Monday, January 31, 2011

Count Your Blessings Monday!!




Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today I am thankful that I have God to rely on. We really want to purchase a generator. We are unable to right now. There is a winter storm coming tonight. We are right on the edge of snow and ice. We would rather have a foot of snow than an inch of ice. We have committed the issue to the Lord and I will try to leave it in His hands. :) We really love the snow and don't want to complain. We need the electricity to keep our pipes from freezing. :)

What are you thankful for today?

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Knitting, Dogs And Snowmen!!

I saw a darling little pair of knitted sock earrings. I could not find anywhere that sold them, so I decided to make a pair. These are the needles I used to knit them on. They are like long sewing needles. :) I bought a pair of #1 reading glasses to see what I was doing.


Here are the completed earrings.

Now, I am working on a hat. This hat will be made out of wool and I am knitting a cable pattern for the first time. This piece is the band that goes around the bottom of the hat. The lighter colored yarn at the one end is called a provisional cast on. Once, the band is as long as I need it, then I will pull that lighter yarn out and connect the 2 ends of the band with an invisble stitching called the kitchener stitch.

Our pup is doing well. She cracks us up too. She has started going into her crate on her own to take her naps. However, she leaves her head hanging out so I can't lock her in. The one day she looked like a murder mystery. When I got up to get my camera, she moved a bit, so it is not quite the same effect. She had her head all cock-eyed on the floor with her mouth hanging open.


She loves to be outside and loves the snow.

The sheep are loving the snow as well. The ram goes to the butcher soon and then the girls will be sheared before lambing begins.

When we came back from running errands the other day, the Wonderful Neighbor children came over and built us a new snowman. A HUGE snowman. :) I love his big arms and his bucket hat. I hear even the Wonderful Neighbor Dad had to get in on the action to help. When we let the pup out to go to the bathroom, she got half way out the door and then stopped and started barking at the new big guy in the yard.


My friend, Ginny's Mom told her that if you don't keep turning your geranium that it will bloom. She said it puts all of its energy into constantly reaching for the light if you turn it. So, I let mine go and LOOK!!!

Hopefully this week I will start some new habits which I need to incorporate into my life. :) I made a planner, lets hope I remember to use it!!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Co-op Mean Cooperation!

I have been mulling over a blog post. I was actually going to post it on my other blog, but I have had an opportunity to share with some people who had questions about this area. They are some of our farm customers and they read this blog, so I will post it here. :)

It is about being part of bulk buys and co-ops. One person just wanted to understand why anyone would be part of a co-op and the other one was talking more in depth about deals and bargains. I run a local co-0p. I buy from several places and also take part in bulk buys I hear about. I will start off with, why do I co-op.

Co-op is really just short of cooperation, or at least it is to me. There are companies out there that will give you a better price when you can buy more at one time, or even larger quantities at one time of certain items. As a co-op coordinator, I put the word out about what is available to order or what company we will be ordering from. I try to give a deadline of when I will need the orders by, so that I can put the entire order together and place it. Many companies have a minimum amount before you can even order and other companies have a minimum amount and you get free shipping. Free shipping can be a big plus if you order a lot. Not everyone orders every time. Some people buy a lot of their groceries through the co-op. They usually order every time. Others occasionally place a bulk order of a lot of items and then does not order again for several months. Others order one or two items as they need them or if they are on sale. All of these are normal for co-ops.

There are certain things you can do to make the whole co-op experience flow better. First of all, it helps if you can put your order in before the deadline. This gives the coordinator time to input items in spare moments instead of having to sit down for a whole morning to get the order together. It also helps to be clear in your communication. When someone places an order with me say from Frontier, I like the item number, name, amount wanted and the price. This helps me to be sure that I have the correct item when I input the order. Someone may just write and say that they would like a pound of cinnamon. Then I have to contact them as to which cinnamon they want, organic or non, etc. It is easier for me if I only have to look up that information for my order and not others. Another thing that helps is to be on time to pick up your items. Many times people call at the last minute or wait to be called and reminded that they were to pick up an order. I realize that emergencies do come up and I am more than willing to work with people, but it is nice to get the bulk if not all of the orders out in the original time slot. I am not fussing or complaining here, but trying to show you another side of the coin. The pick up day and hours are given before you place an order. I know that I have to be here during those hours so they are blocked off for me. Sometimes people call and want to come at another time for different reasons. I have had as many as 3 different people do this in one order. Then I have to make sure that I am here those 3 different times. Most of the time, this is not a problem, but if I get a chance to go somewhere, I like the freedom to go.

Another way you can help is if the call goes out that we are not quite at the minimum. Look to see if there is even just one item you can order to help make sure an order is able to be sent or that free shipping is a choice. That is where the word cooperation comes in. We all help each other get the best price possible.

If you hear of a good deal somewhere or if you heard about someone placing a bulk order for another item, share it with the coordinator so they can let everyone know. I know with the bulk cheese orders that a friend of mine does, the more you order the cheaper the price. They are glad to have others order with them to get this pricing.

I actually have a friend in another state that takes an active part in my co-ops. :) She is on my list and I place the orders. She mails me a check and when she passes through this area (2 to 3 times) per year, she picks up her items.

If you have other questions or comments about a co-op and how you can make it better, please leave a comment so we can all learn.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Count Your Blessings Monday!!




Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am grateful for a warm fire and firewood. We have had a very cold winter so far and it makes you appreciate a warm fire even more so. I read my Bible by the fire. I write my lists by the fire. I have been getting lots of knitting done by the fire.

It seems that many places are having colder than normal temperatures. Our family and friends in Florida have had a very cold winter for down there.

Hoping you are all staying warm.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

This and That

Before I tell you about this snowman, I have to make a correction. When I showed the snowman and the children in my post on Monday for the Winter Wonderland contest, I said the neighbor children and I did NOT say the WONDERFUL Neighbor children. I was fussed at and asked what they had done to lower their status. :) You KNOW they were kidding.... right?

We had gone to town one day and came home to find this snowman in our yard. We recognized him right off as being "Neighbor", which is what the WONDERFUL Neighbor children call my husband. He is a little bald on top and has a mustache and a beard. :)


The other day we had frozen fog. It looked like this and there were little ice pellets on the ground.

Michael went to take the dogs out this evening. He came back in and told me to get my camera and come outside. We had a visitor on our woodpile. This little owl is only about 6" tall. He has some sort of bird that he is eating.

I had left over sock yarn from that last pair of socks I made, so I made some baby socks. They look a little bit weird with no little feet in them, but there is no baby around here right now for me to try them on. I am sending them to a friend who is expecting a baby boy in 5 weeks.

We are getting more snow today. Michael said that we have gotten around 5". It is still coming down, but according to the radar, it should not last much longer.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

New Use For Ice Cream Tool

I love to have tools that are multi-functional. That means you need fewer tools.... right? I had a request a while back for a specific product. I found where I could buy it wholesale, but I had to have a minimum order. So, I looked around at what else they had for sale. Michael (my husband) was looking with me. He spotted the Ice Cream Scoop and Stack.
I think it was love at first sight. :) We don't eat a lot of ice cream around here because we don't need it. However, he thought that we should add this tool to our line. Of course we had to buy one for ourselves. :) These are made for very hard ice cream. When you make your own homemade ice cream and then freeze it the result is VERY hard ice cream. We have yet to try out our new tool, but I know he is itching too.


Fast forward to today. Many people that know us, know that Thursday night is Mexican night. In fact there are families all over the country that now make Thursday night Mexican night. Ok... maybe just a couple here or there, but there are some. :) It is NOT Thursday, but I am making Mexican food for supper tonight. I have been wanting to try Chulupas. We have another new tool at our house that looks like this:
We rarely deep fry anything. I know that when you heat olive oil to high temperatures it changes and then it is not so healthy for you. Coconut oil is a better choice if you are going to heat it that high, but I did not think that coconut flavor and Mexican Chulupas would go together. I was willing to try though. Also, when using olive oil, you have to throw out the oil after one use. With the coconut oil, I will save it and use it to make popcorn. Here is where the other use for a tool comes in handy. We buy our coconut oil in 5 gallon buckets. We live in Ohio and it is winter and our house is very cold. That means that the coconut oil is very hard and not easy to dip out. I decided to try the Ice Cream Scoop and Stack to get it out. It worked like a charm and I will be using it regularly for this. There was little to no effort and I got out quite a bit in a short time. I often fill quart jars with the coconut oil to have some handy in the kitchen. I will be using this tool to fill those jars from now on. I just thought some of you might like to try this out.

As far as the Chulupas.... there is a slight coconut taste, but it is not bad. Once you put the meat in it and the salsa and cheese and other toppings, I don't think you will taste it. If I were going to make my own tortilla chips, I would use the expeller pressed coconut oil, which does not have any coconut taste.

Yogurt - It Does a Body Good!!

When you try to do things naturally, you need to do a lot of research. We usually do ours by the seat of our pants. Oh look... there's a fire!!!... It is time to research how to naturally deal with it. :) I am sure at each of your homes, you have done all the research before the crisis arrives.

We have 2 dogs. Our older dog got pyrometra. It is an infection in her female parts. We are told it is because she is older and not spayed. I am sure that added to it, but spaying your animal can bring about its own issues. Anyway, we were told she needed to be spayed, but in a more major way than normal and the costs were well above what we are comfortable spending. We got her some antibiotics and they did help some. We started giving her some yogurt each day along with a Berry Herbal Brew that I make. We really noticed some improvement in her. We will continue to do this on a daily basis.

I had some plain yogurt in my fridge. I bought it as a starter to make some. Making yogurt in your home is so easy and much more cost effective. I am going to make mine raw milk yogurt, but you can use store bought milk. The only milk that does not do well is the ultra pasteurized milk they sell in the stores. If you are just starting out, you may want to use whole milk. I will tell you 2 ways to make yogurt at home.


1st way - Raw Milk Yogurt
I prefer this way so that I do not kill all the enzymes in my milk.
Take 1/2 gallon of raw milk and heat it up to 110°. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of plain yogurt as a starter. Pour into a warm jar and cover. Wrap in a towel or I will put mine on the warm end of my cookstove. Let sit from 8 to 12 hours. You may want to taste at 8 hours as it does sour a bit more as time goes on. This yogurt will not be as thick as store bought yogurt. If you like a thicker yogurt you can drain it. I use a Yogurt Cheese Maker to drain mine, but you can use cheesecloth or even a piece of sheer curtain over a bowl. You can then sweeten your yogurt at this point. I use real maple syrup to sweeten mine. You can also add fruit to it. Remember to take some out before you add anything to be your starter for the next batch.

2nd way - Crock Pot Yogurt

Pour ½ gallon of milk into your crockpot and turn it on low. Let it go for 2 ½ hours. Turn off the crockpot and let it sit with the lid on for 3 hours. Then stir in ½ to 1 cup of yogurt with live cultures for your starter and mix well with a whisk. Cover the entire crock pot with a thick towel and let sit for 12 hours. You can then add sweeteners or vanilla or fruits. Remember to save enough for your starter for next time before you add anything. If it is too thin, you can drain it a bit and get a thicker yogurt. You can use the liquid that drains off in other things to get the nutritional value from it as well. Your pets will enjoy it as well.

Monday, January 17, 2011

I Heart Face Challenge - Winter Wonderland



It has been awhile since I entered anything into the I ♥ Faces photo challenges. This week they want pictures showing a Winter Wonderland.

I love taking pictures of the snow. These are the neighbor children. They always come and build snowmen in my yard for me.


Count Your Blessings Monday!!




Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

I have been absent from doing my Monday posts and I ask that you forgive me. I try to always be thankful, but I did not always get on here to post.

I am thankful for Winter. It is very cold and sometimes that is not so pleasant. However, it brings its own delights and beauty. One of them is the coziness of sitting by the fire, reading or knitting. Many nights Michael reads aloud while I knit. We are on book 11 of a series of 12. Number 12 is not out yet and we are hoping it comes out soon. :)

Also on winter evenings, it is good to wrap your hands around a warm mug of tea or cocoa. Most of the time it is tea at our house. We have found some wonderful new teas that we really like, plus we have plenty of our old standbys.

Here are some winter pictures for you to enjoy. This first one is of socks that I knitted. I made them for my sweet Mother-in-Love. Her feet get cold and I made these from wool to help keep her tootsies warm. :) This yarn was self striping. You just kept knitting and it made its own stripes. What is even neater is that when you start each sock from its own ball of yarn, they socks are almost identical with their striping. This is my third pair of socks I have made. I made them 2 at a time on a circular needle from the toe up.


The sheep are LOVING the cold temperatures. They have the warm winter coat for it. When it snows, they are usually outside.

The sheep on the right in this picture is imitating a snow drift. :)

We switched to a new feed for our layers. It is non-GMO and the recipes are matched to the season. They have added alfalfa to the mix for the winter to give them some greens. Our hens are loving it and laying like crazy. The yolks are a wonderful orange.

I was trying to catch the millions of diamonds that sparkled on the surface of the snow. The sun is a rarity in Ohio in the winter. We appreciate when we have it.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

And the Winner Is.....

We picked the winner today for the gift certificate. Drum roll please....

The winner is.....












Made by Hand on Planet Earth!!!!!
Congratulations to you!!!!




Friday, January 14, 2011

$50 Gift Certificate Give Away!!

I will leave this post at the top until the give away is over. Please scroll down for newer posts. :)

Everyone has their own sense of style. Some people like a more old fashioned style like a colonial family room with a big fireplace. Others would like modern dining room furniture.
Some are influenced by what is popular and others stick with the same old thing that always seems to bring them a sense of belonging. I fall into that last category. I have always loved a certain look. People tease me about blue gingham. I love and always have loved blue gingham. It catches my eye. I also love denim and the color blue. My son used to try and talk me into buying clothes in another fabric or color. :) When I got married, I decided to do something totally different. I went with hunter green. I made my living areas into a seashore theme. It did not last long before I longed for my blues and my style. :) I would love to live in a log home or an Amish home. I like old fashioned.

CSN Stores are giving me a $50 gift certificate to give away. They have over 200 stores to choose from. They have something for everyone's style. Here is what you have to do to enter. Go to one of their stores and come back and tell me what you would buy with the gift certificate if you won. Without doing this your entry won't count.

You can get a second chance by blogging about the give away. Leave a link to that specific blog post in a separate comment.

You can get a third and fourth chance by posting this on Facebook and Twitter. Leave a separate comment for each.

You can get a fifth chance by emailing at least 5 friends about the give away and leaving a comment telling me that as well.


The give away will end on January, 14, 2011 at midnight, EST. I will announce the winner that weekend!!

Friday, January 07, 2011

Thank You For Praying!!

Many of you prayed for Brittany's little brother, Brason. Back in October, he broke his leg and was in a full body cast for 2 months. He was stuck like this. He turned six right after this happened.

They had a reclining wheel chair that they could take him out in. This picture was taken by Brittany, just a couple of days before they took his cast off. He had surgery to remove the rods in his leg and take the cast off on the 22nd of December. They said his attitude was wonderful through out the whole ordeal.

Here he is without his cast!! He was so thrilled to get it off. He had to use crutches to get around. Both of his legs were very weak from not being used.

Two of his brothers made a walking stick for him. He is well on his way!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for him!!!!

Snow on the Farm

It started snowing yesterday. The sheep love the cold temperatures and the snow. Here are some pictures of the sheep.


They love to lay out in the snow.



The white area in this picture is the pond.

Our pup is growing up. She is so fun and so relational. She loves to be petted and loved on. She needs a child though to keep her tired out. :)


I will take pictures of what snow we got overnight. I believe the ground is covered now.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

I Am Still Here!!! :)

I have not written too much on my blogs lately. Michael was off for the holidays and we were having fun together. We got a lot accomplished and we had some enjoyment times as well. I let a lot of things go, and have been playing catch up this week. I am still not caught up, but wanted to sit down and let you know I was alive. :)

Christmas was very laid back this year. I like that. We don't do lots of gift buying or running around, but we do get things for a few people. I would like to go and serve in a soup kitchen one year. Maybe I should make it a priority this year to find a place to do just that. It was our first Christmas that we did not see Joshua. He and Britt were in Florida with her family. We went over to Michael's parents in the late morning and it was very quiet there as well. Usually we see all of his siblings at least at one point or other that day. We only got to see 2 of them and spend time with them. In its own way it was kind of nice. We had nice talks with them. Then we headed over to my brother's house. Two of my brothers and their families were there. My brother's youngest daughter, Kati is a REAL animal lover. Someone posted this picture on Facebook. I loved it. There was a message under the picture supposedly from Flash (the dog). It said.... "My ears are real, she is just a wannabe!" I cracked up.

Her sister, Carli, wrote that this was a great picture because it really showed the relationship that Kati and Flash have. I just know that the picture made me smile.

We lost all of our snow cover with that warm spell we had. One day, I was in short sleeves with no sweater. That is unheard of in December. :) It got up to 61° that day. We are back down to below freezing and it is snowing today. We are supposed to get around 1.5". If it is going to be cold, I like to see snow on the ground. I love to watch it come down as well.

Hopefully, I will write more this week. I need to get back to the grindstone here.