'Tis the Season

Lights in Johnson City TX

It has been almost a month since I have updated.  Those of you who come here to check on me, we are doing great!

So much has been going on this past month.

We have been continuing our cleaning up around here.  Received a new load of firewood that needs to cure for next year.  Now if only the kids will stop dragging in this green wood that doesn't burn, I'll be a happy mama.

The littles are growing like weeds.  We have been working on our manners and family relationships.  It's a tough row to hoe, let me tell you.  Parenting is not for the faint of heart.  My mom made it look so easy.  I often wonder why I struggle so??  I feel like I am not doing a good job, but I am doing all I know how to do...I suspect many mamas feel the same way at times.

Cocoa

We bought a load of hay last week.  The grass is still there, but with so many goats and three horses, I like to supplement them with a little hay.  The goats seem to care less about the hay.  The horses will eat it all up, instead of grazing.  I try to feed them in the early a.m., then they can graze the rest of the day.  Selena (our Quarab) is a greedy little girl.  Loving to eat her share and others too!

Chamomile

The baby goats are growing by leaps and bounds.  Which is what they do leaping in the air, doing flips off the logs.  One set of twins is boy/girl, the other is two girls/doelings.  The one above is Chaomile (Cami for short).  She is the only one that will allow you to pet her.. The others are too skittish.

James just loves the babies.

New Neighbor - see the little square in the middle of picture?

We have a new neighbor.  I was so happy for the three years we have been here.  It was wonderful to be out here all alone, but now we have neighbors on both sides.  Our newest neighbor is two lots over (20 acres over), but I can see their little shed/cabin, and here them talking, the generator running at night, or their music if I go out to the washhouse at night.  Something about the dark, and cold/clear nights that makes sound travel. 

I have five new hens.  Thanks B!  Three Marans and 2 Rhode Island Reds.

We received one egg today already!  I thought it would be a couple of days after being moved from their old home, but nope. 

Spent last night, before it got dark, fixing up the old coop.  The poultry mesh floor had been ripped out by the goats climbing up in it.  We ended up putting some wire paneling up around the bottom legs to enclose the coop that way.  I still need to get in their with some wire cutters and remove all the old mesh.  I cleaned out the nesting boxes, put in fresh hay, water and food.  All that is left is to get chicken feed tomorrow.  I fed them scraps and some oats..hopefully they are okay with that until I get to the feed store. 

It has been relatively mild, temperature wise.  50's at night, high 70's during the day.  The past two mornings the dew has been so heavy that it appears to have rained. 

Our church congregation dropped by a nursing home in San Antonio a couple of Sundays ago.  We sang carols, took gifts and refreshments to the residents.  I think my kids were a little taken aback by the condition of many of the residents.  All seemed to be in wheel chairs, and upon visiting the bedridden many were in really bad shape, which my children had never seen.  It shocked the littler one, but the eldest "seemed" okay.  Though she said she would never put me in a nursing home.  Thanks babe!

I am taking an inventory of my food storage.  It is getting woefully low, especially in the meat department.  I will be taking care of that in January, the first paycheck after Christmas.  I am okay, I believe for several months, but no where prepared for the year like I was at the old place.

Lack of storage is very telling here.  Going from 1700 sq feet to 360 sq ft.  Is a HUGE difference. 

My eldest son received is driver's license.  He is 21.  This is an answer to prayer.  Praise God!  He is now working at a local bakery, which is giving him valuable work experience, and insight to the career field he is interested in..he wants to attend culinary school, and be a baker.  I know he is washing a lot of dishes (lol), and bagging up lots of tortillas.  He has to start at the bottom, but I know he is observing a lot, and getting to help out making doughnuts, pastries and such.  I am so thankful to the local baker who had given him the opportunity to apprentice with him, and is paying his a small wage. 

The temperature tonight is supposed to get down to 28F.  It was chilly all day, my bet is that it did not get out of the 40s.  It was sunny but cold. 

We went by the Hopsice Thrift Store to talk to the "lady in charge" about Lauren volunteering.  She wasn't in.  We left our name and number.  Afterwards, I took the kids to the local playground where we ate lunch and they played for about an hour.  We dropped Lauren off at art lessons, and then headed home.  It was wonderful being home.  Hannah and James played outside with the baby goats, and I picked up the house, did dishes and started dinner. 

Brought a load of wood in for this evening, as it supposed to be cold.  It is amazing how much warmer it is...I still marvel at the way just one inch of styrofoam insulation can REALLY help.  It is almost unbelievable.  If we hadn't almost froze to death last winter (a slight exaggeration) I would have thought it just a conincident.  But is has been as low as 19 already, and it was way bearable.  Last year, if it was around freezing (32) we had to leave.  I am so thankful that the Lord provided the money to insulate the majority of the cabin this past year..there are still a few places (like under the kitchen sink), behind the couch, and one piece on the roof (right above the wood stove of all places) that are without.  Mainly due to awkwardness, and the inability to place the insulation without emptying the cabin of it's contents.  The roof piece defies any type of glue/adhesive to make it stick.  But the thermometer reads 80 in here, though it is a little cooler on my bed...that is THE coldest place in the house at night.

The lil goats and mamas are in the barn, hopefully this helps keep them warm.  They went willingly into the barn tonight.  They are getting so big and feisty, and won't let you catch them without a fight and flight.
James gets so upset when he can't get one.  Hannah or Lauren normally grabs one so he can pet it.  It is cute how this little thing makes him so happy.  He gets a huge grin on his face.

The girls were teaching him new words today like "beep beep", "oh man", "hey man" and "hey mama".  He also used the potty again tonight at bath time.  It's the only time he will voluntarily sit and go.  He always looks at the Tinker Bell book too.  I know "sitting" and "Tinker Bell", can you tell he has sister's? Ha! Ha!

I need a turbine!

The wind we have out here is amazing!  I wish I had a wind turbine to generate electricity, it would keep us in lights that is for sure!

Trying to get back into my routine.  I desperately need to stay home and catch up on paperwork, bills, and baking.  Tuesday is my baking day.  I'll be making bread in the morning, we are out of bread for sandwiches.  We have been so busy lately I have been buying bread at the store, but I am trying to wait until my normal shopping day. 

Man!  something just hit the back of the house!  The wind is really whipping it up out there.  I am scared to go out and check, because several times roofing tin that is stacked by the barn has been know to be flying around.  No matter how securely I think I weight it down, the wind will find a way.

Anyway, back to the bread.  We'll probably make cookies or cupcakes too, though the doctor did tell me yesterday I need to lose 40 lbs.  My blood pressure is way too high, along with my stress level.  So, hopefully help with the pain that I am in, losing weight will alleviate it.  We'll see.  I guess I am back to my healthy way of eating.  I had abandoned it for a bit, due to depression.  No one wanted to join me.  It's no fun eating healthy and being good all by your lonesome.  ;-)

My menu for the week looks like this:

Monday: Spaghetti (it was great by the way)
Tuesday: Pork Chops, rice, corn
Wednesday:  Turkey Chili, cornbread, green beans
Thursday:  Chicken Fajita Tacos (lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cheese)
Friday:  Roast Chicken, Bread, green beans
Saturday:  Turkey Pot Pie (using up those leftovers)
Sunday:  Grilled Cheese and Soup

Please pray for us.  We are having some financial issues that we need to get under control.  My goal is to pay off medical bills and be TOTALLY debt free.  It's an ongoing process to be diligent and obedient to the Lord in relation to money matters.  It is VERY hard.  Something always crops up...

I am working on my website.  Since I have closed the shop, due to zoning issues, I thought I'd take a few of the really cute items, and sell them online.  I hope this works out.  I'd really like to make money online.  If someone has a craft item them want to include on my site, let me know.  Or if you want to purchase something, let me know.  I am trying to get everything up and going over at http://www.amysattic-texas.blogspot.com/

Goodnight!

Old Man Weather Has Arrived!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving All!  We went to the Zoo the day after and had lots of fun.  It was James' first trip to the Zoo, and he really enjoyed all the animals.  Especially the monkeys.  We were able to interact with them, and even made a treat for them.  How cool! 

The temperature the past couple evenings has been extremely cold for South Texas, with a recorded low of 23 and 27 respectively.  The woodstove was cranked up high each evening, as we bundled into bed, and hunkered down to enjoy the evening.  Normally, the kid's watched t.v. (the Disney Channel or the Discovery Channel).  We really enjoy watching The Duggars, Little People Big World, and the Little Couple.  Plus, The Deadliest Catch is a favorite of "dad's".  I make sure to catch Sarah Palin's Alaska series that is on right now.  Pretty country that is for sure!

Our bottle baby goat Dakota is heartsick, calling for her baby.  Dakota's baby girl, Kaya, died the other evening.  She hung herself in the horse's hay bag.  So no more hay bags will be in use.  The goats get their horns caught in them.  I've had to take them off several times.  I never thought one would get strangled though.. How horrible! 

The Thankgsiving break was a wonderful time to rest, and get lots of things done.  I did lots of laundry, Lauren cleaned the loft to the playhouse, so now they have a place to play out of the cold.  "Dad" picked up trash outside this evening and burned it all.  We have been baking most evenings, and I have been taking stock of my pantry.  I am out of several key items, and my meat level is lower than I prefer.  I will be stocking up next week when I make my monthly run to the grocery store.  Other than that, I have a lot of other things that I need to start fixing, and need to rotate through my pantry. 

I was reading through my preparedness handbook this evening, to determine what I need to purchase.  I like to refresh my memory every now and then.  I really need LOTS of non-food items, such as:  kerosene, propane, hay, fuel, hygiene products (mainly t.p., and shampoo).  Matches need to be put on the list.  I have had over a year supply of these items, and due to money shortages last year, was unable to replenish the stock.  I have put it off so long now, that I feel I am dangerously low.  I don't like the feeling.

The night tonight is so dark, no moon to speak of...the dogs are barking their heads off so I can only assume, they hear and smell something I can't see or hear.  Possibly, coyotoes, but we did notice the horses smelled like skunk, so really there is no telling what is out there at night.  I do know that Bo, our Pyr, LOVES the sound of his voice and barks constantly.  We had him tied up for over two months, but recently let him off, as the rope was chafing his neck.  Need to get a better collar and a chain to keep him contained.  So far so good, he has stayed put, but the barking! Yikes!

We are off this week to pick up a load of firewood from a family's property.  It has already been cut and split previously, and is just waiting to be transferred here.  I have a feeling we will be needing it this Winter.  It is already proving to be quite chilly so early!  I also picked up a large load of pallet wood that was cut into pieces.  A friend used the good middle pieces to refloor her kitchen.  This pallet wood will make great kindling, with the larger, more nail riddled pieces being used as bon fire material.  The girls love bon fires!  Now that it gets dark so early, when we have company over, which isn't often, we have a bon fire.  Now I won't have to use my wood stove wood, but can use the pallet wood.  Praise God!  Such a little thing, is really a blessing.

I will be working on cleaning (still) and rearranging to make room for our small Christmas tree.  I cleaned out around the wood stove, and need to rearrange the book shelves again.  They tend to become a catchall of lanterns, matches, fire starters, pieces of clay, and various animals parts (wings from butterflies, feathers, etc.).

Researching switching to Samaritan's Ministries with the possibility of cancelling our health insurance, but we'll see.  We will be weighing the costs and praying for God's guidance in this issue.

Fall on the Farm

Derek (a friend's son), Hannah, Lauren and James

at the Corn Maze in Hondo TX for Homeschool Day 2010

It's really wonderful!  The weather is so cool, that I keep the fire going in the wood stove until about noon, and then let it die out.  I have a candle that the kids messed with so much that the wick was buried.  I sit this on top of the stove, and it melts and puts out a good smell.  It is a Yankee Candle, the Harvest scent.  It is so relaxing!

The past few days have been busier than usual.  With the change in time, and the days getting darker earlier, it is an adjustment to make sure all the outside chores are done before dark.  I absolutely hate feeding animals by lantern light. 

I went out about 5:30 this evening and put the two mamas and their babies (all four) in the barn.  Gave them alfalfa, fresh water and locked the door.  The Pyr is tied up outside the barn (with food, water, and the dog house close by).  This will hopefully be a deterent to any wandering coyotes looking for a meal.  The goat pen has been partitioned off.  The goat shed has a fence on one end now, and an opening into the field to allow the goats to get out of the rain and cold.  The other part is open for the dogs to be penned up.  The little pups (5 months about) are terrozing the new goatlings. 

We managed to clean the pen yesterday, removing any droppings, old hay, broken dishes (Baeta loves to chew plastic).  We put the old truck bed lid leaning against the barn wall to give the dogs a place to get out of the rain and cold.

The horses have water, and normally shelter under the trees, along with Jack (the donkey).  We have pens built for them, but I REALLY want to get their shelter going, even just two sides.  The north side definitely, along with the existing barn wall, and a roof would do wonders for providing a place out of the elements.  They are used to having a huge barn to shelter in, but not here.  Good thing we have good tree cover.

Muffin (our little chihuahua) has taken to sleeping in the playhouse.  I leave the top of the little half door open under the porch, and she jumps through and sleeps on a blanket.  Keeps her out of the wind.  The cats like to sleep under the floor where the wood stove is at...I guess it generates pretty good heat out the bottom and side wall of the "cabin". 

Tomorrow is the last day of Fall co-op.  Praise God!  I am so ready to get back into a better routine and really buckle down and work on more school work.

I am going to start having Lauren prepare one meal a week, to help teach her how to cook. 

I spent all last weekend cleaning out the cabin.  I was able to do a pretty good job winterizing the place for us.  I moved the end table into the bedroom, and wedged it under the loft ladder.  I placed another lamp in there.  It was much needed as I couldn't even see to read my Bible or anything else.  I shampoo'd all the carpets, dusted, threw out a big bag of trash, went through summer clothes, and exchanged for warmer ones.  I need a winter coat for Hannah.  I think I saw a pretty purple one at the shop, that I will get. 

Thankfully all the clothes that James was given last Christmas fit him (well except for being a tad short, but nothing to get new ones over).  He has loads of sweaters, jeans and jackets.  So other than some socks and a new pair of shoes, he is good to go for the Winter. 

I really need to catch up on laundry.  I wash every day, but with the weather being so dreary and cooler, the clothes don't dry very fast on the line, which puts me behind.  Monday is laundry day, so when we return from co-op I will get busy.  I'll get a good 3 hours before it gets too dark. 

I am reading a lot of books on labor, birthing, babies, pregnancy, etc., all in preparation for moving forward on becoming a midwife.  It will be a bit, until I can wean James, I won't be able to get my CPR/First Aid certification, so can't even sign up for the program until then.

I have a few tasks to complete for church:  call New Haven regarding ministry opportunities, call local nursing home, talk to local law enforcement and see if there is a children's shelter in the area.  Our congregation is interested in these possible ministry opportunities, if we can receive permission to help out.  So far, there hasn't been a good response due to "security" issues, which I find extremely silly.

Also, need to contact my insurance agent regarding the accident I was in last week.  It was very minor, so minor I thought the other driver and I had decided to not contact our insurance, but she must have changed her mind because I received an email from my friend and agent this past Friday.

Bluebonnet (mama) and Dandelion "Dandy" on left and

Chamomile "Cami" on the right

Bluebonnet nursing Cami

Well, I am off to put more wood on the fire and head to bed..good night all!

November Happenings!

I thought I'd catch everyone up with what has been happening around here.  For Halloween, we went to a friend's house for a party.  She has this every year that we have known her.  The kids had loads of fun. 

We have been pretty busy with the homeschool co op.  We only have two more Mondays to attend before breaking until after the New Year.  The girls love their classes.  Hannah's favorite is Earth Science, and Lauren's is Intro to Chemistry.  Hannah is taking Ballet in San Antonio once a week, while Lauren loves her art lessons.  A local retired schoolteacher and artist is her instructor.  Pretty cool!

The weather has been much milder.  A blessing after the heat of the summer.  Though last summer's heat was much more intense.  The winter weather was not fun either.  We have been cleaning up the land, burning trash, getting rid of lots of stuff, clothing, etc.  I am in the process of readying the cabin for the upcoming colder weather.  With luck and prayer we won't see the extreme low temps that we did last year.  The cabin is basically insulated, at least as far as I am going to do this year.  The main room (the bedroom) is where we spend most of our time, what with sleeping and watching t.v. there.  The living room/kitchen is only used for cooking and schoolwork.  It tends to be a "collecting point" for everything that doesn't have a proper place.

Today, I organized the school shelves.  Putting everything in order by grade, then subject.  We are making a Natural Science shelf for those things we find outside.  Snake skins, butterfly wings, strange insects, coyote skull, fossils and more.  I still wanted to totally clean out the bedroom of extra "stuff".  I don't want to feel crowded when we spend so much time inside during the colder days.

This week, I will rearrange the furniture a little to make it a little more inviting and useable for the colder weather, and to make the best use of the heater/wood stove. 

We had our first fire of the year tonight in the wood stove.  Pretty nice.  We had baked potatoes for dinner, along with sausage.  A pretty good cold weather meal.

We are working on our playground area.  I am very excited, as are the kids.  We managed to pick up three more play items.  A Little Tikes basketball hoop, a kitchen set, and a sand box w/ lid.  Tomorrow we pick them up (didn't have my van today).  Then we'll get some playground sound, and start looking for some sand toys.  Bought a few little dump trucks and cars at a local second hand store for James.  He was so tickled over the dump trucks.  He has been carting it with him all over the land.  I keep trying to get him to leave it at the play ground but he won't do it. 

This weekend will find us working on a shelter for the horses.  We need something for them to get out of the rain and wind.  We have the corral, but it needs a roof.  Am working on an idea for that, and how to implement.  I feel sorry for them the past few days, it has been raining, chilly, windy, and we had pea size hail the other evening.  They were gathered under the trees, which is okay, but I'd rather have something better.  Feel sorry for the goats too.  Need to re-work their pen.  The dogs are in there now, as they bark so much at night it keeps us awake.  I'd like to get rid of all the little dogs, and keep Beta out all the time, but she just finished coming into season, and we had way too many stray dogs show up.  Thank God, we locked her up.  People need to keep their dogs contained.  I take my responsibility in this area seriously, and wish others would too.

We are still in the process of cleaning out the shop and getting rid of all the junk, so that Rosalinda (my friend) can have her house back.  She plans to let another friend use it to live in after Christmas. 

We planted wheat last night, but as luck would have it, a large flock of black birds descended on the field.  I went out with my gun and managed to scare them off, and shot one.  I don't know how much they ate, and won't be able to tell until or IF it grows. 

Another election day is past.  I was thankful to be able to vote, and while my party didn't make the ballot, I was able to vote for a few Republican candidates I was okay, the rest I voted Libertarian (especially for local positions).  I can't wait until the Constitution Party gets more candidates for me to vote for....

Ten candidates out of twelve were elected to state positions.  These men are very supposed to be very family friendly, and homeschool friendly.  A vast improvement over the men there now.  Many who have been trying to push through a day time curfew that would have impacted homeschoolers.  Of course, it goes without saying that I wouldn't comply.  I don't take well to my rights being violated, and feel entirely at peace with not complying with unconstitutional laws. 

That is all I can think of for right now.  Hope everyone is having a great fall.  I'd love some company, so if you are in the area stop by for a visit!

Harvest Moon

It may not be officially the harvest moon, but since it is harvest time, looking at the full moon reminds me that it is that time of year again.  I always like the moon this time of year, it looks so big, and is more yellow than white. 

The horses are doing good, prospering and growing used to being part of our family.  We have a couple of goats due to kid any time now.  Their udders are getting nice and large, so that is a good indication of impending labor.

A few days have been quite chilly already, but recently it has been in the high 60's at night.  We are expecting a cold front this coming weekend, just in time for Halloween.  Our congregation isn't partnering with another church this year to help out at their Fall Festival.  So, this year we will be at home.  I'd love to have people over, but many don't want to drive so far.  Of course, they think nothing of my driving the distance to participate.  Hmmm, me thinks I know a bunch of lazy people. ;-)

I had a visitor.  Brenda from one of my homesteading yahoo groups.  She was driving through the area with her mother, and stopped in for a few hours to visit.  I was very excited.  No one ever wants to come visit me, so it made it extremely special, at least to me.  We showed her around the land, talked about gardening, animals, and living off grid.  She currently has lived off grid for about 7 years.  I would love to get to this point, but it will take a bit of time, money and work.

I'd like to encourage any readers that happen to check in here, that a time of rising inflation is in our future.  I strongly believe we are in the middle of a depression, and it will get worse for a while.  I am trying to acquire hard assets that will see us through these tough times, but am not sure if I can get it done in time.  Please pray for guidance and wisdom during this time.  I am making a list of things to be done, and prioritizing them.

Well, I am off to get our lunches ready for co-op tomorrow.  Have a good week everyone!

African Fat Cakes

We have a new missionary family from Africa in our co-op.  This family is here to study at the Baptist University of the Americas to get their theology degree.  The mom and daughter are really sweet, though a bit shy.  The little girl's name is Johannah, and she is 6.  One of the classes being offered this semester at co-op is a study on Missions.  Apparently, the class studied South Africa and made a really good treat on Monday.  It was so good, I immediately came home and looked up the recipe.  I found a really good one at http://www.foodfunfarm.blogspot.com/.  They are called African Fat Cakes or Mandazi.  There are several types, but the one I made is made from a dough and not a batter.  Here is the recipe:  http://foodfunfarm.blogspot.com/search?q=Mandazi  ENJOY!

Have to go get Violet's head out of the fence AGAIN! 

Happy Fall!

We have been really busy the past month.  Fence repairs, general outside cleanup and such takes up most evenings.  We have three horses now that we are fostering from a local rescue group, with plans to adopt after Christmas.  I love taking care of them in the evenings, and so does Lauren.  She spends a lot of time grooming the horses, and they ride every other evening, if the weather is good.  For now we are only riding Samson, the paint pony, but have hopes the others can receive refresher training soon so we can use the others.

The Quarab mare (Arab/Quarter cross) has had foot issues that I believe are related to "green grass founder".  This is caused by too much green grass after being used to a diet of coastal hay.  With all of our rain, our fields are overflowing with wonderful coastal grass, but it can be too rich a diet for a horse not used to it.  We ended up placing Selena (Quarab) in a stall for two days for her to rest her feet, and hopefully improve her limping.  She greatly improved and every so often we pen her up and give her hay to give her system a break from the grass, sometimes just pen her up without anything, so that she can completely digest the grass and help empty her system.  (This is all at the vet's advice.)  Also, she has had two sores on each of her back hooves, which I believe is due to walking in wet grass.  Praise God we have been without rain for a while, so her feet have rested some.  We have been using a combination of irrigating her hooves with water, hydrogen peroxide and Vetricyn to help heal the sores.  So far they appear to be healing nicely, though still aren't completely healed. 

Lauren celebrated her 13th birthday.  We had a party here for her on the 24th, and had about 40 people attend, which was wonderful.  We had a bonfire, looked at the stars with the telescope, rode the horse, the kids had fun playing hide and seek using glow sticks and riding the zip line. 

The weather here has turned chilly, and I am in the process of getting the cabin winterized.  The bedroom is done, blankets have been aired out, and space heaters found.  Now, on the agenda is clearing out the front room, and getting the wood stove cleaned and primed.  It will be 51 in the morning..not too cold, but when your house is made of metal, it can get really cold quickly.

The Aftermath of Tropical Storm Hermine

The girls decided a float was in order this morning.  Over the past two days we have received 10 inches of rain.  This pond was totally empty yesterday.  It is the overflow for the main pond.  About two years ago this was dug out, because we were losing the water onto the property behind us, and it flooded up into the barnyard and back pasture.  Last night I was jolted out of a sleep to Lauren shouting that the creek was flooded.  Sure enough I could hear the rushing of water, and by the security light could see the creek bed, bank to bank with rushing, roaring water.  Pretty cool, and yet scary.  By 9 a.m. this morning the creek bed held a few puddles, but the ponds are bursting.  With more rain expected who knows how much higher it will be??  The car was parked a little too close to the bridge, and was standing in water with the tires half covered.  You can see several places where debris collected during the storm.  The lightening was frightening, the thunder deafening and rattled the floors.  I could actually feel the air buzzing.  Pretty scary stuff.

The horses are supposed to arrive tomorrow.  We won't be going to get them as our help has her horse trailer surrounded by water and she cannot reach it.  The horse rescue will be delivering them.  Praise God!  I was worried for a bit.

I need to check the rain gauge to record the amount of rain we received today.  Thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine it has been raining all day, and all last night.  Supposed to rain tomorrow too.  I surely hope so.  A portion of the South Pasture was cut today, this should allow the rain to fall directly on the coastal grass and get it to start producing.  I haven't worried too much about the weeds, figuring they are good for the goats, but we do need better grass for the horses, so letting it get over grown with weeds is not a good idea. 

I researched pasture/land management and rotational grazing last night.  Very interesting reading.  Makes really good sense for all breeds of livestock, from chickens to cattle.  Specifically, regarding goats, it will allow the kind of plants to recuperate after they eat it all down.  The West Pasture, and Pond Pasture look really groomed after the goats have eaten all the scrub down.  They need to be rotated to the North, South and East Pastures so that everything is kept groomed, and the goats have adequate nutrition.  That reminds me, I need to purchase a mineral block for the goats.  I'll need to add that to my list of things to pick up tomorrow.  Also, fertilizer.  I need to start fertilizing the farthest pasture, so that it can start growing before rotating the horses to it.  I will be starting them out in the West and Pond Pastures, so will start fertilizing in the East Pasture.

This morning the goats barged into the goat pen, it was originally blocked off to them, but I guess the torrential downpour had them stampeding the gate.  Poor Dolly was pushed around, and the buck Larry ate all of her food.  I need to de-worm her tomorrow, plus give her some iron vitamins. She ate a little in the field this afternoon, but started looking puny again this evening.  Just laying around...I hope she make it through the night. 

Lauren had her first art lesson today, nothing much, just a basic introduction of the type of supplies she will need to acquire.  Very pricey!  Lauren will also be starting drawing classes next Tuesday a.m. at the same studio.

Hannah has her first ballet lesson on Thursday.  I need to find a black pair of pants for her, ballet shoes and a pair of tights.  She already has two leotards.  I really hope I find the time to pick up these items, as we have to get the horses on Thursday a.m., and her lesson starts at 2:30 p.m.

I recently stocked up on various art supplies, and the girls took the paint things out to the gazebo to paint this afternoon.  James had fun finger painting and sprinkling glitter everywhere.

"James and Sassy"

"Cactus after a rain"

I am currently reading several books at the same time (I know that sounds strange).  I am reading "Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats", "Lyons on Horses: John Lyons' Proven Conditioned-Response Training Program", "An Echo In The Bone" by Diana Gabaldon, "Horses for Dummies" and "The Family Cow".

Farm Record

Today the horse rescue people came out to evaluate our land for possible fostering of three horses.  We spent last evening going around the entire perimeter of the land picking up trash and brush.  Picked up two small trailer loads (yikes) and burned it all. 

We have been approved for the horses.  We have plenty of grass and water for them.  We also have enough panels to make two pens, with enough tin to make a three sided shelter for the horses. 

Dolly, the dairy goat, is looking quite puny.  We have isolated her in the pen, away from her baby.  She is still nursing the 6 month old baby, and I think it is taking too much from her.  I am giving her free choice coastal, 12% protein goat feed laced with bicarbonate of soda and molasses.  I will put a salt/mineral block in there tomorrow.  If she doesn't look improved in the next few days, I'll get some alfalfa, which has a higher level of protein.  I'll check on her tomorrow to see if she looks better.  The positive thing is that she doesn't have scours (diarrehea).

I am so excited!  It rained last night! A LOT!  I haven't checked the rain gauge yet, but it started raining around 8:30 p.m., and rained the majority of the night, not stopping until about 7:30 a.m. today! Everything is already greening up!

We have been working really hard on school work lately, and the girls are doing great.  Lauren has been working really diligently on her math and handwriting, without me harassing her.   I am so proud!  Today we went to run errands and she brought along her McGuffey Handwriting booklet to work on in the van.

Yesterday, we spent most of the day at the Witte Museum.  We toured the Dinosaurs Unearthed! exhibit.  It is only there until Monday I believe.  We caught the tail end of it.  James was fascinated, as well as, extremely frightened of the animatronic dinosaurs. 

The girls had a lot of fun in the Science Treehouse, with Hannah riding the Counterweight Bike for the first time.  Other than that, I really think the Museum needs to update their Science Treehouse, and "spice" up the exhibits.  Live demonstrations would be cool.

Lauren is enrolled in the Wilton Cake Decorating Course at a Michael's in San Antonio.  She has been interested for a long time in learning how to do "fancy" cakes.  This is just the Beginner's class, so she and I will gauge how she is interested, and how she performs.  If everything goes good, she can sign up for the second course.  I have also called about enrolling her in a local Beginning Watercolor class under an artist at a local art studio.

Hannah starts ballet in San Antonio.  It is a really cool program designed for home schoolers and best of is FREE! It is far to drive, but I think the FREE factor greatly makes it beneficial, plus I get to see how involved/interested she will be without spending a lot of money for lessons. 

I really wanted them to learn to play the violin, but they are not interested.  Nothing worse than forcing a kid to learn an instrument who really has no interest.  Very painful for all involved.  I remember desperately wanting piano and violin lessons.  I was able to do both, and enjoyed it.  I wish I would have stuck with the piano, as well as, the violin.  Would be way useful now as an adult.

We plan to work this holiday weekend on cleaning up the property.  The girls and I will be picking up lots of trash, filling up the bed of the pickup.  Our new trash service starts on Wednesday.  We will also be working on a little fencing project to help keep the goats off of the vehicles, and in their pen.

On Sunday, we have an appointment with a local horse rescue, to hopefully foster a few horses.  It will help all around.  We will be able to relieve a load off of the manager of the rescue, give a few horses a place to be, and it will enable the girls to see the work and responsibility needed to care for a horse, before jumping into purchasing our own.  If it works out, we may adopt the ones we foster.  Other than a shelter, we have a good setup for horses.  A shelter isn't really necessary here in South Texas, but it will be a nice thing to have.  We have all the building supplies laying around, so a work detail will have to be arranged with family members and a couple of friends to get a small extension added onto the current barn.  Yes! I have a barn, but it is full of household goods, a lawnmower and other assorted tools.  No room for any livestock.  There is already an attached chicken yard, goat pen, with covered shelter for the goats, so a run for the horses/donkey will be easy to add (for someone experienced) and an added benefit for them.  I am not sure if it will be as cold as last Winter, but a bigger shelter is needed.  Our donkey "Jack" fit perfectly in the barn, but I don't want to add 2-3 horses.  That would be a recipe for a fight. ;-)

Here are a few pictures of our Witte trip.

James - 19 months

Hannah - 7 years

James - 18 months

Lauren and James

Eating Marshmallows

Hannah

Face painted with markers (oh joy!)

They were washable..

Lauren

Happy Summer!  I wonder if these are the dog days of summer? What does that even mean?  LOL

We have been busy trying to stay cool, which is hard at times..we didn't go swimming a lot, too hot to even move.  It was 106 today when we left to go to the post office.  I am sitting here in the "living room" of the cabin, with the AC blowing on my neck and sweat running down my face.  Much cooler in the bedroom.

We have started doing school work, a little here and there.  I really like it when we can sit down and get it done.  We watched the Robin Hood movie today (with Kevin Costner).  Lauren is having a tough time getting through the book, and I thought it might motivate her.  Nope, she said now she doesn't need to read it all because she has seen the movie!  I told her it was different, that the move was just based on the book.  She will still be reading it....

gotta get dinner, more details later...

We have a new telescope.  Way cool!  We have been spending the evenings stargazing.  Looking at different planets, stars, and the moon.  It is pretty neat to see these things "up close".  Oh, they are still small in the telescope, but have such clear definition.  I mean I can really see the rings around Saturn, the stripes on Jupiter and it's four moons.  The craters on the moon are really rough and jagged looking.

I am taking this opportunity and using my book "501 Science Experients" under the Astronomy section to teach the girls a few things, plus learn myself.  So far, we have learned about the phases of the moon, that the North Star (Polaris) stays still while the other constellations revolve around it.  We have learned how the Earth rotates around the Sun, the moon orbits the Earth, and more.  Hannah appears to be more excited than anyone.  I am constantly finding index cards with the moon phases drawn on them in black marker.  She is even copying star charts off of the Astronomy software that came with the telescope.  That is a pretty wonderful thing in itself.  You put in your approximate location, and it will give you a picture of what your sky looks like at that exact time, and what is visible from all four compass directions. 

The garden hose that supplies water to my washer, somehow exploded.  I went and purchased a "mender" to splice the hose together, but apparently I bought the one that doesn't work very well.  Back to buy another one that will keep the hose together.  I needed to wash clothes, as they are piling up without a washer.  I took our 5 gallon insulated cooler w/spout, and filled it up four times and poured in the washer.  I was able to wash about 4 skirts.  I then had to pour four more containers full (20 gallons) into the washer to rinse the clothing.  Then an ephipany.  I brought the house that stretches about 400 feet to the barn and attached it to the washer, until I am able to go and get the other piece.  Lifting up that much water is not fun, very heavy, and I was soaked from the sloshing in the container.  I did manage not to spill any on the floor of the wash house (Praise God!)  It was getting dark so I came inside.  I will hang the skirts out in the a.m. to dry.

I read a really good book called "And the Shofar Blew" by Francine Rivers.  She is an excellent author of Christian fiction.  I highly recommend her.  I have read four of her books so far, and am on my fifth.
Give her a try.

Our new neighbor came by to ask if his well guy could fill the tanker truck up.  We told him no, we'd be glad to give him water to drink or to bathe with, but not to the well guy.  The well guy charges our neighbor for "delivering" the water, but wants it free from us.  He won't even remove the charge to the neighbor.  So no deal.  I know that sounds mean, but the well guy already was given 10 tankers of water, with no compensation or thank you.  I don't want to be the neighborhood "go to gal" for water.  I feel so mean, but I am worried about the well going dry, and upset that the well guy is so greedy to not give the neighbor a break on the price.

Today was an excellent school day.  We started out with devotions (http://www.crosswalk.com/), then Lauren read on her own, while I worked with Hannah on her Saxon Math, Science, and reading out of the McGuffey Reader.  She had her spelling quiz also.  Lauren managed to read for an hour, and do her Saxon Math Lesson, plus watched the Robin Hood movie.  Tonight we were also watching "Tora, Tora, Tora" the 1979 movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Pretty good so far.  We aren't studying that era of history, but I found it in a box of my dad's belongings, and we didn't have anything else to watch.
Tomorrow, we will pick up with our Latin Lesson, and will begin our study of Impressionist Artists.  The art museum in San Antonio has a new exhibit arriving in October of Impressionist artwork, and I want to be ready to go.  We will be learning about Renoir, Courbet, Glackens, Hassam, Monet (my favorite), Pissaro and Sargent.  Maybe a few others if we get the chance. 

The goats are still getting out every day.  For awhile there, they were staying in the back pasture, but I think they are more interested in the trees up here, then in grazing/browsing around the pond.  It's primarily the little ones (the babies born this year).  One is already pregnant, she is about 6 months old, and due in November.  Way too soon I think, but I wasn't able to catch any of the babies to lock them in the barn, or able to get the buck to isolate him. 

I hope everyone is doing well, and hope to hear from you soon!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE




4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)



Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly before pouring in the milk and oil in. Keep mixing. Add the optional chocolate chips next (who makes that an option!) and vanilla extract, and mix again…


Put your mug in the micro wave and cook for three minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! Allow it to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

The Dog Days of Summer

James is now 18 months old!  The time has gone by fast.  He walks so much better, zooming all over the place.  He loves to be outside getting dirty, and loves to be naked.  He is constantly removing his diaper, and I have to chase him down with another.  He loves to talk and can say even more words, and it is funny how much he understands when you talk to him. 

Hannah turned 7 and has a super attitude problem, acting more like 13 than 7.  Lauren's attitude has grown and she often treats me like I am the child.  I am buckling down on the discipline, and insisting on more respect and obedience.

After a year and a half, I am about done with the decluttering of this place.  Only a few items left to remove from the place.  Next on my list is to clean the carpets and clean out the woodstove.  I know it is early, but I want to have the place ready to go for the Winter, as last year's was not fun at all.  We now have more space to move around in here, more storage, better organization, better insulation and heating sources, plus a handle on our schoolwork. 

Also on the list is to clean out behind the cabin.  Grass has been cut and a few items have been moved to the barn, but the inside of the cabin has been my priority. I'd like to move all the burn barrels to near the barn, and have the outside "yard" nice and clean.  Since we technically are not supposed to be living in a container here, I try to keep it clean and tidy, and "un-junky".  I'd dearly love to park all the vehicles in the back by the  barn to keep the focus off the land. 

I have been reading a good book by Nick Rosen titled "How to live off-grid".  It is primarily interviews with a variety of people who live off-grid, in various levels, in the UK.  I thought we had a lot of rules and right infringements in the U.S., but man!  Makes me glad to live here.  That is not to say that we need to give up the fight to keep our rights.  I'd hate to end up like the UK.  From reading this book, one of the worst things to happen to the UK is their entrance into the EU.  Confirms my belief that the U.S. needs to stay out of the UN and such partnerships.  But the books is interesting, and contains good info.  His most recent book came out last week, and is another book along these lines, but it is interview with Americans living off-grid.  Pretty cool!  I actually know one of the people in the book!

I'd love to live off-grid, but it can be expensive to set up.  My most pressing need is a way to pump the water out of the well.  I would love a wind mill, wind turbine or solar pump.  This would pump the water into our 1100 gallon tank for storage, and fill the pond.  Water would then be supplied to the house via gravity. 
On the off-grid side we'd need a lot to set up.  We have a generator, but I'd need batteries to keep charged for everyday use, solar panels would be nice, at least to provide power for lights and the computer.  A wind turbine would be great!  We have lots of wind, so it would help supplement the solar power nicely, it's just coming up with the money for these things. I am back to feeling the pressure to be as prepared as possible for an economic collapse of some sort.  I know many believe we are "coming out" of the "recession", but I don't.  I believe we are in the midst of a depression, and it will only get worse.  People are becoming too complacent about the evidence, and are still hiding their heads in the sand.

Oh, I notice people grouping together to live in one house, or families bringing RVs to live on one piece of property, but for them it is a temporary thing.  I want to know what they are planning long term. 

Even people I know, church family and immediate family aren't taking this thing seriously.  I doubt many of them have enough food to last two weeks, much less months.  What about shelter? Water? Security?  It is high time we get ourselves together Spiritually, Financially, Economically and Physically.  Are you prepared for the long haul?  It is not something you can accomplish overnight, unless you are wealthly.  I have been working on these things since 2006, and am not near as ready as I need to be.  It can be daunting, and depressing at times.  But today I had my belief that God has been preparing me for this, confirmed, again.  A former church member shared what has been on his heart and mind the past year, and it was what I had been trying to tell our congregation for four years!  See! I am not the lone crazy person in our group! LOL!

Reading all I can, refreshing my mind with Proverbs 31 and forging ahead.

The Harvest Is In

This year my harvest was small, as I didn't plant a garden this year.  The goats are too hard to contain, plus I need to find a tiller or someone to disc up a garden plot for me.  If this doesn't pan out, I will try and use containers.  I did manage to harvest a big washtub full of wild mustang grapes from the town house, and spent yesterday making jelly.

Normally, I soak the grapes over night in a tub of water to help loosen dirt, cobwebs, insects, etc.  Then dump the water, and soak again.  Then I go through (wearing gloves!) and strip the grapes from the vines.  I normally leave stems attached, as I read this helps the natural pectin "jell".  Two colanders full of grapes equaled roughly 11 1/2 cups of juice.  It takes 5 cups of juice to make about 10 small jelly jars full of jelly.  I used 10 cups.  I ran out of jelly jars, and used empty pickle jars and one large quart jars.  These are in the fridge and will be used first.  I plan to take a couple of jars by the town house to give to the renters.

I do not plan to put up any additional food, as it defeats the purpose to purchase vegetables to can, at least in my mind.  I would have loved to make pickles, but my in laws didn't have good luck with their cucumbers thihs year.  But if any surplus comes my way, I will re-evaluate.

Starting to work on "winterizing" the cabin.  We are clearing everything out, washing down walls, installing insulation on the North facing wall, and re-arranging furniture.  I will get rid of some old stuff to make way for other items I want to keep, and that are coming out of the shop.  (By the way have to close the shop, as my permit was pulled by the City.)

The weather is hot, and hitting the 100's, the past two days it has been overcast at times and we have been expecting thunder storms, but they haven't materialized yet. 

We are running over with puppies, wish I could find homes for them.  They are way too yappy, and too many mouths to feed. 

I am on my way to clean up a little at the shop, and start making plans on how to liquidate my inventory. 

If you think about it, please pray for me.  Thanks!

It's been a long month, and the month still has a few days in it.  I have had hardly any business at the shop.  A month without sales is not good.  I am so frustrated.  I am doing all I can but to no avail.

Sorry to those who come here to check up on me, I haven't had the time to post regularly.  The days are pretty full with getting the mornings taking care of the house, the afternoon at the shop, schooling the girls and caring for James.  At night, I am caring for the animals, playing with the kids, working on meal plans, food lists. 

I bought onions today to dehydrate.  The local produce stand had a good buy on the, along with cantelopes.  My eldest son has a bumper crop of tomatoes that he is giving to me, he has all he wants.  I will dehydrate those also.  I really wish I could have planted a garden this year, but it was not to be...those pesky goats need to get under control.  The fence issue was resolved, now if they will only stay behind it...I think it should be higher, but my fence guy worked hard, and I hate to add my two cents in...

Still decluttering, and re-arranging living spaces trying to find the right fit, and flow for a such a small living space.  My last hold out is around the wood stove.  I stack too much on it when it is not in use ;-)
In the winter it will need to be put to use.

The cabin has been insulated.  Praise God!  I have all the batteries recharged and all the lanterns ready for use.  I've inventoried my food stores and am filling in holes.  Also determining what just isn't worth storing as we don't eat it all.

We've taken up archery, I may have mentioned it earlier.  Hannah is getting pretty good at hitting the target.  Hoping it is a useful skill.  Looking up possible competition stuff.  I wonder if 4H has archery??Hmmm..have to check that out.

Babies are all over the place here, goats, puppies, kittens, and coyote pups. No sign of any parents, just hear the pups and see them every now and then.  Pretty cool!

I am so thankful to live out here.  It's nothing new, though still wonderful, to hear the Redtailed hawk call out as I hang up laundry.  We have flocks of dove, bob white, quail, a variety of birds (red wing blackbird, scissor tail, cardinals, etc.), turkey, badger, snakes, scorpions.  Lots of wildlife for the kids to study.  It is a pretty cool way to live. 

We are doing great, kids are growing like weeds.  James is walking, talking and generally has a mind of his own.  Very strong willed boy!

Hope everyone has a good evening!

It is starting to heat up.  A high of 95 for most days, 99 on Friday.  Yuck!  Today we are expecting thunderstorms, which means I need to go take the laundry off the line before leaving for the shoppe.

Most everyone (but me) is sick with sinus issues.  James has a sinus infection.  Need to figure out what to do for him.  I have been taking the Echinacea, but he is going to need something stronger if it keeps up.  I normally just like most illnesses to run their course, as I don't like giving antibiotics, except when REALLY necessary. I just do not like to see my little one suffer with the headaches.  I have been giving him Motrin, a little Bendadryl to help him sleep at night, and irrigating his sinuses.  I think I am going to have to break out the Goldenseal Antibiotic Tincture.

The Health and Wellness meeting last night was very good.  I really enjoyed the speaker.  Plus, there was a lot of useful information to start implementing.

Everything around the farm seems to be okay.  Goats are doing good so far.  Plan to worm them in the fall, but really need to order the herbal wormer before I forget.

Hannah is getting ready to start swim lessons, and is excited. 

The church fellowship was here this past weekend, and it went great.  Lots of people, good food and fellowship.  Sometimes I wish our congregation was larger, but I really like that it isn't.  Sometimes I wish everyone was a little more conservative than they are, but this is the place God wants me at this time.  I am trying to work out what is going on with certain issues, and if and or what, God is trying to tell me, or if I am the one placing emphasis on these areas.  Makes for a lot of prayer, study and reflection.

We also had James baby dedication this past Sunday.  I know it isn't biblical a necessity, but I have done it with the other kid's and didn't want to leave him out, plus I do much better if I have actually promised God I will do something ;-) So promising to raise him in the church and to know God, I feel more obligated, though it strictly isn't so.  Just me.  I am like Hannah in the book of 1 Samuel in that "I have prayed for this child". 

Rain today...working on cleaning up the area due to this Sunday being our Preaching Service here.  We will have our monthly fellowship afterwards. 

Met our new neighbor tonight, and invited he and his son to come on over this Sunday.  He was very receptive and indicated that he would do so.

Made a lasagne for tomorrow's dinner, and am looking forward to eating tomorrow night!

I've been reflecting on Pastor Kelly's words on watching our tongue, and making sure that our kids know they matter to us and to God. 

Picking up more hens tomorrow.  Cannot wait!  I am so excited!