Making Barn Plans

We have dried off the 2 does in milk here, everyone (praying hard!!) has been bred except Kati-Bug and little Abigail (Abigail just looks so small yet compared to Malachi...we're waiting until next year to breed her).

If, all is right and all are bred on the dates we have, we should start kidding around January 20th, give or take, and continue through February 16th.

And, if at least the older does hold true to past form with our Malachi, we might have some triplets in the group. The least, given 1 kidd per, will be 5 new additions to the herd here. If we're really lucky, we might see at least 2 triplets and 3 sets of twins :o) Either way, plenty of goats coming!! I'm excited to see them all, but I'm more excited about getting back into the MILK here!

I have started working out how I want the kidding pens set up, so we can alter things around a bit and make sure we have room for everyone. Ideally, I'd like to be ready with 5 pens set up. Right now we are getting the barn more in line for feeding -- we will have short tethers mounted at feed buckets like we did up north. It worked well, no one got shorted on feed because of a lack of aggression (although we don't seem to have much shortage of aggression in the barn with these ladies!). I want to build platforms (well, wood plank floors anyway) in the pens and get rid of this packed clay. With all the recent rains, we have a mess everywhere, it's very hard to keep clean, and with the coming and going in and out, hard to keep dry.

We have also been making some new chicken coop plans. I'm not complaining right now, mind you, as we are finally getting eggs. EGGS on the homestead again. Ok, so we started out in the spring with some 40 chicks and only have 8 layers and a couple roosters left. Owls and coons picked us clean for the most part. Poor chickens wouldn't even come outside...even if we put their feed outside, they stayed in, watching and waiting. Nothing was going to bring them outside, period. We covered the top of their outside run and after a few days, they decided it was worth a shot. Bingo....eggs, happy chickens...life is gettin' good :o)

We are planning a building in the yard, near the garden area, with a divided interior. Meats on one side, layers on the other. Out both sides, north and south, we will have runs (definitely covered and enclosed well from owls) and then we can get some decent amount of birds on the homestead again. We typically ran 2 sets of meats and some 60+ layers up north. I miss that.

Dewey would like to get turkeys. Seems around here the folks doing turkeys have them in off-ground cage/house set ups, sort of like hunting dogs or rabbits. I know the times we tried turkeys back north, we had nothing but leg troubles with them and never made it to a 'harvestable' age. Maybe we can do turkeys in the existing chicken coop once the birds are moved to the new set up.

And rabbits. I'm going to track down some decent meat rabbits around here if it kills me. No one does animals it seems. They might have a handful of brush goats, or a few game hens running about...and a hundred barrels and tethers for game cocks :o( But not very many actual 'homestead animals' to be found. I know where I can get some in Alabama...something closer would be nice, though.

I'm a mean wife...I'm not supporting the "let's get more pigs"mentality here at all. I don't want pigs. They were a mess and created enough havoc around here to last me a life-time, thank you very much. I understand I was head pig tender here alone for the majority of their life span here, but still...I'd just as soon buy my bacon and chops from our local butcher than to raise them myself again. I don't mind the goats (though I'm not eating them), I love the chickens, and I would like to do the rabbits...that's enough to keep this homestead humming along, I think.

Ready for Hunting

Jacob wanted a hunting hat, so David had to have one, too. Technically, the color is "pumpkin" and not some "safety" or "hunting" orange, but it will do.
Maybe it will get cold enough to make them comfortable :o)

They've been 'shooting' all over -- they made their own bows and arrows from some of my tent poles by stringing hay bale twine through the poles and using sticks as arrows. Goofy things actually shoot a fair distance, even if it is rather slow. I don't suspect any real danger to the turkeys, squirrels or deer, though.

They want Daniel Boone shoes next (moccassins). I promised as soon as they get their first deer we can havea go at tanning the hide for them. And I think I'd better send those skins Christopher traded for at that Rendevous back with him before they find it.

Oh yes..."Hollow" ween is here isn't it

http://simplelivingak.wordpress.com
Shared a great read about hollow-ween...

:::Christian and Halloween are as far apart as the east is from the west. Are we trying to be wise in our own eyes, while looking the part of the fool before our creator? Halloween is bad! We all know that from the church circles we are around, but how bad? There are many pagan holidays, easter, christmas, but this holiday tops the others with its boldness in evil delights.

We as a family do not partake of this evil event and see no need to have some cheap substitute for Halloween rituals, dressing them in church clothes, calling it a harvest festival. Why would the church even give this filth a second glance (as a dog returns to it's vomit?).

It is sad that many have not decided what side of the line they wish to stand on.

Joshua 24:15 (King James Version)
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Halloween is filled with death horror and every foul thing under the sun. There is no life in it! So why would we not follow the verse below? Why would we not follow and choose to focus on the words of life of Yeshua? And instead follow the masses on the wide path to Halloween and Harvest festival traditions?
Deuteronomy 30:19 (King James Version)
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Could it be we as the "church" are not where we should be? Are not in "Christ"? Hmmm. Christ refers to the Anointed one (Messiah). What was he anointed to do? Lets look at Luke 4:18

Luke 4:18 (King James Version)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, He said"
Spirit of the Lord is upon me" that means he was anointed. The same root meaning as we get the word for ointment. So the power of YHWH was upon him to do what?
• preach the gospel to the poor
• heal the brokenhearted
• preach deliverance to the captives
• recovering of sight to the blind (I believe this was natural as well as spiritual)
• set at liberty them that are bruised

We have become a spiritually blind people, who say we know YHWH (God) but we don't keep his ways.
Proverbs 1:27-33 (King James Version)
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Is there any hope then? We only need to read on one more verse…..
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

If something is evil, why would we partake? It is the same for movies, books, games, and holidays. We know some christian families that partake of Halloween to different degrees while banning evil movies filled with magic. Others we know are the opposite. They often say "we do not let our children celebrate Halloween". But they fill their children's heads full of magic and evil in the movies they watch, games and the like. 

Pray about this before you would let your children be involved in a holiday that is evil while we say we know the Messiah. We need to be unified in the messages we are sending to our children.
Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear YHWH and shun evil.

Ok...I know you've read all this kind of stuff before. But, look at the church 'festivals' scheduled last week and this weekend. Obviously we are a blind & bound group of Christians. Everything from halloween festivals with 'alternative activities' going on, like food, fun and games, costume gatherings to dress as your favorite Bible character, even "trunk or treat" in the church parking lot.

You don't want folks to think Christians can't have fun, right? Can't win those shallow-minded children and parents over to Christ by screaming damnation, hellfires and brimstone while passing out those cool halloween tracts, right? What does Christianity have to offer against the likes of movies, IPod music, Wii games and a constant party atmosphere?

It's like getting your children to eat vegetables, right? You have to camouflage them...tuna casserole, tater tot casserole, add lots of cheese...

Same with church. If you don't offer a game night every week -- oh wait, we don't call it that, it's church. We call it 'Awanas' and add a good dose of Bivle verses...while dosing them with plenty of games and prizes. And the Teens...if they can't go on outings and play paintball, take shopping trips and have their own game night, complete with pizza and a movie, well, you obviously won't keep them in church. And sheesh, folks, those teens, those children...they are the FUTURE of Christ's Church you know.

Man, that's a sad thought, isn't it?

But hey, don't let me interrupt your week's plans. Enjoy the candy, the 'fellowship' with those like-minded believers dressed as Moses and Ruth. I'm not perfect (I'm a far sight from it), but I do know where we won't be for '"hollow" ween...and it won't be pulling candy from the Pastor's trunk.

Think...and PRAY...about where you are willing to mark those lines in sand around your family. Satan doesn't want you, he's all about your children. And he's got the upper hand with most parents and their weak-knee approach to being a part of the world.

Water Day...and Just Stuff (recipes, too)

Yeah, I know...here lately, since September actually, it's been Water Day every day around here. But here on this homestead, on Wednesdays, we need to get water. I've been over this many times here and there in blogland, but the gist of it all is our water just isn't something I'm willing to drink. It's super-chlorinated and smells like the swimming pool at the Y. Nasty stuff. And we are blessed to get the chance to pay for it, to boot. How lucky can you get?

So, we go to a spring fed lake to get our water. They have plumbed the spring into an area and set up a spout and tank for overflow, etc.

Yes, I drink water from the ground. Technically so do you city-dwellers on those fancy water systems, but anyway...

The lake is really peaceful...especially lately given all the rain, alot of folks aren't making the trek for water. As long as it's not raining hard the day or night before, we go. I watch for any settlement in the water tanks before we use them, and we've had very few issues. Well, it wasn't raining but a light mist Tuesday for the most part, so off we went to the watering hole. It's not as hot outside, so we use less water now it seems and only had 9 of our 21 3 gal. jugs to fill. That made the time go quickly.
We found a bunch of neat things to look at out there...but the photo's won't load yet on this rainy day. I'll have to post them here later on I guess.

On the sewing front, I've been doing a couple shirts for my boys here and I need to finish the ones ordered by a friend yet. My crochet project is finished and will be mailed out soon. Oh, those PIF's are still sitting here...I need to take them into town and see about packing properly and getting them mailed off. Good grief, I can certainly procrastinate!

Well, downloads are slowly finishing...and still not those pictures. Check back later. I'll add them in. I need to get the baking done. We are doing a double batch of our Amish Sugar Cookies, and I love the sound of these Homemade Poptarts! And don't these Homemade Mozzerella Sticks sound yummy? I haven't made them in a long time (since finding the recipe, actually!) and I think we'll do some this weekend.
I need to plan what we want for Thanksgiving, too. No family to do up a large meal for, but Dewey is one of those plan large anyway sorts, so we'll have a TON of food, even with just us. LOL...then again, we are feeding 12 (Christopher and Hope will hopefully make it over from Alabama), so what's a 'small meal' really?

And no, I'm not going to stop blogging (sorry to those of you wishing it were so...) over someone not liking my blog, or my tact (or lack thereof) or style or whatever you want to call it. Like I said, this isn't Sesame Street...you don't have to like me. That's what the delete button is for...and the space bar...there's a whole big world web out there just waiting for you to find something you do like :o) I encourage you to test the webbing and check it out...

Ahh, critics and others...

I've been asked many times about why on earth I have an email address on my blog when it's rather obvious that I just chap some folks (yeah, ok, many folks, I suppose, truth be told) the wrong way. Forget the fact I have an opinion and have no quirks about sharing it. That's just me. I am who I am, folks. Like me, don't like me...honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it all comes down to a simple point: it doesn't matter.

This isn't Sesame Street, you know. I'm not Barney....I like you, you like me, we're a happy family...nope, not here. Not everyone is going to like me...or you, for that matter. Not everyone is going to like what you say, what you wear, where you live, how you live, what you say...oh, said that twice, heh?

It was shared with me recently that I'm being spoken about out there in internet land. As my blog is not closed or private, I suppose someone somewhere has picked this or that in my blog, my shared links, etc. and passed them along elsewhere. Same as I do here on my blog with recipes, quotes, ideas and so forth from others. That's the life of the internet folks. Someone once told me that having a blog is like being a movie star...people are going to hound you constantly, waiting to find your loose strings to pull. Well, I don't know that I'd call bloggers 'famous' at all, but if you've been around for a while (ugh, I've been blogging too long actually...yes, that whole empty vessels make the most noise addage...) someone is going to follow you, keep tabs on what you say, how you say it and where you back-step yourself. Folks are going to talk about you somewhere, it's just inevitable. This is the new 'back fence' gossip fest, blogging is.

Apparently, though, this particular 'sharing' regarding me/my blog was someone not being happy with what I share.

Yep. Go figure. Someone out there doesn't like me. I'm not making light of it, really I'm not. But to send me a note telling me someone out there doesn't like me....hello, this isn't high school you know. I'm not really sure what the expected outcome of the email was, but I'm guessing that it was an attention-getter, something to get me to vocalize about the fact I'm being selected as not liked out there, so that perhaps I might back-step myself and provide even more 'ammunition' for those who disagree. Sorry if this doesn't do that for you, but I don't think I back-step myself often. I am who and what I am.

So, here's my thoughts, such as they usual are:

1. the initial comment was directed toward my being "pro-war" which honestly shows a complete lack of knowledge of what I stand for, let alone what I've written anywhere on my blogs, my groups, forums, etc. I am not a pro-war person...sitting comfortably here in safety while others are fighting battles and living in the midst of it all day to day.
What I am is a pro-soldier person. I suppose someone might link that to being pro-war, but in my heart, it is completely different. I do not in any way, shape, or form support the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or wherever else any soldiers happen to be taking up arms against others.

What I do support, however, is those men and women, on all sides. In our military today, most often the catalyst for joining up is educational benefits. I have several friends, and several family members currently serving, or previously serving in various branches of the military. I don't know of a single one who jumped up one day and said hey, I want to go strap on body armor and grab a gun and fight in some foreign country.

I will not debate on whether or not Scriptures call us to be pacifist. The most commonly interpreted form of non-resistance quoted is when Christ instructs the disciples to resist not evil or turn to him also the other cheek.
Here's just a sampling of doctrinal notes on non-resistance....it's a Commandment (thou shalt not kill) The Lord is also called Prince of Peace (not Prince of War...), turn the other cheek, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you...Paul says to recompense to no man evil for evil, live peaceably, etc.

I could go on with many other references to not engage in war, strife, quarrels, etc. but I'm sure everyone has heard them. Fact is, we live in a fallen world. True enough, were we all living the Scriptures as written without man's faulty interpretation warping it at every sermon, we would have no need for war or disagreement of any kind. But, that's not the world we live in. It will not ever return to a Garden of Eden again...that is simply something we are not promised.

However, there are men and women, being taught moral character, honor and the current wave of Christianity via the pulpit of mainstream America, who believe they are fighting for a better life...a life more directed toward Christ...living out those values daily to the best of their ability...who are serving this country because of those same values and morals. Like the song says, you've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. We do not teach non-resistance in our churches today. We teach very little of anything truly Biblical and honest, truth be told, because mainstream folks aren't interested in hearing that hard stuff. They want their Sundays to be pretty, full of fluff and lightness. Nothing severe...like a line by line, precept by precept teaching of true Scripture. I will not deny my prayers to our soldiers for what they believe they are doing, whether I agree with the act itself or not. If I were to do that, I could just as easily deny my prayers to those not saved through the Blood and Grace of Christ yet. I could deny my prayers to those living in heathen, unGodly countries. The list could go on and on.


2. apparently I am wrong to dare consider my self a Christian because of this seeming connection to military/war issues and not a definite stand on non-resistance.

That, I'm not sorry to say out loud, is just utter stupidity. I could just as easily claim you are not Christian because you dress worldly. You could be considered not Christian because you have a cell phone. Maybe you aren't Christian because you drive a new car. Maybe you are not Christian because you worship on Saturday instead of Sunday. Or because you attend this church instead of that one. Or because you are not following a strict, Levitical diet. Hogwash. (whoops...that's not Levitical now is it?)

Good grief, folks, if any of that were the case, there would be absolutely no Christians in this country at all. Dress is not a sign of Christianity. Oh I know, I wear cape dresses, headcoverings, etc. and I do honestly see a clear and direct call to dressing modestly, not as the world, not as the opposite sex, etc. in Scriptures, but to say one is not Christian because of the fabrics they wear on their bodies...or the cars the drive...or anything else there...that is insane. I am not one who believes in 'tolerance' and all that, either, but the casting of stones is just flat out too common among so-called Christian brethren. I know what I believe, and I stand behind those beliefs 100% because I am convicted of them through Christ, not through man. However, I am open enough to listen to the beliefs of others and study them out as well. The Lord directs my path, not internet gossips.

All I can say is if you disagree with me, good for you. Blog about it, take your stand and let your voice be heard. I even welcome disagreements here...provided you can be adult and play nice (and yes, I suppose it all comes down to my version of playing nice vs yours), but I will not debate my Christianity with anyone, especially anonymous internet trolls who stand behind nothing they say and lack the courage of their own convictions to be open and honest. As I said, I am who I am. It isn't about "transparency" here, I just believe what I believe and I am not one to be shy about it. If you truly believe I am wrong, step out in the light, as a true brother or sister in Christ and let's discuss my faults as you see them. You don't grow as a Christian without sharpening iron against iron.

At least that's what my Bible teaches.

Shonda Parker - Fear-Mongering About Swine Flu

http://www.naturallyhealthy.org/blog/

Shondra Parker shared some wonderful thoughts about 'public health safety' the recent National Emergency rating on H1N1 Flu and fear-mongering over what lies ahead regarding it all.

I'm not saying Do or Don't on anything, H1N1 or whatever.

What I am saying, and what I always try to get across when I soapbox around my blogs is if you are not willing to put time and personal effort into checking out the facts, on both or all sides of any issue, and make a truthful, full of understanding and knowledge decision and stand, you have no business making any decisions, period.

Don't buy into the government candy sale on every issue. Do some research and learn some things out for yourself. Don't listen to my soapboxes, or those that anyone else stands on either. We are making decisions that are right, given the time and season for our own families. You may have other issues at hand to factor in.

But don't listen to a group of gossips and chatterboxes telling you what you should do or should believe. Half of them aren't informed past their pinky toe, and they usually have agendas they are following. Dig in and be a big girl...make your own decisions based on unbiased FACTS...not clouded opinions.

For this house and family, we will not take a flu shot, H1N1 or otherwise. Period. What you do in your family is up to you. I don't need to agree or disagree. Neither does anyone else.

Excerpt from Ms Parker's Blog--
:::How can a state of National Public Health Emergency not benefit us as citizens?

I think the fair citizens of this nation would find accurate statistics more compelling in being able to appreciate a declaration of National Public Health Emergency rather than statements regarding swine flu which cannot be verified by the nation's own CDC, which ceased tracking swine flu numbers July 24th, tracking now only "influenza-like illnesses" and has also announced in its MMWR the quick test for swine flu had only a 40% chance at accuracy.

In fact, all tests for swine flu, or novel H1N1, were rushed to market without adequate testing due to the state of emergency declared.

So, how do we not benefit as citizens by a National Public Health Emergency? Well, let's talk about the powers granted during a state of National Public Health Emergency:
- More of our, the citizens, money is freed for an already over-spending administration to spend, further increasing our national debt, and the risk to our future economy;
- Unapproved tests may be, and were, rushed to market without adequate testing for accuracy (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5837a1.htm?s_cid=mm5837a1_e), and drugs may be given to children, pregnant women, and others in high risk groups which otherwise are considered not okay for those groups due to risks with the vaccine components, an example of which would be the recent override of the "no thimerosal" in vaccines – thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound used as a preservative in vaccines (mercury is toxic to humans in small doses) (www.cdc.gov/Flu/about/qa/thimerosal.htm);
- Potential travel bans may occur, which has the potential to harm US businesses which rely on travel abroad, further undermining the faltering economy;
- More people will go to the doc's office or emergency rooms for flu-like symptoms and possibly be isolated and quarantined, resulting in higher costs of healthcare and loss of work-time, and over-treated - there is a very real risk to citizens to the effects of antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu, not to mention the problem of increasing resistance of some flu strains to anti-virals ( given indiscriminately to everyone for fear they "might" have H1N1 and "might" be one of those who have serious complications (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5835a1.htm?s_cid=mm5835a1_e);
- Citizens could be forced to have a vaccine they do not choose to have and one that is already showing very real risks to the citizenry. Informed consent? Not an issue during public health emergencies, at least not a problem for those with the power to make you take it;

- Citizens could be forced to stay home from work in areas of outbreak, potentially undermining family solvency and thus the overall economy. Now, I've long been an advocate (see post below) of staying home when you're ill. But, let's see, if the public were made aware they need to stay home while ill, or until an exposure period has been exhausted, there'd be a way to lessen spread without resorting to mass quarantine of the well in addition to the sick.:::

There is many other good points...if you are willing to skip the media's version of truth and look at some facts not being announced by the government.

Looking for Resources...

We will be wanting to pad these State studies out with read-alouds, as well as craft ideas and all that fun stuff that makes homeschooling, well, fun :)

So...any children's books you think would add to the adventures along each State, please share.

I know many of you are avid Charlotte Mason, Five in A Row, Sonlight, etc. educators, and really have a great list of reading resources. If you come across books that will add to the interest and learning adventures of our States, will you send us a note? I'll add them under each State as we go along.

Put on your thinking caps, ladies, and let me know what stories you really enjoy!

Connecticut Study

Just the links, folks...I'm still formulating a plan of action here. You might keep checking back to these state pages as I am certain to be adding things here and there as time goes on. I will try to remember to mark items as NEW when I do :)

Connecticut History Online

Connecticut State Library this looks to be a spine for our study. It has several links.

Social Studies for Kids pages...works as a link for every state
Nathan Hale,

Connecticut...The Making of The 50 States there is a link for every state here also

EasyFunSchool has a unit on Connecticut

State of Connecticut Symbols

Enchanted Learning has a great looking Connecticut unit

Famous Nutmeggers...which I'm guessing is Famous Folks from Connecticut??? That's what I Googled and that page came up first...

A collection of lessons from the US Mint, using that funny American money we have ;)

The Visit Connecticut site

Connecticut's Historical Firsts

And for fun things I know we'll get around to using...Garden of Praise has several resources for good studies

And the Smithsonian For Kids site...not necessarily Connecticut, but still good viewing

And the next book is...Island of The Blue Dolphins

Although Robin Hood is coming in a close second. Well, so is the My Side of The Mountain trilogy.

Too many good read-alouds on the book shelf here.

However, should we go with Island of The Blue Dolphins, I found some great bloggers today sharing ideas for lapbooks and such. I need to get more into the whole lapbook evolution (doesn't that look like a fun way to study???)...they look like so much fun!

Notebooking Nook shares her great unit/mini book goodies. It's full of goodies I know we will get alot of use from/

Lapbook Lessons at Ning her finds were for the younger children, which of course we have here as well.

The California Channel Islands, a page for The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, The NOAA Page for current conditions around The Channel Islands, and The Commander Islands

Resource links

Here is a good novel Study, weekly assigned reading and activities (it links this page with various rexources for all manner of things)

EdHelper.com has a great page with resources. We may have to join so we can do these.

Web-Based Thematic Units has a good Teacher page and a good Student page



The Newbury Medal Winners page has several good links to check out. There are pages also for Out of The Dust (about a Dust Bowl family) and Johnny Tremain...keepers for later in our history studies.

The Solution Site...several links to lessons as you go along (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

There are several good "teaching connection theme" ideas at Teachers @ Random

WebQuest has some good links and resources

This is a good page with plenty of linked resources and question ideas

ClassZone has some great 'further reading' and 'related reading' books listed that we might be gathering as well. And just make sure you check out the original page -- there are TONS of great books linked!

Here's a fun interactive site with some goodies to do

Life Stream Center pages on Island of The Blue Dolphins, with chapter by chapter questions and some vocabulary, plus pages for further study on aspects of the novel like the Chumash Indians, California Missions, the real life story of Karana, etc.

PlayhouseSquare has a fun little PDF file available

BookRags has a study guide pack you can purchase

Here's a file from Appalachian State University




Some good ideas to use yourself at SCORE
(I was specifically looking at the baskets made by various tribes...and thinking about pine needle baskets...and pine needle/raffia baskets...basic instructions...for a craft idea)

lots of animal studies...sea otters, elephant seals, island fox, seals, octopus, cormorants, kelp, devil fish, dolphins, of course...etc. to keep us busy. I see alot of Netflix movies geared toward this with nature, National Geographic and Blue Planet.

There is plenty to choose from to design a fun study time for the book, that's for sure. Just need to decide what to do and get a plan in mind :o) If you have any resources you like, other books to read on any of the subjects connected to the story, fun craft ideas, etc. share them please.

And you don't see trouble with this move?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33477077/ns/business-the_new_york_times/

I'm sure some folks think this is a smart move, but seriously take a look at it. It's not a good move for anyone other than the government.

Giving government that kind of control isn't just walking into the End Times and One World Order...it's running head-long into it, idiot blinders fully in place.

Giving the government power to take over any company, change its leadership at will, dictate all decisions...including the power to alter existing legally binding contracts...

I just can't believe even the most blind, deaf and dumb government cheerleader can't see this for what it is. Talk about going to Hell in a hand-basket. We're diving in and fighting for a front row seat anymore. Our forefathers of government are certainly rolling in their graves at our utter lack of understanding, patriotism and GUTS to stand for anything in this country. We only stand for what we want others to see us stand for, where the biggest attention-getters are.

Enjoy the lacking discernment while you still have some "freedom" to do so because we are selling ourselves right into the thick of Sodom and Gommorah and all those other cities of Hell.

::::WASHINGTON -
Congress and the Obama administration are about to take up one of the most fundamental issues stemming from the near collapse of the financial system last year — how to deal with institutions that are so big that the government has no choice but to rescue them when they get in trouble.

A senior administration official said on Sunday that after extensive consultations with Treasury Department officials, Representative Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would introduce legislation as early as this week. The measure would make it easier for the government to seize control of troubled financial institutions, throw out management, wipe out the shareholders and change the terms of existing loans held by the institution.:::

Ahhh, the joyful moments of parenting

You know how to tell when parents and children come together in a great connecting kind of moment?

It's when they stand in the kitchen and fight, truly argue and bicker whole-heartedly...over what you ask?

Washing dishes.

Not fighting over who *has* to wash them...fighting over who *gets* to wash them.

Ahhh yes...those are the moments you enjoy in life.

Now to encourage them on the other things...like laundry, cleaning the bedrooms, cleaning the bathrooms...

Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20091024/D9BHLEA00.html


Hmmm...state of emergency declared on H1N1.

You'd be blind, deaf and otherwise dumb to not see where that is going.

I won't even bother with more. Just waiting and preparing. I do wonder though, what that next step might be. Logically, it's their martial law directive to ensure the public health safety of the nation-at-large.

Hmmm...watch for the green patrol to come knocking with your dose of government required medicine.

:::The national emergency declaration was the second of two steps needed to give Sebelius extraordinary powers during a crisis.
On April 26, the administration declared swine flu a public health emergency, allowing the shipment of roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually needed them.
At the time, there were 20 confirmed cases in the U.S. of people recovering easily. There was no vaccine against swine flu, but the CDC had taken the initial step necessary for producing one.

"As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," Obama wrote in Saturday's declaration.

He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources.":::

The Homemade Chicken Soup...

...is delicious. Even if I can't taste it much thanks to the stuffy head. It's thick, full of noodles, chicken, veggies, garlic and onion, among other seasonings.

And fresh bread as a side dish :o)

Oh -- no, these noodles were high gluten flour, not Prairie Gold. They brought out the wrong bucket and, well, I didn't pay attention until I was mixing.

And yes...the lard I use is the real deal. I buy from the meat market when I can and they have it available, but other times I keep a 5 gallon pail of lard in the pantry from the store. You can find that size around here, but most grocery stores have just the 1# blocks and "crisco" sized lard containers.

We use lard in everything...though I am starting to use coconut oil more often. It's hard to find here other than the small container at WalMart.

Saturday Baking on The Homestead

We finished breakfast rather leisurely this morning. Dewey and Matthew are out working on the coop run -- now that wehave a few laying, I want to ensure their safety from the owls, so we are *finally* closing off the top with some fencing.

The olders and I just made a small batch of noodles. Should have gone ahead and made a large batch as time is about the same, but my head is in such a fog I just didn't feel like fussing with it. We'll do a large batch later, when the humidity is a bit less and they can dry completely.

The photo is the fruits of the half-hour labor. They don't need to dry really, as I'm putting them in the chicken soup I started simmering yesterday, but we'll let them dry this morning anyway before adding them into the pot.

Here's our recipe:
3 cups flour
3 eggs (I just use the whole egg, some prefer only the yolk)
3 Tbs water
A pinch of salt

Our big batch noodles is:
30 cups flour
30 eggs
30 Tbs water. (About 1/2 cup plus 2 or 3 Tbs)

These will dry fully, depending on weather conditions, in about a week, then you can pack them away in an air tight container or portion off into freezer bags. We usually pack ours into a 5 gallon bucket. They will keep *if totally dry* for about 6 months...we never manage to keep them that long :o)

We rolled ours using my Atlas hand-crank roller, but you can easily roll them by hand on a floured board (flour your rolling pin or dough surface as well) then cut using a sharp pointed knife.

Homemade noodles will cook up about twice their thickness, so unless you are wanting a flat dumpling, roll out as thin as you can before cutting (1/16 inch).

The hand-roller can be set to any setting to get your chosen thickness. We rolled these through 4 times, to a 5 on my dial, then kept with the lazy mode and ran them through the cutter side. I can do this width and a spaghetti width. Other widths have to be cut by hand using the cutter wheel, which adjusts also.

Right now with noodles drying on the rack, we're starting a 6-loaf batch of bread. Good hot chicken soup with lots of garlic in it, homemade noodles cooked in the stock and fresh warm bread...YUM on the Homestead :o)

Testing Recipes with White Bean Puree

I have 3 loaves of Pumpkin Bread and a batch of Pecan Cookies going in the oven using white beans we cooked and pureed as the butter/oil substitute.

I know...never tried it and I do 3 loaves of pumpkin bread at once.

Honestly though, the children will eat it regardless of whether I like the flavor, so it's not a loss at all.

I'm stuffed something terrible today and have a scratchy throat. We were out in the hayfield with a neighbor I'm getting hay from and when he started baling, my throat started itching up a storm. Today it's a nice dull achey scratchy irritant.

Ahh, the joys of allergies. I've never had to deal much with allergies, but the seasonal "changes" between here and back north have given me short bouts of troubles ever since moving here.

Back to baking! Olders are cracking pecans for the freezer and youngers are napping.

Large Gatherings Food Amounts

I was asked the other day about this and finally had time to grab my lists and post them here. These come from several Amish cookbooks I have, each sharing bulk quantity recipes and food amounts for large groups.
If you are looking for a recipe, I suggest Ellen's Kitchen (she has a great sandwich listing, too!) If I have a recipe you can use, just ask and I'll look it up. I'm anything but cookbook sort around here ;o)

Drinks: (for 100 servings)
Punch 6 1/2 gallons
Instant Coffee 10 oz in 5 gallons water
Coffee 2 1/2 lbs or 5 cups
Tea 1 lb.
cream (at 2 Tbs per serving) 3 qts.
sugar (at 2 tsp per serving) 2 lbs

Sandwiches: (for 100 servings)
bread 10 loaves/200 slices
rolls 13 dozen
butter (1-2 tsp per) 1 1/2 lbs.
jelly (1 Tbs per) 7 cups
mayonnaise (1 Tbs per) 7 cups
meat spreads (2 tbs per) 3 qts
lettuce 3 heads
tomato slices (1 slice per) 25
cheese slices (1 slice per) 5 lbs
sliced luncheon meat 7 lbs

Meats: (100 servings)
gravy (3 Tbs per) 5 qts
boneless ham 35 lbs
ready-mixed hamburger (raw) 35 lbs
ready mix meatloaf (raw) 35 lbs
ready mix meatballs (raw) 35 lbs
hot dogs (2 per) 25 lbs.
roast beef (5 oz per) 40 lbs
sloppy joes (1/2 cup per) 3 1/2 gallons
turkey 4 18 lb birds
fried chicken 150 pieces
creamed chicken (1/3 cup per) 2 gallons

Casseroles/Main Dishes/Soups:
rice 8 lbs dry
soups (1 cup per) 6 gallons
noodles 6 1/2 lbs dry
casseroles (1 cup per) 2 18 qt roasters

Vegetables/Salads:
navy beans 12 lbs dry
baked beans 3 1/2 gals cooked
vegetables 25 lbs frozen
carrot sticks 3 1/2 lbs
celery sticks 4 lbs
potato flakes 5 lbs dry
potatoes (1/2 cup) 30 lbs raw (3/4 cup) 45 lbs raw
scalloped potatoes (1/2 cup) 25 lbs raw (3/4 cup) 37 lbs raw
potato salad (1/2 cup) 3 1/2 gals (3/4 cup) 4 1/2 gal
jello salad (1/2 cup) 3 1/2 gals (3/4 cup) 4 1/2 gals.
cabbage for cole slaw 20 lbs
lettuce salad (3/4 cup per) 12 heads
tomatoes (3 slices per) 33
applesauce (1/2 cup per) 3 1/2 gals
pickles (2 per) 1 gal
relish (1 Tbs per) 7 cups
olives (4 per) 2 qts
fruit salad (1/2 cup0 3 1/2 gal (3/4 cup0 4 1/2 gal

Desserts:
puddings (1/2 cup) 3 1/2 gal (3/4 cup) 4 1/2 ga;
pies (1 piece) 17 pies, cut into 6 pieces each
angel food cake (1 slice) 7 cakes, cut into 15 pieces each
9x13 cake (1 piece) 7 cakes, cut into 15 pieces each
cookies or bars 300
ice cream (1/2 cup) 13 qts or 5 4 ltr. boxes cut into 20 blocks each
whipped topping (2 Tbs per) 3 qts
mints 3 lbs
nuts 3 lbs
bananas 32 lbs
apples 30 lbs
grapes 25 lbs

Miscellaneous:
corn flake crumbs for toppings 7 oz
potato chips 6 1/2 lbs
crackers (2 per) 2 lbs
cheese ball 3 1 lb ball
cheese, shredded (1/4 cup per) 25 cups, or 6 lbs

General Information:
Plan for 1 cup servings/Adult and 1/2 cup servings/Children 10 and under
35 1 cup servings equals 1 large (25 lb) roaster
55 1 cup servings equals 1 electric (18 qt) roaster
21 3/4 cup servings equals 1 gallon salads and desserts
Set ice cream containers on counters for 45 minutes to thaw, then back into freezer for 1 hour -- makes them easier to dip when ready
200 cups of coffee will serve 325 people (normal 6 oz cup size)

Shelf Life Of Common Pantry Items

This is a great site link from Riverwalker...definitely worth printing off.

Knowing the shelf life of your food storage items is a very important part of any food storage program. The wide varieties of food items that are available make it hard to keep track of the shelf life of canned and pre-packaged food items that are common in most parts of the country.

Mrs. RW recommends http://stilltasty.com/ as a great website for checking the shelf life of your food storage items.
They cover a wide variety of food items from canned to frozen to opened or un-opened packages.
They also include the shelf life of food items commonly found in your pantry, your refrigerator and your freezer. So take some time and check out this handy website if you need to check the shelf life of your food storage items. From fish to dairy and veggies to fruits, they have some great information for you.
Whether you prefer canned, dried or fresh you can get the information you may need to help you keep the shelf life of your food storage items up to date.

Got Milk?

We don't.

Fresh, that is.

This is the last of the milking from Happy New Year and Leah. I need to go back through the records from April to now and see what our total milk production has been, but we have milked our last for the year. Next milking should be late February.

This milk, btw, is in a PINT jar.

And it's the collective quantity of Sunday AND Monday's milking.

Yeah, I'd say we are finished drying off for the year, wouldn't you?

Pondering Stocking...Pantry and Homestead Needs

Becky over at Becky's FarmLife has had her list posted for a starting reference for those unfamiliar with pantry stocking. I like lists. I have blended her list, as well as an LDS List for some time, to plan what I might need/want in the pantry. There are several lists I look through, actually....Arkansas Soaper's List, and this one, and this one. This Well-Stocked Pantry series of articles shares several good tidbits, too, including a nice software download for shopping list creation.

Here's Becky's List, with my notes in red:

With the list below and our garden food, cow meat, our milk cow, chickens(meat and eggs) will give us over a years supply of food. I’ll buy things here and there, but not much. I cook from scratch, so you may or may not use what’s on my list. Over the years I have found lots of ways to make different things, with a little in store. Example: elbow noodles can be used in soups,mac and cheese, spag. I have other things stored, but this is our MUST HAVE list. And I have been stocking up now for over a year, so please don’t let this overwhelm you and you feel it’s to late, because it’s never to late. Just start slow and easy, buy a few extra things here and there. Some stored food is better than none.

This doesn't include meats, which ideally would be solved by raising chickens and meat rabbits on the homestead, hunting and fishing whenever possible, and saving for larger meat purchases to add to any regular purchases.
The best money we spent was on the 300# of meat we bought from a local butcher. Doing it again, I would go for 200# of stew chunks as they can so nicely and have a lot of menu uses, and I'd go with 200# of their sausage as we used it in place of regular ground meat, and stick to just 100# of ground. We canned all of it but 10# of stewing chunks, which makes it twice as handy ;o)
We also did up a lot of bacon when bought on sale (those 10# boxes for $1/pound).
Tuna is something else I'd stock, several normal store cans, as well as several of the large cans from Sam's.
I stock chicken, beef and ham base (the large, 1# containers) and we use it alot. I make up our own cream soups as needed for recipes, add it as stock to cooking and just for flavor enhancing in a lot of meals. I need at least 4 chicken and 4 beef in the pantry each year, and usually 1 ham will get me by. I need to get more on top of canning my own stocks, though.

Yeast: 3 lbs. ( this should last us over a year, used to make bread) This would only be about 1/2 a year, maybe, for us. We easily use 6# yearly here, I like to have 8#. I buy at Sam's, when I open a package, I have a container in the fridge for daily use, and a canning jar to hold the rest in the freezer. Kept in the frezer, I've had yeast go well over a year with very limited trouble in proofing.

Flour: 35- 5lbs. bags ( we don’t have a grain grinder yet, but it’s on my wish list, so for now I buy flour. And I will most likely need to buy more before years out, due to not lasting for more than a year.) Hmmm...I try not to buy 5# bags if I can help it, just because we use alot of flour. I buy Prairie Gold in 50# bags, and we keep wheat berries in the pantry for grinding, though I prefer the finer texture of the store bought PG to my grinding with the Family Mill. I need to get over that. On average, I'd say we need to stock around 7 bags for our use, and if I had money and wishes, I'd go for closer to10# for a more permanent storage supply. We freeze all grains for a week in the chest freezers, then store in 5 gallon buckets.

Sugar: 42-5lbs. bags ( yes, this is a lot of sugar, but not really when you start making jellies and will most likely need more before the year is out.) If I buy regular sugar or fructose, it's in 25# or 50# bags, and we go through about 4 yearly (with leftovers...maybe 3 bags total usage). I need to get away from the white sugars, period. I'd like to get more used to honey and molasses in our baking, and raw sugar. Still, iced tea just has to have white sugar :o)

Lard: 50 lbs. I can go through 60# of lard in just under a year. I would still want some regular canola or olive oil.

Salt: a full 5 gallon bucket ( we try and keep extra, in case we need to salt down meat to keep it good. I would like one more bucket, well it’s on list.) Honestly, aside from what she mentioned about salting down meat (which might be something we do as a preparedness thing later) we don't use alot of salt, period. A 5 gallon bucket...oh my, I'd have salt forever! We buy sea salt, regular little "morton salt can" sized, and it will last over 6 months here.

dry powered milk: 10 big boxes= 50 made gallons (there is so much you can do with this, and we LOVE the hot cocoa mix.) I never have enough powdered milk here. And the prices just went up $2 a box on the large ones I noticed. We have the goats, but powdered milk is just plain good common sense in the pantry, so definitely at least 10 large boxes.

instant oatmeal packets: a full 5 gallon bucket (you say instant? Well they were on a great sale and well mine like a little flavor now and then)I might be willing to put in some of this, but we buy oatmeal in 50# bags and I could easily use 4 bags in a year, between eating and baking. It is a main breakfast staple here. The bags are put in the freezer for a week, then kept in 5 gallon buckets.

rice: 60+ lbs. We could use plenty of rice, though I tend to buy white rice most often. I'm moving us slowly to brown rice (weaning us to it with half white/half brown in recipes. I have a starch-eater group here, rice and pasta and potatoes we never keep enough of on hand! And it's a great meal-stretcher. Easily 60# in the pantry.

elbow noodles: 30 lbs. ( use this for mac &cheese, soups, spag.) Starch-eaters...we make egg noodles, I'm getting better at making other pasta's with the hand roller, but elbows? I would buy every time I found a good sale, and work toward having A LOT of boxes stored away of elbows, bowties, shells and spaghetti just for variety. At least 2 boxes weekly...

fruit cocktail: 10- #10 cans ( these were a blessing from someone)

tomato sauce: 15 oz. cans- 30 ( used in homemade spag. sauce, chili, pizzas, soups) I try to keep at least 8 #10 cans of tomato 'stuff' iinthe pantry...diced, sauce, crushed, etc. We found a deal on mixed spaghetti sauce and I still have 4 cans in there, same with some premixed pizza sauce. The largest supply in my gardens is usually tomatoes as we use them in virtually everything.

lemon juice: 9- 1qt. bottles (use in making cheeses, putting fruit in, making jams) I like a good dozen of the largest bottles I can find.

mixed vegetable: 14 oz cans=30 and #10 cans=4 ( we love beef veg. soup, so in late fall I make big batches of soup and can it for the winter. I use our beef ribs as meat for soup, as we like the pork ribs better. And the beef ribs take up more room in the freezer. I use these veg’s. to save a little time, and it still works out cheaper then buying soup in cans.) I could never grow enough to keep this group in veggies...#10 cans are all I stock in the pantry for uses when the homecanned are gone. Corn, peas, green beans, mixed...I would try to keep at least 12 cans of each if I could. Each #10 can works out to 2 meals of veggies for us if eating plain.

tomato juice: 18= 46 oz cans ( for drinking and adding to soups) I can tomato juice, V8 blend, and diced tomatoes, even if I have to use farm market tomatoes. Juice can be used in so many things. If I made chili once a month just in the winter/autumn months, I would need a dozen of the large cans, so for a year supply, I'd at least double that.

pork and beans: 20 cans I tend to keep 4 #10 pork-n-beans or Bush's Baked Beans in stock, and about a dozen of the #10 chili beans.

kidney beans: 24 cans ( just for chili, hubby is only one who eats it.)

molasses: 6- 12 oz jars ( cooking) we bought 5 quarts from the Amish last year, and I found 3 quarts at another farm market...we used it all in short order. I think we would need to keep a dozen quarts at least. Right now I can't find any...anywhere. I need to check with the Amish again, but the stores simply don't have anything aside from the small jars of Brer rabbit or Grandma's...they just don't last at all here in that small amount.

cocoa: 8 lbs.( for homemade brownies, hot cocoa, cookies, cakes) I buy the large ones at Sam's usually. We use 2 a year just in baking. Count in hot cocoa and I would need to have about 8# as Becky suggests. It keeps very well, so I'd like to stock more.

cans of fruit(peaches, pineapples, etc.): 29 cans I usually only buy peaches in the #10 cans unless I have some canned up myself. We used to be able to find apple slices and blueberry in the large cans as well, like for pie filing. They made terrific cobblers. Without my own fruit trees, or a neighbor handy to get fresh, I would stock at least 6 #10 cans for desserts.

tomato paste: 2-#10 cans and 6 little cans ( used in soups, spag. and sauces)

bisquick: 16 lbs.( I know a boxed a mix, but hubby makes breakfast and he like using this for only pancakes and a chicken coating. And if I can come in from milking to hot cakes, it’s ok.)

ketchup: 4 bottles I buy ketchup, mustard and even BBQ sauce in the large commercial tubs at WalMart or Sam's and store it in jars in the fridge once opened. I suppose it might be more practical for long-term storage to do smaller bottles, though. A year would probably be 3 or 4 of each in the large tub size.

pancake syrup: 9 bottles we make our own syrup for breakfast, but I do buy syrup for the granola (the homemade tends to be runnier in granola and it doesn't have the same taste. we could get by with 4 or 5 bottles a year and still have leftovers, unless I started making granola far more often.

rolled oats: 25 lbs. ( used for baking, eating and cookies) it's listed up there with the other oatmeal...we do 50# bags here.

peanut butter: 17 jars ( life is good if you have enough PB&J) I could buy 7# tubs back north, and we used at least 5 a year. The large Peter Pan commercial cans at WalMart aren't bad, and they keep a long time (if you can keep PB a long time...we usually can't). Between eating and baking needs, I would like to put in at least 6 large containers in the pantry....and try making my own at least once ;o)

spag. noodles: 20 lbs.

baking soda: 15 lbs. (see below)

corn starch: 12- #10 cans ( someone gave us, but stores just about forever, I will not use this much in a year, maybe not even 5 years.) baking soda and baking powder are something we use alot of. Soda gets used with so many things it's foolish not to keep plenty of it on hand. I buy the large bags at Sam's and we can go through at least 4 of them a year without even trying hard! Baking powder is used fairly often as well, with our baking, and I tend to keep at least 3 of the large containers from Sam's on hand. Cornstarch isn't used as often. I have 3 of the large plastic containers from WalMart in the pantry...that's a good year's worth for us.

powder sugar: 8-#10 cans (someone gave us, and will not use this all in a year, but stores a long time.) I've made my own, using the coffee grinder, in a pinch, but for frostings that just isn't the same texture. I usually keep 4 bags from Sam's in the freezer.

BBQ sauce: 15 bottles ( on sale at $ .50 each, this was all that was left. Used for BBQ – Ribs.)

honey: 3 qts.( cooking and eating) let's just say I need some fruit trees and some bee hives myself. We use alot and it's just plain expensive! If and when I can, I buy 2 at a time at Sam's. I could easily have a dozen here and still need more in a year. What does that say about us...we like things sweet. Need to work on that, too.

can potato slices: 24 cans ( if you drain them, then fry in butter and onions, on very good. a good sale on them.) I have a mixed issue here... I can buy #10 cans and they are great for potato salad, etc. however, I can buy 50# bags of potatoes and can up my own. I would stock the #10 cans, maybe 6 a year, if the budget opened up, but my money is better spent for 50# bags...and no, I can't grow enough for what we use here. I'd have to devote at least an acre to just potatoes. We are big on starches...but we are changing that.

pop corn: 10 lbs. I buy the large bags (25#?) at Sam's and we use them mostly for grinding for cornmeal (delicious buttery flavor) and it's autumn...we like carmel corn :o) I would think we could get by with 4 bags a year, but if that's the only cornmeal I had, I'd want maybe another bag.

grits: 5 lbs.( should last a year, hubby is the only one to eat them.) umm...none. I'm not a grits kind of person.

barley: 2- #10 cans ( used in soups, and side dish) I need to incorporate this more into our soups and stews.

spag. sauce: 15- 26 oz cans ( this is the smaller can and we always doctor it up and add more, it’s used a a base.)

pizza sauce: 9 jars ( time saver. I make the Mozz. and crusts for homemade pizzas. The jar is only a dollar and makes 3-4 pizzas) I lump this in with tomato products (above) but she has a good point -- if I'm making cheese and crusts by scratch, the canned sauces on sale would be a good deal and a time-saver. And it saves on my already-strained tomato needs here.

hash browns: 4-#10 cans

instant potatoes: 2-#10 cans

chocolate pudding instant: 4- #10 cans ( someone gave us, and it’s ok)

can peas: 10 ( the only way to get my family to eat peas is in soups and to make cheesy peas( using my canned cheese sauce).

mayonnaise: 5 jars

sweet relish: 3 jars

can mushrooms: 7 I can use a ton of mushrooms here. They used to have #10 cans for a decent price at Sam's but like everything, that's gone up. Storage-wise, unless I have something major planned, or a week of menu goodies I could add them to, the #10 can isn't practical. But, a few cases of the large store can buttons/slices would be great to have.

evaporated milk: 18 cans I like to keep some on hand, and 18 cans sounds like a good number. We use little for baking really, but it is good in an emergency.

both vinegar: 8 gallons I use alot of vinegar -- the chickens get some in their water daily during the hot months, so do the goats. Smart-mouths get a spoonful around here. It's a good thing to have on hand. I could easily see needing 8 gallons...probably more.

veg. oil: 10 bottles I use olive oil most often, and could use several jugs in a year. I would like to have 12 jugs in the pantry, but could probably get by on less if I watched my usage closer.

shortening in cans: 6

vanilla: 6 bottles My mother just ordered vanilla for me...it was a slight mistake, and cost $45 for the gallon! I don't spend $45 on a gallon of vanilla. This is some Madagascar Bourbon vanilla...oh wow does it smell absolutely heavenly....still, $45 a gallon? That bottle will last a l-o-n-g time because at that price, it's going to be handled very frugally! Normal, run of the mill vanilla, I can use 2 gallons a year.

baking powder: 6 cans (noted above)

onion powder: 8 bottles ( we use powders instead of those mixed with salt, you get more for your money. And we use them daily. I might have to buy more. To spice up a grilled cheese add the onion and garlic powder, it’s a great change.) Dewey bought several spices in those large containers (1# I believe) last year, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, etc. We use them alot. I also have 4 oz jars of cayenne pepper (they were $2 each...check out the spice section at WalMart, bottom shelf, it's a glass jar and way cheaper than buying the mainline spices like Tone's and such). I need to put the dehydrator to work because we use tons of dried, minced onions here. And minced garlic. I keep 4 of the containers of minced garlic in olive oil on hand.If I had a 50# of dried onions and minced garlic it wouldn't be enough here.

garlic powder: 8 bottles

cinnamon: 8 bottles

seasoned salt: 5 bottles

spray Pam bottles: 6 ( don’t usually buy, but they were on a great sale)

Hershey’s syrup: 5 bottles

dried potato slices, instant mashed potatoes: 14 boxes ( used on busy nights )

box cake mixes: 15 ( these were on sale too) we prefer cakes from scratch, however, sometimes around a big baking season, cake mixes hit rock bottom sale prices and I will buy several -- yellow, chocolate, spice, etc. Very rarely do I buy frosting, but if it's on a great sale, I'll get some.

tubs of frosting: 6 ( I have not master this from scratch yet, and will need to buy more)

powdered Gatorade( big cans, makes 6 gallons each): 7 ( this is so great for everyone, for when their sick or out in the sun) My stock up here would be at least 4 of these, and plenty of tea bags for iced tea...chamomile and other flavors to blend into the regular tea as well.

Off one of the other lists, here is the non-food prep items listed:

• one manual can opener
  
• two bottles of camp stove fuel I don't need this, however, I need kerosene or lamp oil. I need to find a good way to store kerosene longer term than just a gas can. The gallons are a bit pricey, but during heating season, I do stock the 1 gal. Klean Heat kerosene from Home Depot. We use this in our oil lamps for the main lighting during the winter.
  
• 100 rounds of .22lr ammo I'm not going to say much beyond stock plenty. Stock for what you currently have and use, stock other popular rounds for barter later on. 'Nuf said.
  
• 25 rounds of 12 ga birdshot or small game loads
• 20 rounds of Monarch 7.62x39 ammo
• a spool of 12lb test monofilament fishing line practical and needed. Stock more than you think you need of all your fishing supplies.
  
• 2 packages of hooks and some sinkers or corks.
• artificial lure
• two packages of soft plastic worms
• three Bic Lighters or two big boxes of matches
• A package of tea lights I wouldn't, but I might be tempted to put in a decent supply of the emergency candles and even some of the insta-heat gel burners.
  
• 50 ft of para cord
• a roll of duct tape more than a roll, that's for sure. there are just too many uses for it.
  
• a box of nails or other fasteners
• a flashlight the practical side of tradtitional flashlights is ok, but long-term, go for a solar charge or hand-crank one.
  
• two D-batteries, four AA or AAA batteries or two 9v batteries think barter and stock plenty.
  
• a toothbrush and tooth paste I stock at least 3 per person each year. When you go through an illness, get rid of the old toothbrush when you are over it. Toothpaste is fine, but there are other things you can use (like that baking soda...) without all the chemicals and sugars in it.
  
• a bag of disposable razors and plenty of single-edge blades...they have several uses.
  
• eight bars of ivory soap (it floats) lots and lots of soap. I'd go for Kirk's Castile as it has a myriad of usess (shampoo, body, laundry and dishes), maybe some Lava...stock all the Fels Naptha you can find, if you can find it.
  
• a box or tampons or bag of pads for the ladies I'm not altogether on this band wagon just yet, but seriously, with 5 daughters on the homestead (albeit young ones still) you are talking about stocking ALOT...would be far healthier and more practical for long-term to go cloth.
  
• two gallons of bleach you need to keep more bleach than just 2 gallons, jsut for the practical uses. yes, there are other cleaners to use, but this is something handy for water storage as well.
  
• needles and thread all sewing supplies need stocked, even if you don't sew. Needles, thread, buttons, snaps, good ol' Velcro...fabrics, of course, if you are a stitcher. Repairs are needed alot of a working homesteader's clothing.
  
• a ball of yarn I'm a crocheter...socks, hats, mittens, blankets, shawls, etc. I need some sheep and someone to teach me to spin my own, but in the meantime, I'd stock some here and there.
  

OTC Medications (at Dollar General)

• 2 bottles 1000 count 500 mg generic Tylenol (acetometaphin)
• 2 bottles 500 count 200 mg generic advil (ibuprofen)
• 2 boxes 24 cound 25 mg generic Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCI)--also available at walgreens under "sleep aids."
• 4 bottles 500 count 325 mg aspirin
• 2 boxes of generic sudafed
• 4 bottles of alcohol
• a box of bandages (4x4)

I'm not big on OTC's in general, however they do serve a purpose and the barter potential is high as well. Tylenol, baby aspirin, Benadryl, triple antiobiotic ointment, peroxide, alcohol, bandages of all sizes, stretch wraps in various sizes, qtips, cotton balls, etc. Buy a little of everything in a good first aid box and be prepared. Potassium, fish oil, garlic pills, vitamins...that's about all the OTC's we have on hand here usually. I have several of the largest bottles of hand sanitizer in stock as well as several small ones. I'd like to get a garden going (yeah, wouldn't I!) for herbs to make up needed salves and such as well.

And as several sites have suggested, if you are looking at stocking up for preparedness' sake, don't forget the animals...and the fun stuff for free time, yourself and the children...
I can only stock so much hay in the barn, so a more practical effort would be in setting up some pasture area here to at least gather some of our own. Same goes for feed needs. You can only stock, and keep well, so much grain and feed.
Fun stuff...puzzles, games, word searches/crossword puzzles, lots of books, some crafting bits and pieces. I would go more for the sorts of things that will encourage and spark personal imagination than I would actually "toys" though. Toys aren't all bad, mind you, but if your children can't take the simple, most basic items and create their own fun, they have problems, and they will get bored...very quickly...and expect something new to entice them. Get out of that trap as fast as you can and build their confidence with their own creativity and imaginations.
Don't know how to get creative yourself? Here are some great references to have on hand for when you don't have (or want) the internet to do the work for you:
The American Boy's Handy Book,
The American Girl's Handy Book,
The Field and Forest Handy Book,
The Book of Camp-Lore and Woodcraft,
Handy Farm Devices and How To Build Them,
Mountain Man Crafts and Skills,
Primitive Skills and Crafts,
The Boy Mechanic books

Share your ideas with me, too!

Still chilly in the mornings... (and some recipe links)

but it's warming to a nice autumn 70's range during the day. Just enough cool morning for a fire to warm the frost off the house...and my toes.

Breakfast came first this morning, now it's chore time and Mom-Puter time. I'm downloading the Homeschool Freebie of The Day that I missed yesterday, as well as today's freebie. I need to get my goodies moved off to the flash drive, too.

Yesterday we had a fun time with schooling...nothing spectacular, we were actually bored with history and science (ugh, again...does that cycle never end???) so I went with bland textbook reading....yeah, seems an odd direction for a group already bored, right? Not at all. We pulled a CLE book from the school shelves and started reading about the formation of the Earth, Solar System, the planets, stars, etc. From there, with some interest coming back into school life, we went for Considering God's Creation and printed off the sheets for the planets and solar system. We colored, asked questions, and glued like crazy folk :o) We don't have a 'traditional' lapbook created, but they glued all their planet information, their sun, wrote their poem about the planets on the front and voila...a bit of interest was injected back to history and science again.

We have a terrible time with science and history. We go through cycles where everyone practically moans that study time. Strange, given that we are textbook guru's for math and english studies. No fudging and being creative there. They are the no-mess subjects. But, science and history offer us more give and take options. We can read, we can color, we can watch videos...they are supposed to be the FUN areas of our schooling. And we get bored. I'm just not a great science or history teacher. I need to find something more exciting I guess.

Ugh. Never had this trouble with the olders. History was history reading -- the Presidents, each one, their life and times in the world around us kind of thing. Science was reading and some online experiments we received weekly in email form. They weren't bored...well, not repeatedly like this younger generation seems to be. Give me some great science and history thoughts? Am I missing something really good out there? Maybe I just need a better book list for read-alouds?

Ok...wanna know what we're doing today? LOL...sewing some more. No, just attaching a skirt to the dress that is needed this week. Then I need to cut some nightgowns and bloomers for the youngers...in the requested flannel for warmth. Mom might even get a nightgown out of the day's cutting as well. I was a bit chilly this monrning...some flannel to wrap up in might be just the ticket :o)

I changed dinner mid-stream last night and we had chicken spaghetti and cheesy potatoes (just cut up potatoes as you please, layer in casserole with butter pats and some sliced cheese scattered among the layers, blend some cream of......soup with about 2/3 cup of milk and pour over. Bake about 375 until fork tender, or however 'done' you like your taters!) Tonight...I have no idea. I have a ton of sauce left from last night as we made a huge stock pot full. And still chicken inthe freezer. I need to do some thinking. Bruschetta Chicken sounds delicious...but I'd have to make my own stuffing, not that that's a bad idea, but I don't know. Something along the lines of Baked Potato Soup sounds really realy good, too. I may just stick to simple and yummy and go with a pot of chicken and noodles with some dumplings added in tonight. Knock out lunch and dinner in one huge pot :o)

Ok, downloading is done, seems chores are finished as everyone is back to hovering about the house around the fire. Time to get school moving so I can start some sewing. And yes -- I can do both....we have one large 'great room' or, our gathering room, here. The long dining table is on one side, my sewing machine is set up on the other...and calling it a great room doesn't make it so...this is a doublewide mobile home, remember? I'm maybe 6 steps (yeah, if that far...) from the table and school work while I'm sewing. Actually, I could stand in the kitchen and bake and cook all day and still not be more than 6 steps away from the table...my sewing machine sits under the island here on the living room side of it. Everything is open...which is what I like. I'd rather it was a bit more structurally-sound than a mobile home, especially when there's a cold wind outside, but I've got what I've got...nothing to do about it today but adjust and go with the flow :o)

What are you up to today?


:::ugh...this hasn't posted yet. Hopefully trying it again won't post double. I'm interesting enough for double postings :o)