The Life of a Prairie Mom

Thanks & Family News

2009-11-01T15:35:00.003-06:00

Greetings! Thank you to all who sent their prayers & comments to my last blog entry about Micah. They were a blessing to read.

We are doing well. I have been working one on one with Micah daily and already see some changes taking place. I can now get him to look me in the eye more often. Usually it happens when I am tickling or playing a little game with him. Our games often are ones where I touch & name things like his toes, his knee, his nose, and always ends with me tickling his belly. When he sees me wiggling my fingers at him, he starts smiling and squirming in anticipation of the game. Another thing we do is repeat anything he says that sounds like a word he may be trying to say. Often it is not seeming to be making a connection in his mind as to what the word means, but when he says "Momma", I take his hand and tap myself with his hand and repeat "Momma" to him. For "ba-ba" I show to him his baby bottle and say the word "bottle". Basically, anything that will help to reinforce what he is saying and help establish connections between the word and it's meaning.

Abigail is doing great. We are going to start working on gifts for her to give at Christmas. We handmake the gifts we give and she is excited to get started on making some. Yesterday, she and Joe found a baby snake when bringing in firewood. The snake was about 7 inches long. I spent some time with her showing her the snake and reinforcing the importance to never pick one up. She got to watch as the snake slithered through a small gap in the stacked firewood to go into the brush on the other side.

Joe and I are getting things ready for winter. It seems to be an ongoing process. Yesterday Joe was able to get the propane line installed in the kitchen for the refrigerator & stove. What a blessing! No more using the small propane bottles like the ones used on grills. We have 2 tanks (100 lb each) outside the house that are now being used to supply the appliances. Next will be putting in a propane line in the back of the house so we can get a small heater. Hmmm........ I don't know what I will do once we have heat back there! LOL In the 4 winters I have been in this house, the bathroom, pantry/laundry area, and our bedroom have been without heat. This will be a new experience! One that I am certain that I will adapt to very quickly.

The Challenge & Blessing called Autism

2009-10-20T12:44:00.002-05:00

Our family has been making some winter preps lately which have kept us busy. I haven't been able to get to the library for about a month!

A little over a month ago, we had a Dr. confirm something that we have been beginning to suspect with our son, Micah. We learned that he has a mild form of Autism. We are so grateful to the Lord that the autism appears to be a mild form and not the very severe type. In that Micah and our family have been greatly blessed.

Several issues led us to have Micah checked out. He is very delayed in some of his development. At 18 months old, he babbles like a 6 month old and doesn't talk as he should be doing. He is unable to feed himself or hold his bottle/cup to drink from it. When he looks at you, eye contact is very fleeting and not a good maintained contact. There are many other signals, such as finger flapping, "zoning out", and obsessive behaviors that are very common autism traits.

Finding out that Micah has autism has been both a blessing and a challenge. It is a blessing to actually know what is going on. Now that we know, we can help him better. It is a challenge though on several levels. We now have to learn what we can do to help Micah to develop and thrive. One of the hard parts though is to grieve and let go of the ideas we had for him before.

All parents have hopes and dreams for their children. When you learn that you have a special needs child, you have to mourn and let go of many of those hopes & dreams. Not because you child will never be able to do those things. You need to do it so that you can better accept things as they are and then effectively work at helping your child to reach attainable goals.

I still have all the hopes and dreams that Micah will grow to be as independent as he is able. I know that with the Lord's help ALL things are possible. We will do what we can for him and trust in the Lord to take care of him.

I am learning to cherish the little things. A couple of months ago, Micah crawled across the floor to me and called me "Momma" for the first time. It was a special moment that to date has not been repeated. That moment was a gift that I am treasuring. When I give him a hug, I don't get the typical hug back but sometimes he will take his hand and squeeze my arm several times as I hug him. That is the way he responds to my hugs.

I am finding that Micah's autism is very eye opening. Through him, I am learning to never take the little things for granted. It is even blessing me in the way I am handling Abigail's 3-yr old moods. It is a slow process but I am gaining more patience. I am taking life in the moment and enjoying it even more than before.

Life with autism can be a challenge but I give the Lord praise in that He has blessed our family. We know that Micah will be fine. He will grow into a young man that the Lord can use to show His love and grace.

May the Lord be with you all.

Sewing & Such

2009-09-09T12:40:00.001-05:00

We are doing very well. I have been busy getting the sorting and cleaning done. It is a big task each autumn season. We have to rearrange the furniture in the front room to make room for a supply of firewood to be stored in the house when the cold weather is upon us.I am moving my sewing area to the back of the house again. We are determined to have heat back there this year. The only rooms currently with heat in the winter are the kitchen, front room, and the children's bedroom. They are all heated with the wood stoves. One is a heating type and the other is a small cookstove. Between the two, the front of the house stays very warm. We have a kerosene heater that we can light on the very cold nights to heat the bathrooom and our bedroom if necessary. We don't like using it very much though due to costs.

I am still working on the PIFs. They are taking longer than I had hoped to complete. It seems that daily tasks keep setting back my time to work on them. I am making ..........oops! You thought I would post that before I got them mailed, huh? LOL

I received some old baby quilts recently and am recycling them into new ones for a charity quilt project. I cut away the worn, loose areas if need be then use the old quilts as batting inside a new one. It makes the project go very fast. I have already donated the blankets/quilts that were done. Now, I am starting up a new batch.

A fun project I am doing is the friendship quilt block exchange that I am organizing. It is a fairly simple one. All blocks are 8.5 inch square (allows for a 1/4 inch seam) and each person who sends one to me gets one made by me to add to their own quilt. Can't be simplier. I am doing a combination of appliqued block with some embroidery - name, location, year. I found a pattern in a quilt book for an appliqued oil lamp since that seems to be a good choice representing our non-electric lifestyle.

The garden is still producing zucchini. I mainly use it in breads, cakes, muffins, and pancakes. Just a quick tip - add shredded zucchini & the same spices that you would put into zucchini bread to your pancake batter. Increase the flour content a bit since zucchini can make the batter too thin. The result is a pancake that tastes like the bread. Very yummy!

May the Lord's blessings be with you all.Paula

Family News

2009-08-26T15:04:00.003-05:00

Greetings! I pray that all are doing well.

We are doing good. The weather can't seem to decide if it is going to be hot or cool. Oh it makes me long for autumn's cool days! I am looking forward to that first time I go out and find frost on the ground.

I am starting my autumn cleaning - you know that deep cleaning you do at least twice a year in autumn & spring? Ugh! It wears me out but the end result is always worth it. I am starting in the front of the house and going to work my way towards the back. I figure that if I work on it early this time, I will have more time for sewing this autumn.

One task I have to do sometime soon is refinish the dining table. It needs a good sanding, staining, and then a matte clear coat finish put on it. I plan to work on it on a day when the little ones are visiting their grandparents. Once done, the table will look good for a long time to come.
I want to be able to stop using a table cloth all the time.

Tomorrow we take Micah to the doctor for a check-up. He had an ear infection and this is the follow-up visit. He is such a blessing. Abigail just adores him and is often found playing with him. He really seems to enjoy her too.

Joe is still building more raised beds for the garden. May turn into an all autumn/winter project. He is building them from pallets now that the shipping crates are not available. I am looking forward to being able to use them in early spring. It will be interesting to see how large of a harvest we can get from the raised beds.

I was not able to can as much as I wanted so I am going to start taking advantage fo sales and stocking up on canned goods and other things like flour, sugar, etc. to build up the pantry even more. My goal is to eventually have at least 6 months of food supply in the pantry at all times. LOL I just realized - we don't have a pantry large enough to house that on shelves. I think I may have another challenge ahead figuring out how to store that much supplies!

What's in the Sewing Basket?

2009-08-22T10:42:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I posted about my sewing projects, so I thought I would catch up on that. In truth, there was little time for sewing for a while. Life is beginning to slow down however and I am planning out my next projects.

One that had been on the "back burner" for too long was making new coverings. I am going to start cutting out the fabric to make new Prayer Kapps to sew. My favorite one is looking a bit worn and being it is my only Prayer Kapp, I need to make some more. This time, I am going to make a special one for outings, such as going to church, and another for daily wear. I also need a nice warm one to wear when outdoors.

I plan to start making some other capes that look a bit like a snood to wear when working about the home or garden. If I find them to be easy enough to make, I will likely sell some along with the Prayer Kapps & Cauls. I will add pictures when I am able to do so.

I have been working on the PIFs and hope to have them ready to send out by the end of next week. I am also drafting up the pattern for my 8.5" square quilt blocks for the Friendship Quilt block exchange I am hosting. The exchange is really fun and easy. You make one 8.5" block to exchange for a block made by another person. Friendship quilt blocks are collected until you have enough to make into a quilt.

I am still finding time in the afternoons when the children are napping & the housework finished to be able to crochet a bit. I am learning to put edgings on handkerchiefs. I am finding it to be much easier than I had thought it to be. One personal project that I am wanting to crochet is a couple pair of wristlets. My wrists and hands get sore in the cold weather, so hopefully these will keep my wrists warm enough to ease the pain.

Soon, thoughts of the holiday season will be becoming more in the forefront. I would like to make table linens in a pretty autumn fabric and maybe a winter design also. I already have fabric, just need to get busy and make them.

Ramblings & Thoughts

2009-08-12T09:55:00.002-05:00

Greetings! What a blessing we have been enjoying. Night before last, we had a wonderful night long of thunderstorms. After having excessive heat the rain and cooler temps are a welcome blessing.

I had to buy more canning lids again. I think that I will buy the flat lids in bulk next time. Buying the lids by the small 12-count boxes at the grocery store just gets too pricey at the volume I go through each year. Not that I am complaining about all the canning. I love doing it. I just don't enjoy the frustration of running out of lids just as things are needing to be canned.

I am hoping the weather cools off some more soon. I want to plant more beans, winter squash, and root crops for late autumn harvest. Right now with the temps as hot as it has been lately, the tender little plants would easily be burned up. I just have to be patient a bit longer I guess.

I have been thinking on our non-electric lifestyle alot lately. It seems hard to remember a time when we lived any other way, although it hasn't been THAT long ago that we used electricity for everything. Life is calmer now and has a slower pace that I enjoy. Of course there are always those times when something happens that sets a faster pace, but only for a short time.

The quieter, slower lifestyle has blessed us in many ways. We read alot more, spend time together doing things as a family, and we actually have time to have quiet time with the Lord in prayer and Bible study. Right now, life is busier as we prepare for winter. Soon however, the pace will become slower as winter arrives and brings with it the cold weather. In winter, there is more time for the activities like quilting and other tasks that are not able to be finished when there is more pressing tasks to do in the warmer days.

I have had to awaken as early as 2am to be able to do the heavier tasks (such as laundry & cleaning) in the cool hours of the very early morning. I am considering continuing to do so in the winter months. It will not only give me a chance to get the work done uninterrupted, but also I will be able to better maintain the wood stoves to keep the house warm overnight. The only downside to doing this is that by 7:30pm I am feeling like I am becoming a pumpkin and needing to get some sleep. I go to bed shortly after the little ones....not such a bad thing!

PIFs

2009-08-08T13:28:00.002-05:00

What a fast response!!! I already have 3 people wanting to participate. Mrs. CW Mouse, Deanna Smith, and Carrie were the first 3 to respond. Carrie, please email me at okprairiemom@gmail.com to give me the address so I can mail out your PIF once it is finished. Thanks!!!

If you are new to PIFs, here is how it works:

I wrote and invitation for 3 people to participate. Each one will receive a handmade item from me. Once I have confirmed who is participating, the participants then post about PIFs on their own blogs and ask for 3 people wanting to join in. They send a handmade item to each person and so on.

The handmade items can be anything. One time, I sent out crocheted dishcloths I had made. This time I am sending out something different. It is really up to the sender what they want to mail out.

There is no rigid time frame, but I recommend that you mail something out within a month so that you don't forget. Most small crafts can be made and shipped in that time frame. Participating in PIFs is a lot of fun....both for the sender and the recipient.

So, in a nutshell, the 3 ladies who are participating in this PIF will be posting on their blogs and asking for 3 people to join in. They will then make & send a handmade item to each participant.

Free Mulch resource & PIFs

2009-08-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

I am so excited. this morning, we were blessed with a second dump load of mulch from a tree cutting service. They have been cutting down the trees that have grown too close to power lines along the roads near us. I spoke to them a couple of weeks ago and they agreed to drop off the mulch at our home. This is a free resource that you can check into. Many of the tree cutting service companies look for new places to leave the mulch made from the tree limbs and branches run through the chipper. We now have a small mountain of 2 loads of mulch sitting ready to be put into our garden. They are going to use our home as one of their regular dumping areas. this means that whenever they are in the area working, they will be bringing a load to us periodically.
The mulch works well in compost piles, or simply spread around your garden plants. In autumn, it makes a nice layer to place on your garden soil to add nutrients to the soil as well as prevent weed growth in the early spring. Definately worth checking out the tree cutting service companies in your area.

This morning, I had a comment waiting to be moderated from someone (Mrs. CW Mouse) who had missed out on the first PIF that I had held. For those new to PIF, I gather the names & addresses of 3 people wanting to participate. I send each participant a handmade item. In exchange, they gather from their own blogs the names & addresses of 3 people wanting to participate. They make a handmade item for each and mail it off to them. Each person participating is expected to continue "Paying It Forward" to 3 people on their blogs. If you are interested in participating, please email me at okprairiemom@gmail.com and let me know. Mrs. CW Mouse, I will assume that you are wanting to participate. Please email me to confirm. I then will have room for 2 more participants.

Summer's end approaching

2009-07-29T11:38:00.004-05:00

What a blessed week we have had. After temps in the 100* range, we are now getting a break from the heat and lots of rain. My garden is very appreciative. After a slow start with the garden, I now have my fall garden being planted so we will have a harvest in October & November. My beans are sprouting and the zucchini are in bloom. My winter squash seedlings are nearly ready for transplanting.

I have been canning tomatoes. I simply dice them and add a bit of salt & water to the jars before processing. I then use them through out the winter in my homemade soups & such. The tomatoes are nearly done, so I will be able to start working on something else soon.

Beloved and I are finishing up clearing out things we no longer find a need to have. This has been a long process. We found a local charity that will take everything we don't need. Each week, he will be taking boxes of items to them. We are starting to see the end of this task and are looking forward to it being done.

It is hard to believe that we are beginning the process of preparing for winter already. I am working on making quilt blocks to assemble once the weather is cool enough to not get overheated while having the quilt in my lap. I don't have a hoop or frame, so I am planning to quilt as I go and then assemble the quilt on the treadle once all blocks are finished. This method allows me to use the sashing to assemble the blocks.

I have started cutting out some training pants for Micah. I am going to be making 2 styles. Once being pull on and the other having snaps on the side. I am considering using the snap style instead of diapers. I am going to try a couple of pair of them to see how it works out before making him a large batch of them. Funny to think that I am already working on these for him. He is walking really good finally. He still is working on gaining the confidence to let go, but we can see he is nearly ready to do so.

I have been working on my monthly menus to allow for a cooler weather menu. This means lots of soups and stews. I am going to start canning them soon to stock the pantry. Beloved enjoys taking jars of it to work for his lunch and so I try to keep them available.

My next project is working on more holiday items. Decorations and gifts are needing to be made or finished. I am hoping to be stocking the tote soon with finished projects.

Lots to do and I am happiest when busy, so it works out very well. I find that I don't like to be idle for very long. That is one of the aspects of our lifestyle that I enjoy most! There is always something to be done.

Abbie

2009-07-22T14:20:00.004-05:00

As some of you may already know, I am preschooling Abbie at home. She has been very interested in the garden plants so I helped her make a little book about the growing cycle of a pea plant. I had some extra garden seeds and she chose the acorn squash. We placed a damp paper napkin in a baggie with 3 seeds placed on the towel. The baggie was taped to the kitchen window.

Over the next week, Abbie excitedly watched and kept checking the seeds to look for changes. On Tuesday this week, the seeds had sprouted and grown so much that they were ready for planting. We carefully planted each seedling in a small container to allow it to continue growing before it is placed in the garden. By Thanksgiving, we will have fresh acorn squash to add to the meal.

I find it amazing to watch her excitement as she explores the world around her. There is so much that we have available for her to learn from. Helping care for her kittens, the garden, and playing with her little brother all are so educational for her - as well as fun. I try to make each situation as fun as possible for her. Granted, there will come a time when she won't find them to be fun, but for now we are enjoying doing things together.

We have begun a ministry making charity quilts that we will distribute this fall. I am doing the sewing, then once the quilts are assembled, we will work as a family to tie the quilts & finish them. This will provide another opportunity for Abbie. At 3 yrs old, she is old enough to teach how to tie the yarn into a knot. We can use the needle & thread the yarn through the quilt, then let Abbie help tie it off. It is important to us to allow her (and later Micah) to take part in the project.

I am already planning to have a small garden area set aside for Abbie next spring. A raised bed that she can easily reach and care for. It will have the kinds of veggies that she enjoys snacking on, such as cherry tomatoes. I find that the more I have her with me as I go about my tasks, the more she wants to help and take part. In teaching good work ethics to children, this is a critical time. The more I allow her to help now, the better her work ethics will be later on. Of course there are times when her efforts make the task take longer, but the rewards are priceless.

Thinking Ahead

2009-07-15T11:25:00.002-05:00

Greetings! During all these very warm - 108*F. yesterday - days of summer, my thoughts are already on the cooler days of winter. I have been giving thought to the holiday season. Before you think I am silly for thinking of the holidays so early, let me explain.

Nearly any gift given is handmade. This requires that I think ahead and plan early. Many of the gifts involve sewing. This year it seems that quilts are the ones desired most. There are also other smaller gifts that I am sewing or crocheting.

Another reason for planning ahead is to prepare decorations. I am wanting to make seasonal table linens - placemats, cloth napkins, and potholders. Another decoration that I am working on is coming up with a handmade ornament for each of us. I am wanting to have the tradition for the children of having a new ornament each year to commemorate the year.

Making the gifts can seem a daunting task if left late in the season. By planning ahead, you can take more time to enjoy the process. I love making the gifts. As I work on each item, I am thinking of that person. It is a very personal thing. Handmade gifts can be as simple or as detailed as you choose. Everything from making bath items to artwork. You are only limited by your talent and time. When making gifts instead of buying them, you have the additional blessing of a less frazzled holiday season.

Nearly Free Garden Fence

2009-07-08T13:23:00.003-05:00

Greetings! In a previous post, I spoke of my husband using wooden shipping crates as raised garden beds. Well, here is an idea that we are implementing.

We get the shipping crates free from a business in town that receives their manufacturing supplies in them. Normally, the business would burn the crates so they are happy to have us take them off their hands. Another free item that we get are old wooden pallets. We are setting up the border of the garden with alternating pallets & crates. The crates help to stabilize the pallets to make a very strong fence to keep wildlife and errant livestock from eating the garden's vegetable plants.

The pallets serve both as fence material and can be used as a trellis to support climbing plants or those such as tomatoes that need the support. The crates serve as raised garden beds as well as compost bins. Once we have the entire perimeter of the garden fenced with the pallets and crates, we will be adding rows of crates inside the garden for next year's planting.

The wood is weather treated so it will last a long time before needing replaced. The crates are tall enough (waist high) that we can easily tend the garden without getting sore. The height is great also for keeping many of the smaller animals such as rabbits away from the plants. If we run out of crates, we can easily make some using 4 pallets held together with metal strapping & screws.

Is this a rustic method, certainly. It is a wonderful way to recycle the materials though as well as provide excellent protection to the garden at very low cost. Our fencing & crates are costing us only the price of the screws used to attach the pallets to the crates and the time & fuel used to bring the materials home.

We are filling the crates about 2/3 full of old hay as a filler before adding the soil. In future years we will only need to ammend the soil by adding compost or other materials to fortify the soil. In all, it is a very easy method that will serve us well for many years to come.

Staying Cool without Electricity

2009-06-26T13:48:00.002-05:00

Greetings! I pray that everyone is doing well.

Summer heat has settled in now. We are having temps reaching the low 100*s on a daily basis and often with very little breeze. The focus is becoming the issue of how to deal with summer's heat without fans or air conditioning.

One of the way we combat the heat is to drink lots of fluids! Water and lemonade are always available & kept cold in the refrigerator.

I have started the habit of having a cool bubble bath available for the kids all afternoon. In the late morning, I run about 2-3 inches of water in the tub with a bit of baby wash. At any time in the afternoon when the children are getting too hot, they play in the tub. This works out better than having a small pool outdoors. The wasps love the outdoor kiddie pool as much (if not more than) the little ones! This has been working out very well. The little ones are able to cool off and also we can wash off the sweat & dirt from their playing all at once.

The most strenuous work is done in the mornings only. This will help to prevent becoming overheated & sick from the high temps. The past few days, the radio has announced heat advisories and by early afternoon you can certainly feel it! I now understand the reasons behind the idea of taking a siesta in the hot afternoons.

A recent change that helps greatly with keeping cooler is to not cook in the warm part of day. We now are eating foods cooked on the grill, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of roll-ups instead of cooking a hot meal each day. Things like a layered bean dip (refried beans, taco meat, and assorted toppings common on burritos or tacos) can be made early in the morning then refrigerated until ready to serve. Homemade potato or macaroni salads also can be made in the evening and refrigerated overnight.

We bought expandable screens to put in the windows that did now have any form of screens. This goes far in helping to take advantage of any breeze that happens to be present.

One common tip that we have tried in the past is to put foil in the upper windows. The idea is to reflect the sunlight away from the windows. We take a large piece of cardboard that is large enough to fit the upper half of the window. The cardboard is covered in foil with the shiny side facing outward. The cardboard is then placed in the window. It is important to note that you do not want to fully cover your windows with foil. This will darken the room and turn it into a nice cool, dark enviroment that spiders love! For this reason, we only do the top half of the windows. The bottom half has the window screens which allow both light and air flow.

What are your favorite tips for staying cool in the summer?

New Adventures

2009-06-17T11:01:00.003-05:00

Greetings! We are starting to get the hot summer weather already. It is an interesting experience to be going through our first summer without a fan or air conditioner. We are finding the heat is not too bad, but the humidity is a challenge. We are managing during the day. It is hard to sleep at night though when there is little to no breeze.

I am finally getting my energy levels back up and starting to be able to do more each day than I have in recent weeks. All the rains in April & May affected my fibromyalgia and had me slowing down. Even though the humidity is still high some days, I am doing much better! Praise the Lord!!!

We are beginning a new phase to our homestead life. We are taking steps to start teaching classes to others on topics related to self-sufficient & low-cost living. I am preparing the classes and flyers. The flyers will be distributed to the churches & organizations in our area to get the word out about the classes available. We are looking forward to this. There has been much interest in these classes so we are hoping that we will be able to get them going soon.

I got a large amount of fleece last week after a neighbor sheared his sheep. I have 2 1/2 very large bags of it! I am working on cleaning them to prepare for selling as well as to begin working with them myself. In all, there is fleece from approximately 35 sheep.

I am going to make myself some drop spindles to use to spin the wool. Drop spindles are very easy and affordable to make. They take a bit of practice to use, but are not hard to learn. I will post more about working with raw fleece in a future post.

Baby Slings

2009-06-04T15:06:00.002-05:00

Recently, I received an email about a blog post that I made in the past. I had posted about a website where I found the directions for making your own baby sling. The lady who had the website no longer has the site available so I wanted to share a different site that may be of help to those wanting to make their own baby slings.

Jan Andrea has a wonderful free resource for making not only baby slings but other items that would be of interest. Her site has links for both the pouch and ring-sling styles. The ring-sling that I made is most similar to the Sling-A-Ma-Bob sling. I made mine from a single layer of linen fabric which is very sturdy, yet comfortable. Micah now weighs 22 lbs. and is still very easy to carry in this sling.

I hope that this helps those who have been looking for a free sling pattern resource.

Homestead Update

2009-06-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

Greetings from the homestead! I pray that all are doing well.

Beloved began his vacation today. It is such a blessing. We are going to spend the time not only having fun with the kids, but will also be taking care of our garden & other tasks.

Our outdoor cat finally brought out her 4 kittens to greet the family. She had 3 black males and 1 gray female. They are adorable. We only have her and her mate now, so these kittens are a blessing.

The non-electric lifestyle is very interesting. We are enjoying it and learn more each day. Now that summer is bringing the longer daylight hours, we are able to go without using the kerosene lamps as often. It is a blessing also that the days are so warm that laundry is drying much faster on the line. By July, I will be able to fill the lines twice in a day if need be and still have everything dry by nightfall.

One project that Beloved is working on over his vacation is setting up an outdoor kitchen. Basically it is a BBQ area but with enough area on the fire pit to allow us to also cook with cast iron. The addition of this kitchen will cut back on propane usage during the months when the temps are too hot for my using the wood cookstove.

Today, we have signed up Miss Abigail for the library summer reading program. We read to her and Micah each day, so this will be a fun activity for her. Both she and Micah enjoy the times we read to them. The library we go to allows us to check out 60 books at a time. We have yet to reach that limit in one trip, but once we begin homeschooling in a couple of years, I am sure we will do our best to reach that limit. LOL

Last month, I canned a month's supply of meat for the first time. What a blessing that became! I am so thrilled with the results. We were able to store the meat very well and the flavor was good. I am looking forward to when Beloved is able to go hunting for deer in the fall. I will be able to can the meat and not have to worry about how to store it. I was very happy with how easily it was canned and the flavor of it afterwords.

I wanted to post a quick tip for anyone who uses a lot of dried herbs in their cooking, but does not grow their own. If you have access to a health food store that provides bulk bins that you can buy your foods from, see if they also have bulk containers of the dried herbs and seasonings. The store we go to has this and we are able to buy about a 1/2 cup quantity of dried herbs & seasonings for about 20 cents. This is far less than the small containers that you buy in the grocery stores! Last month, I bought a 1/2 cup quantity of dried Sweet Basil for 17 cents - that amount would have cost over $2.00 in the bottles sold in the grocery stores.

Recycled Container Gardening

2009-05-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned previously, the Lord has been blessing us abundantly with rain. We have had a 18 day stretch of rain daily. Some days more than others, but thoughts of having Beloved build an ark were beginning to take place. LOL

We have started putting wooden shipping crates in the garden to use as planting boxes. We put old hay in the bottom with top soil on the top. These are going to work out great. They end up being about waist high which will eliminate the problem of aching backs or knees from weeding the garden. We are putting weed barrier cloth - a black plastic with tiny holes in it to allow water to drian through - on top of the soil before planting our seedlings. This will further eliminate the need to be weeding the garden so much. The weed barrier also will help to hold in the moisture in the soil. One word of caution however - always place some mulch on top of the plastic if you have very hot summers! If you neglect to do this, you tomato and other plants can get too hot and be burned.

We have plans to add to the number of crates each year. We may end up building some from old pallets also if we run out of crates. Our garden area is about 88' x 108' in size. The crates are about 4' square. We can place a lot of these crates in that area. I am planning to have a portion of the garden area for the vining plants to be planted directly in the ground. Most likely they will be in the back portion.

If you live near a business that receives product in the wooden shipping crates, you may want to consider talking to the owner or manager. Some businesses will burn or otherwise destroy the crates even though they are in very good condition. You may be able to get the crates for a very low cost or free. If you are handy with hand tools, you can also make your own crates using old wood pallets. In our area, the local Ace Hardware & Lumber Stores give away the old wooden pallets. Be sure to specify the old ones as they also have new ones which they sell. We have often gone to their store and loaded up a trailer with a full load of pallets for free.

Looking around, you can find many recycleable containers that would be suitable for gardening. The only criteria being that they can hold the soil & water. Bakeries and restaurants often have plastic buckets that they recieve food products in. These often get thrown away unless people ask for the containers. Put a few drainage holes in the bottom and you have a nice container for your tomatoes or other plants.

Be creative. You may find that there is a vast array of options available to you.

When it rains.....it pours

2009-05-16T15:11:00.002-05:00

......and pours, and pours! Such is the way of it the last few weeks. The Lord saw a need for us to have rain and over the past weeks has been blessing us.....abundantly! With the rain has come new challenges and lessons to learn.

The first has been how to dry laundry without being able to hang it out on a clothesline. That has been a challenge for me. One solution has been to take advantage of the cooler temps brought by the rains and to light the wood stove. I hang the laundry on hangers to be placed on a clothes rack near the stove to dry. I also have a wooden dowel type drying rack that fits perfectly on top of the stove for drying additional items. We are planning to add a clothes drying area in the laundry room at some point this summer to prepare for winter when line drying is more difficult.

Another challenge has been the garden. Alas, with all the blessings of rain has come a serious delay in the tilling & planting of the garden. I had seeds already started and have had to rethink where to plant so that I could get the seedlings out of the containers before they became root bound. I finally found a nice area in the side yard where the seedlings are now set out and will grow well. Not the first choice of a garden area, but we are making use of what we can. Once the spring rains are over and the garden area can be tilled, we will set about planting the summer garden. The seed varieties that I have not been able to set out due to the rains now will be planted in late summer to give me a nice autumn garden crop. We are already making plans to attend farmers markets in the region to buy what we are unable to grow this season. This will allow me to be able to can and stock our pantry in preparation for winter.

Abigail is getting so "grown up" in her play and how she interacts with others. She has been working on preschool level workbooks for a couple of months now. Yesterday, she began writing the capital letter "A" and did quite well. I had to hold her hand steady at first while she made the letter, but she picked it up pretty fast. We are going to buy her some writing tablets for her age level so that she can practice her letters easier.

Micah is finally walking! Whoo Hoo!!!!! He is so funny. As he walks, he laughs and is really enjoying it. Now, he only needs to gain the confidence to let go of our hands.

The lamb is growing very nicely and grazes most of the time now. He is such a funny little guy to watch. When he runs and is excited, he jumps and hops as he runs. We are looking forward to expanding the herd a little more so that we can start raising them for meat.

Thank you for all the comments and pen pal letters that I have been receiving. I am thoroughly enjoying them. My Beloved has set up my prepay cell phone to accept and send emails, so if you have my email address @ gmail, feel free to write. I truly enjoy being able to stay in touch.

May the Lord's blessings be with you,
Paula

Close Encounter with Nature

2009-05-06T11:00:00.002-05:00

You know, I have always for a weird fascination with women who are able to scream. Not just a little one, but the blood curdling screams like those of a horror movie. I have never been able to do that....thankfully! Well, on April 26th I had the perfect opportunity to learn that skill.

We had attended a local church that morning. After returning home, I went into our bedroom to change into a different dress before preparing lunch. As you walk into the bedroom, beside the doorway on the right side is a large chest of drawers. As I passed the chest, I heard a sound. I looked back to see a rattlesnake on top of the dresser! I had passed within 2 feet of it! I gave my best effort of the horror movie scream. Not planned, but for some reason the situation pulled the scream out of me. Was it the horror movie quality? Not by a long shot, but it was enough to have my Beloved come running!

The snake had dropped off the chest and so we (okay my Beloved) had to search for it. I estimated that it was about 2 ft. long. I then remembered that his sock drawer had been partially opened. He took a look in there and sure enough, the snake was coiled up in tha back corner of his sock drawer.

Much to my fright, my husband carefully pulled the drawer out and carried the drawer - snake and all - through the house to the back porch where he carefully set it down. The snake was a curiosity to the cats, but one quick attempt to strike at the cat was enough to get them to expercise caution. Beloved went through the house and back out through the front door in an attempt to get in a position where he could properly deal with the snake without risk of being bitten. In the time it took for him to do so, the snake got away.

The snake, we believe, had come through the hole in the ceiling above the cheast of drawers. We are making repairs and that area had not be finished up yet. There was a very large firewood pile in front of the house that had been moved and stacked along a fence. We think the snake must have been using that wood pile as a home, but left when the firewood was being moved to it's new location.

So many things could have gone wrong that day. The snake could have struck myself or Beloved very easily as we were each well within strike range. It could also have hidden in the house only to be found by one of the children. The Lord watched over our family that day. He blessed us with protection.

Did I ever acheive that horror film quality of a scream? Nope! But I did get to meet a rattlesnake up close, which is an event I hope never to repeat!

Back at the Homestead.....

2009-04-25T10:00:00.005-05:00

First, I want to thank everyone for the prayers and well wishes. I am doing much better now. My leg still acts up if I over work, but it is improving more each day.

Recently, we learned a valuable piece of information about our sheep. During the times of year when grazing is plentiful, we only have feed on hand for the days when weather is bad or when we will be away from home for the day & unable to let the sheep graze. We give them a mixture of 14% creep and corn. In the winter, they also get hay to give them the bulk and roughage that they need.

Last weekend, the feed store we normally go to was closed by the time we arrived so we had to go to the other feed store in town to buy the creep. That is where we learned a hard lesson. The creep was a different brand than the one they are used to. Well, turns out that when you change feed brands or types the sheep don't always tolerate it very well. Both the ram & ewe became sick & were "off their feed" for a couple of days. They laid around, the ewe only standing up to nurse her lamb. We talked to a friend who let us know the change in feed was the problem. We stopped giving them the new creep and gave them corn and the creep brand that they were used to instead. Within a couple of days, they were feeling much better. After about 4 days of not trying to graze, they began grazing again and are now back to their healthy selves again.

When changing feed brands or types, it is highly recommended that you gradually mix in the new feed into their regular feed. Over a period of 3-4 days, you slowly increase the percentage of the new feed in the mixture until you are able to give them the new feed without the old type/brand mixed in. This allows their digestive system to become accustomed to the new feed without having a bad reaction.

In the garden: the seedlings are popping up very well. Some better than others, but the garden plants are starting to grow. I am looking forward to getting the rest of the seeds planted once the garden is tilled. Our neighbor is planning to come by with his farm tractor to make quick work of it for us. The main garden area is 108' x 88' in size. In addition, to that garden we will have the herbs planted in & around the front yard. I am looking forward to seeing how much we can produce from that garden area. It is the largest we have had to date.

In a couple of weeks, I am planning to have a canning spree. A friend who doesn't know how to can is wanting to learn. She is a single mom and we feel the canning will help her out quite a bit in saving money on her food budget each month. We are going to be canning a lot of meals in pint size jars for her to take home. This will give her a nice supply of quick to prepare meals to stock her pantry with. Homemade soups, stews, and such will be the main things canned. Over the week, I will get a jump start and do some of the canning ahead of time. The goal is to have a month's worth of meals canned for her to take home that day. While I am doing all that canning for her, I am going to be doing the same meals in quart size jars for our own pantry. Over the winter, our pantry became quite depleted, so I am anxious to get a good supply back in there. Having the easy to prepare meals canned and ready to use are a blessing once the garden starts being harvested and the canning from the garden is underway. Often, my Beloved will take a pint jar of a home canned stew or soup with him to work for his lunch. It gives him a break for having sandwiches all the time.

This year, I am going to do something new. I will be keeping an inventory list of all home canned foods that I do. This will hopefully be a help in the future when planning my garden and pantry in future seasons. I have always had a pantry inventory but this time along with the canning list, I am going to have notes tracking how much produce came from the garden and how much (if any) had to be purchased at a farmer's market. By tracking the amount of produce, I can better plan out the amount of garden seed I will need to plant to supply my family with the food we need for the winter. The goal that I have is to grow as close to 100% of our food as possible.

If you keep inventory of your pantry & canning, I would love to read your thoughts and ideas. Feel free to add a comment with your favorite tips for tracking your pantry inventory & garden planning or any questions that you may have. I will try to answer your questions next time I post.

Oh Good Grief!

2009-04-07T10:59:00.004-05:00

Last night, I had to go to the Emergency room. I had bruised the inside of my right leg just slightly above the knee nearly a week ago and thought nothing of it. Night before last, I started having "electrical shock" sensations in the area. The sensation was quite strong and painful, occurring 3 times within an hour. So, after Beloved got home from work, I went to the hospital to get it checked out. They found that I had pinched a nerve. I am now having to wear an immobilizer on the leg and use crutches for the next 1-2 weeks. {insert rolling eyes here}
Beloved took the day off today to drive me to town and to help out. Starting tomorrow, I will have help so Beloved will be going back to work.

This has really brought to the forefront the thought of what happens when one person is sick or recovering from an injury when you live off-grid? It isn't as easy to work around as it is when you have electricity and the daily tasks are done by machines.

I can see that we will have to have some kind of plan set in place for the future. Not that we are looking forward to another such incident, but to be prepared. When you do everything the "old way" and do not use laundry machines or other conveniences there has to be a preplanned alternative for how things get done. We are lucky this time in that we have a family member who was already planned to visit for a month and is arriving today.

Families with older children have the help of their children to pick up the slack when Momma or Papa are recoving from illness or injury. If there are no older children or other relatives nearby to help, you must have a plan of action. This is one area of our lifestyle we have not had need to address yet, but are going to start working on very soon.

Life Off-Grid

2009-04-04T09:23:00.004-05:00

Greetings! I finally got to a library to have a chance to update the blog. Thank you to all who have stayed in touch via snail mail. I love receiving and answering the letters.

Life off-grid has been a wonderful change in our lives. It is such a blessing in ways that we hadn't planned on. We are getting into a smooth routine now that makes in many ways our lifestyle feel effortless. Yeah, I know...... that is hard to imagine! LOL

Our ewe had a baby ram about a month ago. He was all black when born but is now showing signs of his wool lightening. Soon, he will be the cream (off-white) color of his parents with a black face & legs. We have yet to name him. We have 2 ewe lambs on order to be companions for the new ram. This is mainly to avoid him trying to breed with his momma in the fall. The adult breeding pair, the new ram, and the 2 new ewe lambs will complete our breeding stock. We also will be getting a third lamb that we will raise over the summer to be butchered in the late autumn.

We have been given great news. Our 1890 home is not in a bad of shape as we thought so we are remodeling it as originally planned. We are following our dream of remodeling it as closely to what it may have been like in the 1890's. Not having electricity, that is even easier now.

Ever want to confuse your power company? Try convincing them over the phone that you want them to remove the electric meter and cable from your house! It was so funny. First I talked to them & they simply couldn't work their mind around the idea of someone choosing to not have access to electricity. They tried everything to talk me into keeping the meter box & cable. Not getting anywhere with them, Beloved had to call them the next day and get firm about it. Next morning, the worker showed up and kept asking "Are you sure about this?" I was so sure about it that I helped to remove the cable! In less than 10 minutes, we were 100% off-grid.

The first day was surreal. I am amazed at how much background noise that appliances make. It was so quiet that I was able to sit and listen to the birds outside even though all windows and doors were shut. A few weeks later when we had large fluffy snow falling, you could actually hear the snowflakes hitting the windows.

Our garden will be plowed soon by our neighbor with his large farm tractor. Once done, we will start preparing to plant. Our last frost can occur in the last week of April, so we will only be planting the root and cool weather crops at first. The garden is going to be larger than any previously planted. We are going to be canning as much as possible to supply our pantry for the winter months. I am also going to start canning meat. I checked with the local OSU Cooperative Extension Service and received printouts of all the instructions and information needed to safely can meat for pantry storage.

About 2 weeks ago, we were able to find a treadle Singer sewing machine that needed refinishing and minor repair for a very low cost. We bought it and I have refinished the cabinet. Beloved helped me to oil and remove rust from the sewing machine to get it back up and running. Now, we only have to get the tensions & possibly the timing adjusted. I found someone who is going to do it at no cost, so I just need to find a time to take it to him. He will adjust it while we are there.

We do have 4 out buildings to be built this spring & summer. The first is an outdoor privy and a small outdoor shower room. With our needing to remodel the bathroom (including repairing the floor) we will need the outdoor facilities while the work is being done. We also will be building a cougar-proof chicken coop and a storage shed.

I am so thrilled with the way our lifestyle has been changing. There is so much peace and contentment in it. I love the simplicity of the Plain life.

I will try to update the blog more frequently. Now that we are getting into our routine, there will be more opportunity to come to the library. Thank you for the prayers and encouragements.

Going Off-Grid

2009-02-11T12:17:00.002-06:00

We are going off-grid much earlier than planned. As of tomorrow, we will be off-grid. I will not be able to post any new blogs unless I get to a library, which would be once a month at the most. I have the addresses for the Pay It Forward ladies and will be in touch via the postal service very soon.

I am feeling very at peace right now. This will be a change for us, but we have been laying the foundations for this for several months now. The Lord is in control and we are simply following along with where He wants us to go. It will be autumn before we are able to get the wind-solar system set up, unless the Lord's time table is faster and opportunities are presented before autumn.

I will post again as soon as opportunity allows.

May the Lord's blessings be with you.

Paula

Today's "Good Morning"

2009-02-11T09:28:00.002-06:00

Today, I awoke to the sounds of our ewe & ram near the house. Not good! The ram gets aggressive with me and is not very cooperative unless Beloved is with me. I got Abbie settled with a bowl of cereal and Micah was playing in his crib, so I went out to put the sheep in their grazing pen, which is the larger of the 2 enclosures. Well, they were having none of that! The ram kept dropping his head down and hitting me again. I had a stick that I bumped him with a few times to keep him away but he seemed to take that as a challenge and got worse. I was able to avoid more hits, but had to keep side stepping him while directing the ewe into their stable. The ram finally joined her and I was able temporarily fix the gate that they had knocked down. I gave them a good feeding of hay & grain to keep them happy for a while. At least until the gate can get repaired when Beloved gets home. If I am able to, I will repair the gate myself once the little ones are napping after lunch.

Oklahoma Storms

2009-02-10T21:48:00.003-06:00

I first want to thank those who have emailed me asking if we were affected by the tornado & storms. Today, Beloved and I were at Oklahoma City to meet with our state legislators at the "Capital Day" event for homeschooling families. Each year, the homeschoolers spend a day at the state capital building to meet and speak with their legislators. We also have an opportunity to watch a legislative session and have lunch with our legislators. We had a wonderful time at the capital building. We met our district's state representative and state senator. It was a very interesting and informative experience.

As we were leaving, the tornado sirens went off. We watched the sky getting very dark towards the Yukon area. We were heading a different direction, so while being watchful, we still were not too concerned for our safety. We stopped at a health food store to buy wheat and their cash registers (computerized) stopped working. So, off we went to Walmart for a few perishables that we wanted to get while we were in town. We had just got into the store and the sirens went off again. We had to stand in the middle of the store until the sirens stopped. We did our shopping and left for home.

What a day! Tonight, we are having thunderstorms & rain. Luckily nothing too serious at this point. I had to start the wood stove tonight as the temperature is to drop due to the storms. I am so grateful that we were able to travel in safety.

Tomorrow, I am going to work on some projects that need finishing. After the long day we had today, I am going to be doing more restful activities such as my sewing. After an all-day outing, it takes me a day or so to recuperate. Nothing major, just one of the side effects of having fibromyalgia. You can feel fine with the normal pace of your daily routine, but if you are suddenly doing more or a different type of activity your body reacts to it.