm also going to start shearing as soon as the snow lets up.  I still have mohair from the last shearing to card and spin.  I'm carding up a bunch of white right now and dyeing it blue.  I told dd2 that I would ply it and knit her a mohair sweater.  This might be done by Christmas.

I have a dress cut out to sew and a purse in the works.  I'm in a crafting mood, to be sure.

Today its off to town to get ds's stitches out.  He had 14 in his leg.  Then groceries, then to work at the soup kitchen.  Home and then sap collecting.  I'm not trying to sound busy.  I really don't feel that way right now.  I'm feeling totally blessed.

Praying that the Lord makes opportunities for you and I to minister to others today and shine forth His glory.

From Glory Farm

Storm? What storm?

People north of us, people south of us, east and west, too, all had worse roads, school closings,  etc.  For some reason, we only got showers.  It has stayed so warm, still 36 this morning, that nothing is freezing.  No power outages or real treacherous driving.  Does it sound strange that I'm a bit disappointed?  There's something about gathering in the livingroom, using the kerosene lamps, playing games.  I was almost looking forward to a good storm.  They still say the rain we're getting will turn to snow this afternoon.  That will only cause bad driving conditions, not the part of a good storm that I like.  I need to make a couple of trips to town today.

So that's the weather update.

 

By the Light...of the Silvery Moon

It was a picture perfect night last night.  Warm temps and a beautiful moon....

Today it's an ice storm warning.  Thunderstorms tonight!  Wow.  This is so wierd.  They're predicting power outages, also.  Praise God it's going to be in the thirties for highs.  We won't freeze.  I've got water stored and kerosene lamps set to go.  Gonna go and bring a big round to the animals, put in some dry bedding, haul some extra firewood and hunker down. 

Let ya know how it goes.

From Glory Farm

A day in the life......

I thought I would post a "Day in the Life of" for my blog today.  It started out well.  I went and took pictures as we went about our day.  Around noon I was trying to upload my photos and my program went phooey.  So I spent the rest of the day, until supper that is, troubleshooting the computer.  But...I WON!  and here I am, so without further ado, may I present, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...ME-

After a cup of coffee and devotions, here I sit, my view from the computer-

Looking out my kitchen window this morning, there was a beautiful sundog-

Downstairs to do laundry.  Don't you think the longjohns are a nice touch?

Then we go outside to take care of the animals.  The "herd" is waiting.

Next the chickens....

Yes, the coop needs a good cleaning, but everything is very frozen.  Now to check on the sheep.

That's not a sheep.  It's my eight month old Angora buck, Blackie.  How original?  He loves to have his picture taken. Now the sheep-

Erna, the matriarch of my flock.  She's built like a brick.  The does are next, unfortunately they were so busy fighting over grain, they wouldn't take time to look up.

There are two Angoras, two alpines and two boer/oberhasi crosses.  The crosses are teh white ones.

After chores, it's school . We started a unit on nutrition and had a spelling test.  Some math, and working on journal entries.  While the children were busy studying, I mixed up a batch of soap.

This is the soap that goes into my laundry soap and floor cleaner. 

I spent a lot of time fighting with the computer and while I was waiting for things to install and uninstall I cleaned out my bedroom closet.  Then I got some fleece ready for felting another boot.

After a couple of hours, the soap traced and I  got  it in the mold.

So we just finished homemade potato sausage, homemade sauerkraut and a tossed salad for supper.  I finally got this up on the blog.  I think it's time for some tea and some Walton's.

Thanks for taking time to stop by. 

 

Ho Hum....Yawn.....

There are times when it seems as though there is truly nothing to write about.  The days roll one into another and seem no different from each other.  I have not aquired any new knowledge, or tried any new project.

The weather is the same as it always is this time of year.  Cold.  We have -24 this morning with a wind chill of -38.  The animals are coping, though I think the two young does could use sweaters. 

Sitting here, coffee in hand, the house cracking from the cold.  The noise startles me.  Drafts in the house are much more obvious when it gets this cold.  Helps pinpoint where they're coming from.  I thank the Lord continually for our new wood furnace.  The blower is going 24/7 in this weather.   It should save us almost $2000 in fuel costs this year.  We have plenty of our own wood here.  Our propane still works as a backup.

Chores get done a little later in this cold.  We don't go out until almost 10.  But it seems no matter how cold it is, we still stay plenty warm working out there.  There's always so much to do. 

My honey is working out of state and he has warm temps.  He's been offered a job there and he doesn't think it's what the Lord wants.  At least he knows its not what he wants.  Here we have beautiful land, wonderful water and a start at rebuilding this farm.  There we wouldn't be able to farm.  I guess I need to be willing to do whatever I'm suppsed to do, even if it means moving.  I'm not there yet.

Time for devotions with the children.  Perhaps next time, I'll have something new to share with you.

From Glory Farm.

You Know You're a Redneck When.....

You know you're a redneck when decorating for Christmas means  you put the Allis Chalmers tractor lights on the potted plant in the livingroom?

The girls are gonna have a cow when they get home.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Woke up to a winter wonderland this morning.  All of the trees are covered in white and are just beautiful.  It promises to be a warm day, 30 degrees later on. 

Farm update:  My honey and my son went early this morning to look at a batch of Angus heifers.  We're thinking of buying about six to go with the others we have.  We picked up an Alpine buck, just to borrow, to breed our Alpine does.  We'll have milk this spring!  I'm going to try to clean out more of the barn today and put up a new feeder for the goats.  Dh put in a frost free waterer so now I'll just make a few fence repairs and bring the animals around to it so we don't have to water cattle or horses anymore.

Crafting:  I'm almost done with a pair of mittens, then I have socks to knit and dresses to sew.  I have quite a list of homemade presents to get done.  I really like this kind of "work" though.

House:  My honey put in a new window on Thanksgiving.  It faces south in the new kitchen and brings the sun right to me as I'm doing dishes.  I really like it.  We have three more windows to put in the new addtition before we can side it.  No hurry.

Our Thanksgiving was truly blessed.  I hope yours was too.  A grateful heart is the secret to joy with God.

Blog on...

This is one of those "I don't  have anything to write about" entries.  The weather is warm-54 and raining.  The clothes on the line are going through their third rinse.  All of this warm weather is supposed to end tomorrow when they say SNOW!  and a high temp of 35.

Need to-haul in firewood

            empty pick up of  firewood

          set up new pens in the barn

          clean the barn

           start sewing Christmas gifts

           bake, bake, bake

That should do it for today and then some.  I don't think that I'll get those pens put up until my honey can give me some advice on the best way to do it.  You know, my husband is a genious.  Seriously.  And handsome...wow.  Anyways...

The goats and the sheep are making a racket out there.  They seem to think that they never get enough to eat.  The horses have been put back in with the cows for the winter, so feeding time is total chaos.  Need to put the pen back up so they can eat in peace. 

God is good, isn't He?  When you accept what He's given you or taken from you, His blessings seem so much easier to see.  Does that make sense?

Well, this has been a strange entry and not one that flows smoothly.  Thanks for reading.  The Lord bless you and fill you.