Autumn is Coming! Autumn is Coming!

Really. The calendar says so.
September 23rd to be exact. Mother Nature can't back out of that. It's in print for all to read. It's a done deal. No take-backs. Oh...and the Farmer's Almanac says winter will be a good one, too.  Again, in print, so I'm holding them to it.

So...my linky updates of late?
Dewey and Chris have been home once since last update here. We just celebrated Wild Child's birthday.  He is 11 already. And what did he get from his brother? A Nerf Elite multi-gun. Sure, Nerf is a soft kind of projectile, but really...do the words SOFT and PROJECTILE really even go together? I think not.
Dewey and Chris are back in Illinois on the job until...well, might see them in a couple weeks, might not be until in October. Such is the norm around here.
Been running goats through for breeding, an important task with Miss Judy obviously NOT giving us a calf at all this year.  The joys of AI I guess. I am so not a real homesteader. I am an animal collector. I make the feed store happy.  I need these goats bred or we are without milk for a very long time. No, I have not changed my stand on milk being unnecessary, but after fresh milk, fresh butter, and all those other by-products of cow glory, we are seriously missing milk. And paying $4 a gallon for that opaque, chemical-filled liquid from the store is most definitely NOT the same thing at all.  Ick.

So, from the Facebook Wall we have several goodies...
I shared about my bout of poison ivy, poison oak, weird Mississippi weed of itchy annoyance...whatever it was I came into contact with.  A week...a whole, terribly itchy, incredibly long, week of swollen face and swollen eye, hot and itchy beyond reason, and i lived off Benadryl the Wonder Drug. Well, Benadryl the 'ease the itchiness and lower the swelling down to a functioning level' drug. I really have issues down here every time the weather gets nice out. I go to cleaning and what-not outside, and bingo...the Mississippi Weed of Annoyance strikes.

I really like this. I really want this in the new addition living room.  Very cozy!

Lego math fun
Prayers for Our Husbands

a cute Mitred Granny Square. Could be a nice scrap-buster project for my winter yarn work. And dear friend Stephanie shared a YouTube video of a great method of weaving in your loose yarn and color-change ends. brilliant!

I posted this:

It is totally true of this bunch!

Hurricane Isaac missed us here in the North, but slid over into Arkansas and dumped plenty of rain. It's ok though...apparently we aren't really a state, but are a land mass between New Orleans and Mobile.  Me, didn't need rain anyway...a water pipe decided to blow apart, thankfully at a 3-way, and the entire area under the house, along the end of the house, off into Judy's pasture, it was all flooded up quite nicely. Matthew was able to get it fixed, so we weren't without water for but a couple hours. Gotta bless those farm raised, homesteader kids!

Better-than-caramel Popcorn using maple syrup, via Nourishing Traditions.

Yum. Certainly gives you the autumn-y feeling doesn't it?

Here's a recipe for a winter must-have...a honey-lemon-ginger tea base that keeps in the fridge for you to use and replenish as needed.

A great series from Frugally Sustainable. Fire up the printer and load the paper!

'nuf said there, right?

Homemade Saltine Crackers...I am always looking for a good recipe so we can get away from the few store-bought items we have left, but crackers have never been one I've had good luck with. It never once crossed my mind to use my pasta roller to get my dough really thin!  DUH! I bet it works like a charm!

Preparing a Leaf Mold pile for autumn...Choosing Voluntary Simplicity is a definite worthwhile bookmark for your computer reading time. Be prepared...load the printer and plan to fill your reference notebooks!

Another idea I love! This would be perfect on a nice wide country back porch. I think I may need to hit the scrap yard and find me an old iron tire frame...

definitely going on my MUST BAKE list...Pumpkin Streusel-Swirled Cream Cheese Pound Cake via Willow Bird Baking. Oh. My. Word.

Need some American History reads? Here is a nice listing. And some great American Civil War era recipes...book list here.

A passive solar water heater. We have nothing BUT sunshine nearly unlimited around here for most the year. Here's the link.

Homemade Kit Kat Bars...could it get any better than this? Bless these homemaking geniuses who are so willing to share their goodies! Seriously, just bookmark the whole Country Cook site...Southern Pecan Pie...Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole...Banana Pudding Cheesecake...Butterfinger Cake...Olive Garden Salad Dressing...Spasagna...Easy Apple Danish...do I even need to keep typing? Why are you still reading my blog...get over there and plan your menu!