A Homegrown Family

Plain and Simple

2012-01-30T09:18:00.000-06:00

At the cottage this week....

First are pictures of a field trip we had a few weeks ago at one of the many Ray Kroc community centers around the country. This one is in Biloxi, MS, and very nice. It was fun to swin in January.

After lunch we played volleyball, it was a fun day with a bunch of other homeschoolers and our 4H club.

Today is cheese making day, so I have 2 gallons of fresh milk that I skimmed the cream off to make butter. The cream is set aside to culture and after culturing the milk I added the rennet.

I put an order in for more culture and while I was ordering I added a Butter Keeper or butter bell. This is so you can have soft butter without the problems of it going bad.

It has homemade butter in it, I love the pretty yellow. The cows that our milk comes from are on pasture but since rye grass can be grown here during the winter the cows get green pasture most of the year, so our butter is always this pretty yellow.

Our ducks are laying like crazy so I did something a little different I pickled a bunch for later use. This summer they will taste good in potato salads etc. I might dill pickle the next batch, Wyatt pickled some quail eggs from his quail and made them hot with peppers and cayenne.

Ashley and I have projects going of cross stitch hers is the dragonflys, mine is the daisy.

She is also sewing a quilt, like the one I did for Wyatt. She started cutting it yesterday. We also bought the fabric for a quilt for me to make when she is done with hers. The fabric store had a wonderful sale on cotton fabrics so we had fun picking hers and mine out.

We had a lovely Sunday afternoon together since the boys were gone doing church stuff. We cross stitched, cutting fabric, laughed, and talked. Lovely mother daughter time.

We have also been digging up the front yard to make a cottage garden for our little cottage. My collection of milk cans for decoration. Hubby bought them for me about 14 years ago.

If the grass was green you would see better the beds we have dug up. We're hoping to put fencing and arbors. The arbors for wild roses and passion flower vine. The little floating beds will have zinnias and cosmos, the border beds will have herbs, and the exsisting beds we're going to put more lantana. We have lots of butterflys, hummingbirds, and bees so a feast for them.

Also getting the garden ready, mulching with hay. Over the weekend we spread horse manure and hay to start a new garden area. This year we hoping it produces a little since this is a new bed and will take time to soften and the hay to compost down. We use a deep mulch and don't till at all, we actually sold our 2 tillers a few years ago.

This is our exsisting garden it was 50x75 but it was extended so Wyatt could have his own area for experimenting.

Spring is springing here and very early as well. I have noticed things popping up that normally are coming out in March. We saw a dogwood profusely blooming Saturday. We are hoping this isn't a sign that hurricane season might be a doozy this year.

I hope all have a wonderful lovely week.

Love,

Erika

Crispy Pumpkin Seeds

2012-01-24T04:20:00.001-06:00

My mom gave Wyatt some pumpkins that were leftover from decorations. They were all nice looking but he wanted the seeds from the heirloom ones. I asked him to save the seeds from the regular ones so I could try roasting them.

I have thought of about them, but that is as far as I have gotten. I hadn't even gotten to wanting to try them, but here we were with free seeds to try and so I jumped.

Of course I wanted them soaked so for more nutrition and I found the perfect directions here. After you soak them for 24 hours in salted water you spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry. I figure it is so you aren't steaming them, but roasting them when you finally pop them in the oven.

Below wet just out the the water.

Once they are dry I coated them with olive oil and Himalayan sea salt, I love the taste and soft pinkness of this salt. And put them in a 300 degree oven, they didn't take long I don't think, but I didn't time them.

I think they would be good with some flavor like garlic salt or cayenne pepper maybe chili powder. But they were good plain too.

What do you think would taste good or how do you like them?

Love,

Erika

Honey Popcorn Balls

2012-01-23T04:28:00.001-06:00

"Ma was boiling molasses in a pan. When Laura's kettle was full of popped corn, Ma dipped some into a large pan, poured a thin trickle of the boiling molasses over it, and then buttering her hands, she deftly squeezed handfuls of it into popcorn balls. Laura kept popping corn and Ma made it into balls until the large dishpan was heaped with their sweet crispness."
The Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Last week Ashley was asked to bring a snack to mutual, since it was the girl's week to plan something they choose games. Ashley took her favorite games and her and I made popcorn balls for her to take.
She decided to do these a couple days in advance and I had just read a recipe for them at Mary Jane's Farm, here.

I liked this recipe because it is made with honey instead of corn syrup. Ashley had read in a magazine a few years ago of making them with jello, but couldn't remember how they did and the ones we found online were all with corn syrup. So we did what we always do adapted.

We split the hot sugar mixture in two and put a pack of sugar free jello Lime in one and orange in the other. She made the green and I made the orange. Her's turned out much better since I had more popcorn so my mixture didn't coat the popcorn as well, but we had fun making them. They are really easy all I did was make the popcorn she did the rest. Of course we both made the balls you have to work fast since the hot mixture cools and hardens fairly quickly.

Have fun with your little ones reading about Laura and making popcorn balls on a corn winter's night.

Love,

Erika

Tempting the Tastebuds

2012-01-19T23:18:00.002-06:00

I love trying these new veggies and this one is I think going to be a favorite, Napa Cabbage, my husband kept calling it nappy cabbage, not a clue....

Anyway I kept thinking when I've seen it before it had something to do with that region of the U.S. called Napa Valley, but no it is a oriental veggie. It is known as celery cabbage and is a type of Chinese cabbage originating in the Bejiing area of China.

It is widely used in Asian foods and used in Japan, China, and Korea. It can be used in any recipe that calls for cabbage and has a mild flavor. In Korea they use it to make Kimchi.

It is a fall veggie like regular cabbage at least in our neck of the woods, and from what I've read grow very fast.

When we first used this we cut them end off and the leaves just fell away, this made it very easy to clean. The first thing we did with the 1 cabbage we had was make Cabbage Rolls, they are a standard thing that hubby and Ashley asked for. She was making dinner and she chose to make these. Now usually when you make these the cabbage leaves do not come off easily, but with this cabbage it was much easier to roll the meatballs into the leaves.

At the same meal I sauteed chopped up cabbage with bacon a southern treat I have loved for years. I didn't notice a difference in flavor from head cabbage and it was tasty.

Next we needed to try something new instead of old standards so we tried this recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Pork, Napa Cabbage, and spicy noodles

This recipe was good instead of pork we used some of our homegrown turkey, and we used wheat spaghetti noodles since this is what we had on hand. We also used homegrown cayenne peppers we grew this summer and dryed. I just ran them thru my smoothie blender and made hot pepper flakes with them. Other changes we used olive oil for the oils like "sesame seed oil" and a "cooking oil", arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and hot pepper sauce instead of chili sauce since this is what I had.

Now I think next time I will hunt down the dry Chinese noodles the recipe suggests and add more cabbage than called for. Otherwise it was very good the noodles just took away a little. It reminded me of LoMein actually without the MSG of course.

How do you like your Napa Cabbage?

Love,

Erika

Next: Horseradish....this is a hubby thing he wants to make his own sauce.

Plain and Simple

2012-01-18T07:24:00.000-06:00

at the cottage this week...

Wyatt grew Cayenne peppers over the summer, my very picky child loves to grow things and grow things he won't eat. So we have two, one gallon jars full of dryed cayennes. I grilled alot when I grilled sweet peppers and tomatoes to make roasted salsa this summer which is so yummy, I think we have one or two jars left. Last week I whirled some in my little smoothie blender and made red pepper flakes for a recipe.

We had a long day Friday, since it was our volunteer day we were up early and on the road as the sun was coming up, then a Sams club trip, and then to grandma's, about a 200 mile round trip day in the van. On the way home from grandma's Wyatt fell asleep, and I had Ashley take a picture of him, he wasn't to happy.

We went to grandma's to visit her but had a motive for driving all those miles in one day. He needed to get approval from the 2nd nursing home for his Eagle Scout service project, of course they loved it and agreed and signed what needed to be signed. Now he has 2 nursing homes, seamtresses, and the supplies to sew walker bags for the elderly. Now on to the next step....

We unloaded all the thrift stores in our area of placemats for his project, he needed 90 we now have 93. While we were digging around I found these pretty ones for our table, and this is our new dining room table. I love the wide planks and old feel to it is nice to sit and eat at. Our other dining room table is stored since Wyatt wants it.

Sunday was such a beautiful day, and Wyatt bought himself a tent with his Christmas money. Ashley is still saving hers for something special, shes already bought a boat load of books at an antique store. She found Shakespeare's works in little hardback books that were in very good condition for their age, 1930's, but she didn't have enough for them instead she bought ones in her price range.

So while Wyatt and our neighbor Trenton and Wyatt's camping buddy put up the tent to make sure they did a good job. Since they are the oldest in Young Men at church and the scout troop they have to look like they know it all to the younger boys. :0)

Out by the fire lamps hanging from trees, fire going, and a lazy Sunday afternoon. Hubby did get a nap in his favorite chair outside.

Later a peach cobbler cooking away in one of antique dutch ovens.

It was a slow and simple week here at the cottage, with the weather unseasonablely warm this year we have been outside alot, and it has been nice.

Have a wonderfully plain and simple week.

Love,

Erika

A Personal Creed

2012-01-17T03:07:00.002-06:00

Sunday we had a wonderful lesson, I wanted to share a part of the lesson here since I thought they were great ideals to live by. These were written by George Albert Smith when he was 34 years old and there are many who can testify that he lived by them till the end of his life.

1. I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.

2. I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed

3. I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind.

4. I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and a happy life.

5. I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.

6. I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.

7. I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.

8. I would not knowlingly wound the feelings of any, not even one who may have wronged me,
but would seek to do him good and make him my friend.

9. I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the successes of all the
children of my Heavenly Father

10. I would not be an enemy to any living soul.

11. Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter, I feel it not only a duty but also a blessed privilege to disseminate this truth.

Now if I can only live up to a few of these ideals... though they aren't hard when you truly read and ponder them, you would have to think every second, minute, hour, of everyday to consciously do these till they became habit. But it would be well worth the effort and the blessings would be immeasureable. But them by the time you did these things without things who would be thinking of the blessings you would receive but the blessing you could and would be to all those around you.

Love,

Erika

No Poo... an update...

2012-01-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

I have been "No Poo" since August 2010, and my daughter a couple months after. We both prefer this method of hair care, I know you think why would you not wash your hair. Well you are washing your hair but your not using the fake, chemical laden stuff the beauty care industry says you have to use. Its like cigarette commercials that show a woman who has it all and implying she has it all and is sexy because she smokes their brand of cigarettes. The beauty care industry implys that as well in their advertisements, but we don't come from the same mold as everyone else we are all unique and different and lovely for the differences we have.

I found this on Crunchy Betty this morning and really like it and wanted to share. The picture was taken by Crunchy Betty but the quote from one of her readers, Kylieonwheels, or Kylie.

I have found my routine in washing my hair, I use two teaspoon's of baking soda and a squirt of aloe vera. Sometimes I use homemade apple cider vinegar and sometimes not. Sometimes I can skip a night, but not always, I will wash it every night most of the time.

Ashley is still finding her groove in using it, most of time she has it down, but since she is distracted easily sometimes she slips out of it. :0) She will tell you herself she is a blond through and through. But she prefers to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Both of us have discovered that our hair is lighter and healthier. We both have had comments from people we see a lot on how light our hair has become, even our hair dresser. I was asked if I colored my hair, no I don't and haven't in 15 years or so...I think its been awhile.

Over the weekend I added something new to my hair routine. Hot oil treatment, the kids thought it was the funniest thing, but I loved it and my hair did too. Again this is from Crunchy Betty, she did two posts last week on it and I had to try it over the weekend.

The first post was on creating and the second on indulging. I used a coconut oil and calendula infusion and really liked the feel on my scalp. I did use shampoo to get the oil out since she says the no poo method doesn't do a good job after washing the oil treatment out. I then did a washing with my baking soda/aloe. Saturday night I did my hair in my sleeping braids and Sunday morning my hair had so much body and looked so healthy.

Now my hair is thick and long, to about my waist, and I haven't had any problems with the no poo. I don't use commercial hair products and get my hair trimmed up once or twice a year. I braid it at night to sleep and that gives me a little wave but otherwise my hair is really straight. I am going to use my homemade liquid castille soap to wash when I use the hot oil hair treatment after this and that will be probably every other week.

If you have any questions, ask away or look up No Poo in the search engine and you'll find all kinds of info and instructions.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Love,

Erika

Tempting the Tasebuds

2012-01-11T08:14:00.000-06:00

The last couple of grocery shopping trips I have bought a veggie we've never had before to try. Since we live in a small town area with a small Super Walmart, Piggly Wiggly, IGA, and a Greer's our choices are limited and it being winter, but we have had success in finding some items. When I am in a bigger area I will try to stop and get something that a bigger store might have that I can't get here.

So as a post idea I think I will feature a veggie we've tried and let you know the outcome and how we prepared it. Since it is winter I am focusing on items we can grow as a fall or winter crop and when spring and summer come I'll switch. That way when planning the garden I can add what we liked to the growing list.

First on the list... Leeks

Leeks belong to the garlic and onion family, and actually look like a big green onion.

Leeks are easy to grow from seed and tolerate standing in the field for an extended harvest. Leeks usually reach maturity in the autumn months, and they have few pest or disease problems. Leeks can be bunched and harvested early when they are about the size of a finger or pencil, or they can be thinned and allowed to grow to a much larger mature size. Hilling leeks can produce better specimens. Wikipedia

Leeks can be boiled, sauteed or even raw, I didn't want to boil or make the standard Potato Leek soup, though will be trying that this week.

Our first try was this recipe: Salmon with Caramelized Leeks

Verdict: This recipe was tasty I really liked the flavors of the leeks and carrots caramelized together. We used Tilapia instead of Salmon and we didn't use white sugar we used Rapadura.

The next recipe is the one that didn't call for them but were so good mixed in I followed the directions to caramelize them and then added them to the dish. Yummy!

Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

On this recipe we omitted the brown sugar all together and just stuck with the honey only and we used one of our turkey breasts we grew this summer instead of chicken.

This is a veggie we will grow since we enjoyed it very much. I see it being one to cut up and freeze for stir frys when we have extras.

If you have used this veggie let me know how you used it, I would love to see how others have liked it.

Next up....Napa Cabbage

Love,

Erika

pictures from Wikipedia

In the Mirror

2012-01-10T08:28:00.000-06:00

Sunday we had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society, it was on how we see ourselves and the way we make ourselves feel with how we think. I know for me I can be really tough on myself, I have the bar so high for myself that I will never reach it. I am not like this all the time only in times of adversity and I have felt that adversity has been my constant companion for 3 1/2 years now.

When these feelings of inadequacy come up we start to feel that we aren't loved by those around us and/or our Heavenly Father, it can be tough and we can be tough on ourselves. Or we can be tough on those around us, I have had this over the last few years with someone who is going through a tough time and I have been the receptacle of her hurt. This in turn has made me question everything about myself, made me think I am not worth the breath that I breath, and I started to believe all she was throwing at me.

When these feelings come up it is the perfect time to get on our knees and talk to our Heavenly Father. I have had days where I have gone and kneeled by our bed 10 or 15 times throughout the day. But there are also days I do not feel worthy to talk to Him.

What we see in the mirror is a Daughter of our Heavenly Father, but there are times we tell ourselves that is not what we see. Or we listen to those around us who are just as insecure and believe what they are telling us.

I try to remind myself we are all in this together and I have just as many insecurities as the next person, or that my insecurities aren't the only ones in the world everyone has them. None of us has it all together, we are working and striving daily to be more than we were the day before, to be better. It isn't easy but by helping each other we can cushion each other and make the blows of the world softer so that they don't break us down so we have to start all over.

Look in the mirror today and know that you are a choice daughter of Heavenly Father who has so much love for you and knows who you are and knows you can be so much.

Have a wonderfully blessed day,

Love,

Erika

The Midnight Bandit

2012-01-08T17:56:00.000-06:00

We have a little friend who loves exploring the barn at night and leaves little foot prints all over the place. She loves cat food and we've had to tie down the lid on the can, but she trys to get into it almost every night. One time we found the can on the other side of the barn behind the 4 wheeler, she moved it about 15 feet and still didn't get the lid off. Friday she rolled this big pot around and left her dusty little prints on it.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2012-01-05T10:28:00.000-06:00

this week at the at the cottage....

beans for chili cooking away they were presoaked that week but never cooked also sourdough bubbling away for bread

a new compost pot, we found this at the thrift store for $2, it looks like a honey pot Pooh would have

grinding wheat

sourdough kaiser rolls rising

gentle reminders

Wyatt teaching 4Hers to make ink from berries and quill from turkey feathers..

a new slip from the sheet I told you about, I love this lace it makes me feel pretty and yes those are my knees LOL. Someone we know has asked me several times over the last 3 1/2 years, "So still doing the girlie thing?", Well HELLO I am a girl I can't deny it and don't want to I like wearing my skirts, I like being a girl!

I hope you have a wonderful, delightful, girlie day!

that is if your a girl...

Love, Erika

A Lovely Giveaway

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

Well I'm not doing it but Mountain Rose Herbs is at there Mountain Rose Herb Blog. The giveaway today is a natural home cleaning kit, it looks absolutely lovely to me. So if you would love to learn to clean naturally or already do and would love some new tips click on over and enter to win this wonderful giveaway.

Blessings

Erika

Simple Woman's Daybook, January

2012-01-03T08:12:00.000-06:00

FOR TODAY... January 3,2012

Outside my window... Frosty in the 30's, definitely cooler than over the weekend when it was in the 70's. But the sun is coming up over the trees and though it might be cool today it promises to be a beautiful day.

I am thinking...Of nothing in particular we had a nice weekend, Monday was quiet we worked in the garden so thoughts of what else needs to be done the prep for planting its first crop, potatoes at the end of Feb. Also how empty the house feels our oldest cat Weezy passed away yesterday she was 15 and had a very long life. But something is missing without her, nagging the younger cats or us to feed her.

I am thankful for...For a brand new year to start over with new plans and old. Jan 1st is always a treat for me it marks a new beginning and spring in a couple of months is a major plus!

From the learning rooms...a quiet week, we planned on only one week for holiday vacation which was last week, but hubby asked me to take another week to charge my batteries, so instead of bookwork other work that can be counted as learning, but we won't call it that more like fun, relaxing, and energizing. And working on the paperwork for Wyatt's Eagle Scout project, now that he is done with all his required merit badges he gets to work on 3 business letters and the paperwork to submit for his project. Oh and Ashley finished her Bee Keeping essay for a 4H contest and that was sent off yesterday.

From the kitchen...Well I had my oatmeal with the cranberry, apple, and orange relish also added flax seed and raisins. Yummy! Today I have dinner to make I think chili will be good with some beans I presoaked last week but haven't used yet.

I am wearing...a long A line skirt with embroidery on the bottom and fringe and a black sweat shirt since it was nippy this morning in barn feeding.

I am creating...Hmmm, on the sewing table right now nothing, waiting for a good sale at Hancock to load up on fabric for 2 new quilts. Oh, I am working on a newsletter for Relief Society for Feb and a new format for the Sunday Program for church. Craftiness can be on the computer as well. Well I did buy a lovely white flat sheet the other day at the thrift store with a beautiful wide lace edge to it that I want to make a slip or two out of one of the slips will have the lace edging the other will have a different lace from my stash and we'll see whats left for what else we can make maybe 3 slips.

I am going...Nowhere till Thursday when we go to a 4H meeting.

I am reading...The Depression Cure by Stephen Ilardi, Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, and Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. Also Jesus the Christ by Talmage and the scriptures. Yes, I know a lot of books, but I read a little on each everyday, one of them I have planned on reading 2 pages a day and will have it done in a year. I'm not in a hurry, but have tried many times to read it and have a hard time getting into it but want to badly so little bites daily.

I am hoping...to live each day to the fullest and to live like I know I should.

I am hearing...Just a Heartbeat Away by Gandalf on Between Earth and Sky. Of course on Pandora I just love that resource. This is my Loreena Mckennitt channel

Around the house...A basket of clean kitchen towels to be put away, a load just finished to be hung on the line, Bath towels on the wooden drying rack from last night's showers needing to put away. Cats sleeping all 3 I think missing bossy Weezy especially this morning when she was her bossiest. Dogs resting after their morning run, candles burning their lovely scent this morning it is pine, and the feeling of a well loved home.....

One of my favorite things...candles flickering, birds feasting at the bird feeders, the feel of a long skirt, bare feet on the grass, the purr of a devoted cat, a snuggle and the soft words "I love you" from your teenagers, laughter and love at the dining room table while sharing a meal....

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... A new project, this was a Christmas present from my dad and stepmom, a Hoosier cabinet. It is in need of loving and attention a wood panel on the back replaced, paint stripped and sanded, new hinges, new casters maybe...a project I can't wait to dip into over the next few months. A little at a time I think no rushing a loving refurbishing. Right now it is in use since this is my new herb cabinet it is full to the brim too. I'm thinking of painting it an antique white not a stark white that it is now, and adding some Hoosier touches that have been removed. We'll see I have had fun getting to know this cabinet and the history.

Simple Woman's Daybook

End of....Beginning of....

2011-12-31T16:41:00.000-06:00

A brand new year...again...didn't we just celebrate a new year yesterday? Well it seems like it, it all is going so fast the older I get.

I am sitting on our little front porch listening to the birds, we've had a wonderful last day of the year. Though this is posting on the first day I am writing it the last day. Right now as this posts I am getting ready for church, or at church, etc etc.

Our weather was sunny and in the 70's absolutely lovely, Ashley and I walked the trail, Wyatt stayed home he has finished with his cycling, hubby is working, we cleaned the duck house, put an area together in our other poultry house for our new babies, little ducklings. They are the offspring of our ducks now, a friend hatched some of the eggs in his new incubator and gave us some of the babes for payment instead of paying for the 4 dozen eggs. They are cuties, and were born on Christmas day.

The sun is getting closer and closer to the horizon of the trees and the sun oven was outside all afternoon cooking part of dinner. I refurbished a blouse for Ashley she found at the thrift store this week, her and I had the week to ourselves while Wyatt was at winter camp for scouts, he had fun and so did we. This morning I had oatmeal with fermented cranberry, apple, and orange relish it was yummy and full of good probiotics. I found the recipe on Gnowfglins last week and had to try it since all those items are in season, and that is another goal this year eating in season and more back to the basics of food.

As I think of the coming year I plan on working on many projects and work on things inside and out, me and the house. Hubby and I bought ourselves a new dining room table for Christmas, new to us, it is an antique farm house table that I just love. And with our Christmas money from my dad hubby let me buy a 1940's Hoosier cabinet from a friend it needs TLC and work but it was a steal and I am really happy with it. So this spring while not working in the garden and the many other things we need to do I will be working on refurbishing it and will show you as I do. It has been a treat researching them and learning more about ours.

We are going to put in an outside kitchen on an existing concrete pad, install 2 homes for bees, setup and garden in a new 50x75 foot area this goes along with the one we already have, and the kids and I are looking for goats. Since I have had them before I am looking for a certain kind, breed, etc. And Wyatt wants another horse that is something I doubt we will be doing but ya never know. Oh and the kids and I want to put in a cottage garden for our herbs and some flowers, we want to put in a gold fish pond as well.

I also am going to work on me, I have survived this depression/anxiety/panic attack thing for over a year and have learned so much about myself. I have been reading a wonderful book that has taught me a lot and I am working on the 6 steps it teaches, The Depression Cure; The 6-step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs.

So much is happening in the world, but I can control what happens within our home and that includes our little paradise in the woods. So that is another goal to work on this year working and keeping the enviroment within our home a paradise and truly loving it.

We can go on and on with what we want and plan on doing this year but in the end it is continuing on way we have been, tweeking where we have faltered, adding or discontinuing, and striving daily to stick to the path we have chosen.

I hope your year is one of mystery and joy as you step through your days, yes they are speeding up it seems, dark clouds seem to be on the horizon, the future in blank, and there are so many what ifs. But I want to see today for today and let tomorrow wait to be dealt with tomorrow, I want to relearn to savor today and let the worries for an unknown future go and trust in the Lord.

"See" you throughout the coming year, hopefully with the fruits of our labors to show you....but that is for tomorrow and I want to savor today.

Love,

Erika

One More Post....

2011-12-23T07:40:00.000-06:00

Well I thought I could go without posting until after the new year, but I have some news I am excited to share!

I don't think I told you how the kids did on there ginger bread house well they won first place in the Sr division.

So last night we went to an awards banquet so they could collect their prizes for the house and the pumpkin they did in October. Well to our surprise they also received money for their projects they sent to the state fair as well as MP3 players for competing in three county level competitions. We were pleasantly surprised since we were just excited they won the first two prizes.

They had a wonderful meal, great entertainment by way of a talent show, and a fun night seeing all that the kids(not just ours) earned over the last year. The talent show had 9 little shows all very talented and and entertaining.

The kids were planning what projects to make for next year's fair as we went to bed.

And again have a blessed and cheerful holiday!

Love,

Erika

Experiencing the Outdoors

2011-12-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

We love the outdoors, over the last year it has been on the backburner because of many things. This was not intentional it just happens sometimes things that are important get put aside for things that seem more important but really aren't.

This week we have been outside a lot, Saturday we were out all afternoon cleaning the barn we have both doors wide open fresh air and sunshine streaming in. We then worked by our outside eating area. We have a firepit and it needed sprucing up and tables set up since we will be there for Christmas dinner.

Last night we ate dinner out there, foil dinners we cooked fish in them very yummy.

Wyatt loves to add leaves and pine needles to burn. We collect rocks, bricks, etc to put around the fire for the ring there are also headstones that couldn't be used for various reasons. Hubby working for a funeral home can bring home the oddest things.

As the sun went down we put candles on the table in old enamel cups. And we sat and waited for dinner to cook, salad bowls and dressing wait to be eaten.

This little guy came to visit, Ashley thought hee might be thirsty so set out water for him.

On our back porch we set up a little diner for the birds in the winter, they give us hours of entertainment and joy all winter long. This year I added a few things, an apple cored and then more holes made and stuffed with peanut butter and birdseed. One bird has visited it so it might not be a hit just yet.

These are always a hit with the chipping sparrows, peanut butter and birdseed on pinecones.

We also have a bird bath it is the one from the garden we put out during the summer. It might be cold for a bath but a drink is always nice with your meal.

This little guy and a friend came to visit yesterday, he tried the apple while his friend was at a feeder. We also put out sunflower heads, cardinals love them and we also added this year a perch between the porch posts, the area gets busy in the deep of winter and waiting room space is always nice.

Since this will be my last post till after the holidays I hope each and everyone of you have joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Chef Dani

2011-12-19T06:04:00.000-06:00

Last week 4H had a guest come and help them make a goodie for Christmas. She talked to them about her 16 years of restaurant experience in owning and cooking in not one but two. And then showed them a fun gift to make for the holidays...Cheese Balls.
This is her and a helper dividing up gigantic blocks of cream cheese into 24 bowls.

Now squeezing together butter and the cream cheese, the kids loved this.

Next they added a handful of chopped fresh spinach, chopped up cooked bacon, a big handful each of cheddar cheese and Colby jack cheese, a handful of canned diced tomatoes with the liquid squeezed out and a tablespoon of special seasoning. Wyatt said the seasoning smelled like it had garlic powder, cayenne, and onion powder, at least that is what he could smell. Smoosh all this together really well.

Then shape into a ball, and then be very careful walking through the building so as not to touch anything with cream cheese covered hands.

Wash up really well...warm to hot water works best...

Now take your cheese ball and plop...softly into a bowl of crushed almonds and dried green onions. Roll around gently without squeezing the nuts into the mixture to much.

Put in a pretty container or bag, chill in the fridge to set and then eat. Very yummy we gave one of ours to the kids Seminary teacher and family, two in the family don't eat spinach or onions... They loved this and didn't know it had both till the next day.

On to the ginger bread news the kids after much deliberation were awarded first place for there creation. All the houses were cute and lots of work was put into the magnificent creations!

Plain and Simple

2011-12-13T12:17:00.000-06:00

We keep things really simple here for Christmas, and years ago we started our own family traditions we let go of ones we had grown up with and created what we wanted in our home. Santa went out the window and the kids were actually very excited and happy it was mom and dad not a stranger in a red suit bringing their gifts.

Since then we have relaxed things and not had things so set in stone and we just enjoy each other. I don't talk about our youngest son on here much or at all really. His name was Dannett and he passed away 14 years ago 5 days before Christmas he was a very special child who we loved and still love very much. He is missed on a daily basis and Christmas even more so, the holidays are a reminder to us of how precious life is and how many blessings we have in this world. So every year from Thanksgiving to Jan 1 we as a family, but mostly hubby and I as a couple close in and embrace, we are a private family anyway but more so at this time of year. The hectic racing around and holiday parties are not something we enjoy, we enjoy each other and find things we can enjoy together.

One of those things is making ginger bread houses, it started with my mom buying the kids a kit one year and has turned into a yearly thing. This year we wanted to try our hand at making it from scratch not a kit and baking the ginger bread ourselves. We didn't realise it was going to be such an interesting project, but it is done and looks great.

Ginger Bread House recipe we used is Here

Ginger Bread House patterns are Here

We did a modified church pattern.

And I finished the top to Wyatt's quilt this morning, I am so happy at how it turned out and it was so easy! Now time for the batting and the back and tie it and it is done. I can't wait to make one for our bed and for Ashley to make one, I think she will love it.

Have a wonderfully blessed day,

Love,

Erika

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-12-12T08:07:00.001-06:00

FOR TODAY

December 12, 2011

Outside my window...

Overcast and dreary, its one of those days that is good for baking, or curling up with a good book, or sewing. Which the last will be me in a few minutes.

I am thinking...

I hope the kids ginger bread house holds together. :0) They are making one for a contest as well as it is a yearly tradition we do. This year we are doing one from scratch and it is interesting to say the least, but a good experience.

I am thankful for...

For my health, family, debt free, and secure. With the way the world is going, I am thankful for many things.

From the learning rooms...

Ginger bread house making and all the other things that entail school. Friday night we watched a movie called The Conspirator, it is about the only woman tried and convicted of being apart of the assasination of Abraham Lincoln. Very touching and sad movie about a dark sad time in our history. Ashley had read about her recently so it was interesting for her to see it unfold on TV. If you are into history this is a must see though at times you can get angry for her and want to cry for her as well.

From the kitchen...

Again ginger bread making, but today is also cheese making. Usually I make cheddar but I have several little wheels of that and our jar of feta is almost empty so feta it is today. I made a batch over the summer and it is just now coming to the bottom.

I am wearing...

A brown skirt and homemade blue peasant top oh and socks. My hair is in a thrown up bun, I have let my bangs grow out for almost two years so they are long enough that I don't need bobby pins to hold them up when I put my hair up like this. Though by the end of the day my bangs will be falling out from the weight of the bun, my hair is to my waist and thick, so very heavy. A lady yesterday said she knew why I grow my hair so long, so that on cold days I can wrap it around my neck and ears to keep them warm.

I am creating...

Christmas goodies, skirts, quilts, truffles, soap, calenders, fun things

I am reading...

Besides the scriptures, The Moor, it is a Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes book by Laurie King.

I am hearing...

Lovely music from Pandora, right now it is The Vote from the movie The Village, a lovely violin planning sweet music.

Around the house...

a mess, icing and ginger bread stuff on the table, and weekend mayhem all over the house. Its a Monday..

One of my favorite things...

A lovely letter in the mail box. So much more personal than an email.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

ginger bread contest, field trip to watch a chef demonstrate for 4H, storehouse volunteering, finishing up sewing skirts and the quilt. And 35 miles to go for Wyatt on cycling...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The quilt, this was last week I think on Wednesday I now have the borders on two sides. I am doing the corners different than the pattern says so that is taking me a little longer to think it thru and plan before a I cut so that I don't mess up. :0)

Hope all have a wonderful blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Hosted by Simple Woman's Daybook

TrufflesHomemade~~

2011-12-09T07:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday had us experimenting with making truffles, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. My mom loves them, and since we prefer a homemade Christmas this is something that would be fun, and she will enjoy on top of it being something consumable and therefore not taking up room and collecting dust through the year.

Another thing she is receiving is one of my nice big mixing bowls and a collection of my favorite bread recipes. I picked ones that were easy and quick, elaborate ones would be hard for her with working. I also made a picture tutorial of making Kaiser rolls and braided Challah with the recipes. Why add the recipes if I wasn't showing how to make such lovely breads? Also I am thinking of having the recipes lamenated so that they are sturdy and last through kitchen work, we added pictures and clip art to the pages. I think she will love it since she has had fun using my bread recipe.

Now truffles are so easy, but we had to make a batch to see first if they were and if not find a fall back to make for her. This batch went to seminary with the kids to share with their teacher and fellow student as well as the rest of the teachers household, which includes a very pregnant daughter-in-law. :0)

Truffles
1 pound chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream

measure out the chocolate in a bowl then set aside. Heat the cream in a sauce pan to just before boiling and remove. Add this hot cream to the choc (we used choc chips) let sit for about 5 minutes and then whip till smooth, no lumps, nice and smooth.

This is called the ganache and is very soft at this point. You will then put it in the fridge from 1 to 2 hours. The recipe called for 1 but we had to let it sit for 2 to get it hard enough so it scooped out in a lump instead of goo.

After the ganache sits and stiffens up you then line something, we used a baking sheet, with wax paper and spoon out spoon fulls of ganache. As you can see we lined them on our pan and then we placed the pan in the freezer. The mix is still to soft to roll into balls, its sticky, but freezing them for 10 to 30 minutes hardens them.

Once they are hard you start rolling them into balls. At this point they are like soft play dough.

After you roll them you can coat them with cocoa, coconut, crushed nuts, or even melted chocolate. The melted chocolate didn't turn out like I wanted so we might skip that kind of topping.

The cocoa ones were very easy and worked very well. Now these are very rich as all truffles are, my mom usually buys a little box of 4 and eats them slowly over a few days. I have a little tin that we will line with mini cupcake papers and place one truffle in each paper. There will be more than 4 but she can save them for a long time in the fridge or freezer.

The ganache mix can also be used as a icing on chocolate cake which might be fun for a pot luck at church sometime. Certainly not here at the house since we are cutting out this kind of thing, but eating it isn't the fun in it, making it is a lot of fun at least to me and then seeing how others enjoy a creation that is homemade. So many people think that things taste yummy must come from a box and making from scratch is a forgotten art.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day,

Love,

Erika

Christmas Soap

2011-12-08T08:34:00.000-06:00

Last week the kiddos and I made a batch of soap that we are giving as Christmas gifts. We didn't do anything fancy with it like we might have done for our own soap, every time we do, we do something like calendula infused oil, honey, oatmeal, etc. We added nature to our wrapping, this is a seed pod from a Sweetgum tree, I love these and have them scattered around the house along with pinecones.

We make hot-processed soap or crock-pot soap. I spent a long time researching, and this process works for me better than the cold-process.

Here is a how to with many ways to hot-process

Here is where I first learned about hot-process there are great pictures.

Here I found great explanations for all the processes of soap making

This recipe we used olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax. But you can use all kinds which really surprised me. Here is the lye calculator I use and it has a big list of oils, and there are also a fragrance calculator and measurement converter.

When I first starting looking into soap making I thought I had to use a set recipe, but have learned since you do not and we have had fun coming up with our own recipes.

Lye was also a consideration, where to get it? You can't just buy it in the store anymore, but I found this wonderful place AAA-Chemicals, that also sells the lye for making liquid soap. When I ordered I ordered both lyes and have made both soaps since and have had success with both.

Ashley and Wyatt help me, though when doing the lye I get to do it. Neither one of them want to and I feel better doing it myself. We had most of the supplies here at the house though not the plastic pitchers those I found at a yard sale for a quarter each and the crockpot at a yard sale to. But I am looking for a large one. The only new things I bought were the gloves, digital scale, thermometers but I don't use them with this process, and silicon baking pans for the molds which work great and were inexpensive.

We use two pitchers one to measure the water or herbal tea and one to measure the lye in. They are only used for this purpose and have written on them not for food everything we use is only for the soap except the crockpot that is cleaned well and we use that in the kitchen. I retired my stick blender to use just for soap since it is very handy for this.

I am looking next into making my own, chap stick(I have the almond oil soaking up calendula flowers), lotion bars, lotion this I have done but want to try different recipes.

I hope you give this a try someday if you have not and want to it isn't nearly as hard as I thought and as long as you keep in mind safety when working with lye take precautions it is actually fun.

Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Homemade

2011-12-07T07:41:00.001-06:00

My grandmother made this nativity when I was a little girl, it used to have a creche but it was lost through the years. The donkey has only two legs thanks to a dog about six years ago, baby Jesus went missing for a year or two and then was found at my mom's house for some reason. Both my grandmothers have passed on, the one who made this passed away in March, they both were talented in many areas.

One sewed all her clothing and made clothing for me when I was young. The other knitted like crazy and made me sweaters and things.

Over the years I have taught myself to cook for real with real foods not things from boxes, sew more than just pillows, crochet, and many other things these women learned as children. And I am finding I love the simpleness of it and wish that when I was a little girl I would have learned these things from them. I am sure I could have learned so much more.

Right now the house is filling with things to make homemade gifts. Mostly for the kids, but we are putting together two boxes to mail off this weekend. Both will have homemade soap and other things.

We have fabric everywhere, well I should say I have fabric everywhere. Sewing up goodies for for the kids. Wyatt is getting a quilt, he knows what he is getting and the fabrics I am using since he picked them out, but he won't see the finally product till Christmas. I am getting in about an hour every morning of sewing working away on this quilt and skirts for Ashley. The quilt pattern I cut out from a magazine 15 years ago while I was pregnant with Wyatt and have kept it all this time, this is the first time I have made it.

Ashley and I both hope to make one, she for her hope chest and me for our bed. We are going to wait till Janaury for her to work on hers. I took this picture this morning while it was dark so the colors aren't as vibrant, but this is part of it so far. When I am done I will hang it on the line outside and get some pictures in the natural light.

Ashley is getting three skirts, hubby and I picked out the fabric Saturday along with blouces to match. She is also getting drawing supplies so I am thinking over a pencil/supply bag to make as well. It is very fullfilling making these things for family and it is showing our love for them so much more than just a present bought from the store.

I hope your day is a joyful one.

Love,

Erika

2011-12-06T07:58:00.000-06:00

"There is a serious need for the charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afficted. True charity is love in action. The need for charity is everywhere."

Thomas S Monson

During this time of year the rush all around us and everyone thinking of gift giving brings out the charitable soul of almost everyone. You see Toys for Tots boxes everywhere and other donation sites for food, jackets, bikes, etc.

During the first few days and couple of weeks after Hurricane Katrina swept through our area the compassion and love shown to fellow human beings was immense. Charity was shown to all we all were in the same boat exhausted and struggling day in and day out.

But after these events go by and the joy of the season or in the storm's case the electricity came back on the charity bug wears off and we go back to our own little boxes. Charity needs to be an unconscious act done daily, starting with our loved ones and moving on to all around us, even those we think are beneath us.

Our situations might be different, backgrounds, life choices, etc but in the end we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father whose love is unconditional and for each of us equally.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Friday Fragment

2011-12-02T06:15:00.000-06:00

~~cold, windy, and rainy on Monday

~~ Tuesday cold and wet from the rain on Monday, but the sun came out.

~~someone we knew, only slightly though, passed away Sunday. She was on the phone with her husband he was out of town and she was on her way to church, she dropped her phone and reached down to get it and went off the road and hit a pine tree. The phone went dead and he knew something happened he called someone from church to go look for her and they found her. Such a sad accident, but reminds us one of the drawbacks of cellphones.

~~all the Christmas stuff is up I let the kiddos do most of it even the outside lights.

~~ it was biting cold all week

~~Wyatt and I got haircuts this week and while we were out the silly engine light came on in my van...again. We went to Auto Zone to have it checked and it was the gas cap... again. It either is loose which I redid it twice while we were out or it just needs to be replaced. But I am pleased it is nothing major and can easily be replaced or just ignored.

~~Ashley and I went to a Christmas party last night she had a lot of fun making a craft, but we spent earlier in the day at a 4H meeting and getting some supplies to make soap for Christmas presents.

~~Today we are doing our volunteering at a food pantry, the orders have gotten to be numerous with the holidays and the economy.

For more Friday Fragments click on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time

Plain and Simple

2011-12-01T03:37:00.002-06:00

I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their particular habits, or delineating them in the best way that I could.

John James Audubon
Journals

Wyatt has been working on cycling 50 miles for scouts. And while he rides we walk. It is fun, though cold sometimes. We saw this little guy flitting around the trees looking for bugs etc. The Wood Pecker was way up high when I took this with Wyatt's Camera.

I love Chickadees and this little guy was eating at our birdfeeders on the back porch. I was so thrilled when Wyatt showed me his shots, I tried all last winter to get up close photos of our little friends at the feeders, but my camera couldn't focus up this close.

Little Chipping Sparrows these guys eat A LOT of food all winter but they are so much fun to watch.

I hope you have a delightful day.

Love,

Erika

Weekly Menu Plan

2011-11-28T18:54:00.000-06:00

I saw this on the blog somewhere, I think it was Chiots Run, well it stuck and I decided last week when Ashley and I cleaned out the big freezer to organize what was in it visually for myself mostly.

Well from there I went to the fridge and here and I did a menu plan for our bi monthly grocery shopping which I did Saturday with hubby before he had to be at work.

See the bottom door is for the shopping list. We used dry erase markers since they wipe off beautifully and so far a week into it has been easy to update. On the freezer we put long term, which is all that turkey we slaughtered, some chicken that we did the same thing with, soup bones and veggies for making stock, etc. Then we put a short term list the items on this list are ones that we are using, or need to been used soon, or leftovers that we froze in individual foodsaver bags for later consumption. On this list are veggies, fruits, broth and stock, etc.

So far I think I will like this since I won't be wasting paper and everyone can see what meals I have planned, snacks on hand, breakfasts, and lunches.

So this weeks menu is as follows:

1: Lasagnia, salad, and garlic bread

2: Red Beans and Rice with steamed broculli

3: Sausage and Sweet Potatoes, the sausage will be homemade

4. Salmon Patties and potato wedges we like these on buns so homemade.

5. Broculli Stirfry

6. Pizza a favorite to make,

7. Tacos which is also a favorite

Breakfast is kinda eat whatever, Ashley and I like fruit smoothies, Wyatt isn't a breakfast person but he makes up for it at lunch. Lunches this week will be salads and pasta for Wyatt he loves pasta, but he is the skinny fast metabolism boy of the house. He told me once, "Mom I burn through carbs!". They stick to mine and Ashley's behinds so he can have them.

We went for a walk and bike ride yesterday, Wyatt is working on the remaining miles on his merit badge for scouts. So Ashley and I walk while he rides. Yesterday he only got 5 laps in and then it started to drizzle so I called it quits. Below is the temp when we left, I know that isn't cold to some but for us when it is windy, cloudy, and rainy it is biting cold. My tights and long johns come in handy under my skirts. :0)

Have a delightful day,

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-11-28T04:26:00.002-06:00

I haven't done one of these in awhile, but I have had such a hard time just thinking of what to put on here instead of the same ole' thing.

I used my little enamel melting pot the other day to melt some butter, I loved it. It was so much fun and I didn't use a bigger pot or the micro which I really don't like but hubby uses it a lot. It melted perfectly and it was fun to use this little treasure for the first time with homemade butter to boot.

This morning I was getting my pot ready for some catnip infusion and feeding our sour dough starter and I thought I would share something so simple it is actually quite silly.

A spoon, yes that is what is in the picture, but the long handled one is the one I wanted to share with you. When I was a kid this was a tea spoon we used them to mix sweet n low or lemon into our tall glasses of ice tea. Well I didn't but my grandmother did and they always fasinated me with their long handles.

So when I saw some at the thrift for 10 cents each I grabbed 10 of them. I use them for everything, but this morning I used one to feed the sour dough starter since the containers I put it in are deep like quart mason jars or the container below. The longer handle is very helpful when stirring or getting flour out to feed it from the jar above. It keeps things a little neater than a short handled spoon.

Also they are great for digging into jars of olives that are low in the jar, or jams and jellys, honey, coconut oil. Your fingers stay out of the container since you have such a long handle to reach into the jar.

With my regular spoon I was always getting honey or something on them when scooping out something especially something at the bottom, now there is no problem and I can use my wonderful fun tea spoons that I loved as a child though I don't drink tall glasses of sweet tea anymore.

Have a wonderfully blessed day...

Love,

Erika

Friday Fragments

2011-11-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

I thought it would fun to participate in Friday Fragments this week. It looks like a lot of fun and I hope I actually have something to post about.

~~~We had a wonderful pot luck at church, we call them Linger Longers so everyone can linger a little longer and visit. The food is always really good and this time we did Thanksgiving stuff, so it was exceptionally delish. Hubby and I were worthless the rest of the day :0)

~~~Yard Saled with my mom this week as well, it is my therapy, I love going and getting lost in my mom's community looking for that illusive deal. This time I went looking for Christmas presents, and came away with a new Christmas tree for $10 I was a happy camper. We haven't had a tree the past two Christmas' our home is so small and so we did something different, but this year we will have one. We did find a few things and had a bunch of fun.

~~~Hubby caught my crude and is sick this week, but I am better though my throat is still dry and voice a little raspy. This cold and then hot muggy weather hasn't helped many people from getting over whatever this is.

~~~Hubby is much better after getting two shots and yes in the butt, :0)

~~~Thanksgiving was relaxing and fun and a little boring. I have no idea why but it was I think maybe going camping next year would be fun the traditional is kinda boring to me and not as exciting as say camping and exploring the woods somewhere.

~~~Ashley (my daughter) made a lovely low sugar pumpkin pie yesterday, very yummy. I found the recipe here, a very basic and easy recipe using all local fresh ingredients if you can in your area. We used our duck eggs and could have used fresh cream from the milk farm we get our milk from, fresh pumpkin if we would have grown some this summer, and fresh seasonings but we didn't. And it still turned out delish and not as sweet though we did put it in a crust next I think we will omit that and put it in little containers like Suzy did.

~~~I do not do Black Friday so am home today, I prefer to make stuff and keep things simple.

This has been fun and I am glad I was able to post something. I look forward to reading others posts.

Click on over to see others and what they fragmented about over at Half-Past Kissin' Time hosted by Mrs4444.

A Ebook Review

2011-11-16T05:26:00.001-06:00

I am delighted to review two wonderful ebooks that a dear friend has written. First these little books are quick reads, but are packed full of wonderful information and lovely stories of the authors births.

To have a simple little book giving good instructions for healthful living is a treat to see in this fast paced world.

I don't have a lot of time or patience to sit and read long drawn out books. I like to get to the meat of what is being shared and taught and these little books fit the bill perfectly.

I can look back at my own births and see what I would have done differently and having information and knowledge would have been that key. I never knew that I could learn and make a decision on my own with my first child and I know things would have turned out so much differently if I would have studied and learned.

I think these two ebooks are wonderful not just because a dear friend has written them, but because they are upfront, truthful, and not scary. You hear so many horror stories of birth and it can be hard, but so rewarding. It is not a horror but natural and just like everything that is worthwhile is very worth the hard work involved.

I hope you click on over and see these little book full of treasures of inspiration.

Love,

Erika

Sewing

2011-11-15T02:20:00.002-06:00

Saturday I sewed a new top, it was something fun to make. I love the monochromatic look, black and white is for some reason fun to me. And I love bandanas they are fun, so why not make clothing from them.

Last spring I made one from another color and sewing pattern its one of my favorite tops. This one is Simplicity E2032 and very easy to make. It takes some planning to get it all lined up but once you have that in mind it is simple to accomplish afterwards.

Peasant tops are fun and comfortable and I love them.

Love,

Erika

Walking your Path...

2011-11-14T08:08:00.000-06:00

Wisdom teeth pulled and all is fine in our home. They did great and the first thing Ashley said to me when she saw me was, "your in trouble". :0) But its over and I promise you'll never have to do that again.

While they were going through their thing I was slowly getting a sore throat, as I sat in the waiting room it got worse and worse by the end of the day I was running a fever and miserable. So the three of us were on the couch by the time daddy got home that night. We were all snuggled up under blankets me with throat lozenges and them with ice packs. :0) Needless to say our weekend was a slow one.

But today is Monday and we are all on the upside of healing their swelling is going down, and my voice is coming back. Saturday I couldn't get above a whisper so they watched movies and I sewed a new blouse I will try to get a picture of it to post tomorrow.

I have been thinking a lot lately of who I am and my path in this life. I am of the opinion that opinions are hurtful and I try to keep mine to myself. I also try not to follow the crowd it just isn't my thing to be like everyone else. I have as an adult learned that beating to the tune of my own drum is what I am happiest at. Being friends with those who are dear friends not a conquest on the popular ladder of the world.

The crowd is so cumbersome, you get lost in the numbers and you end up loosing what makes you...you. I am an individual with thoughts and ideas of my own they might be weird, non conforming, or even rebellious, but they are mine and I find comfort in that.

I find that being myself though different from the rest makes me stand out most of the time, I am happy being who I am. Yes I struggle sometimes with the hurtful words, looks, or the opinions of the world. But I try to keep plugging away at my life the best way I know how, what works for me. Opinions are just that, someone elses idea of what their world should be, and it turns into an opinion when they force it on others. They are just ideas, their interpretation of the world and how they want to live it.

Getting lost in those ideas being spouted around us can be overwhelming, we can get anxious and hurt. Lost in a number and forgetting or even not even learning what makes us tick, makes our world turn, or helps us see and know what it is we are suppose to do in this life.

I might walk alone in this world of opinions, ideas, hurtful words or actions, but I think I know that what I choose works for me and mine and that my ideas are just that, mine they make me who I am. I might not agree with the world's view on most things, but I know what I agree on for me works and when it doesn't I tweek it and work towards it working for me not others.

And as far as letting the world know what those ideas are...well my example should be all that should show. I don't listen to others opinions especially when they are shoved at me or contradict my ideas, but I do watch when someone is quietly living those ideas, and is an example to me.

I hope your example of bright and a beacon to those around you. Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

2011-11-10T06:26:00.000-06:00

Did you think to vote? I love to vote, no my vote might not be the canidate that wins, but to excercise my right is a fullfilling thing and giving voice to what I believe in a quiet way.

It has been hard the past few years since so many who are running for office I have no confidance in, and it is voting for the lesser of two evils most of the time. Its sad the way things are, I feel that a lot of the canidates running for office are running for the wrong reasons, their own personal high to be in the spot light. Not for the American people, but a personal agenda that doesn't take into account what is actually going on in our country.

On a more in line with this blog, I made a batch of skillet granola the other day and took pictures this time. I really like this recipe it isn't dry like my usual recipes, nice and moist. I added coconut and raisens when it cooled.

local honey, homemade vanilla, local butter, coconut oil

Yummy goodness, I like it on yogurt when I have some made which I haven't done this week.

Wyatt on their new computer, Nana got a new one so sent her old one to the kids when Papa was here. Wyatt I think is more excited about it that Ashley and has been figuring it out.

Our day today will be spent at the oral surgeon getting wisdom teeth taken out, and then recovering from it. I went grocery shopping last night and mailed bills I usually pay at the insurance and cellphone office, so I won't have to go anywhere just in case this weekend is a lounge around and take motrin weekend. And Wyatt and I rented movies last night for them, just in case.

Do you remember getting your wisdom teeth pulled? I do, I was 33 and had 3 impacted and 1 pulled, I slept through it all. The same office who did mine is doing the kids and I have confidance that it all will go smooth. Grandma works there so all the staff know whose grandkids are coming it and all said they will look out for them. As I am sure they do all, but it helps the kids feel special. A friend is going with me just in case I need help with either one of them on the hour drive home. Hubby can't take the day off, so this good friend said sure she would help.

I hope all have a wonderful day and weekend. I know I will. :0)

Love,

Erika

Finding your Zen....

2011-11-08T07:52:00.001-06:00

I have heard that somewhere and growing up with my mom very immersed in martial arts, she has a couple of black belts in different styles, the whole zen, yin and yang, etc was a daily thing. :0)

My husband told me a couple months ago to find my zen and it is a lot harder than you think. I have had a very rough year and August, September and some of October have been especially rough, so I was on maintenance for a few months. Doing what needed to be done and barely keeping up with everything else. Going thru the motions of living.

With maintenance mode you set aside non essentials things, for me it was cheese making, butter making, bread making, hanging clothing on the line etc. Instead I bought those already made or used the dryer. I kept things moving along at the pace that I could for the time being.

And the last couple weeks I have felt more myself again, so last week I made a batch of cheddar cheese, this week cheese again, and some butter this morning, last and this week I have made ricotta cheese with the left over whey. Swinging back into life is not always easy, living a maintenance schedule is OK for a little while. But then things start to show like dust on ceiling fans....:)
Taking that time to recoup, build your reserves back up I think is always good. So now I am getting slowing back into life, enjoying it, finding my zen.

Over the weekend my dad, the kids, and I dug around some antique shops. One was a junk shop, when you drive by you think nothing good will be there, but the treasures inside are amazing and very unique. Ashley found a lovely green bowl to match the green glasses she found at a yard sale. I told her to offer him a lower price and he took it, she was so nervous to speak to him, but he was so nice to her and smiled.

At another antique mall we went to I found this cute little pot(above) the orange enamel, and uniqueness of it caught me. Also the tea pot, most on here know I love blues and greens, so this pot was sitting right next to the enamel one like they were waiting together for me to take them home. I also found a enamel pot with a inner colander pot, but didn't get a picture.

The pitcher of cream is part of a new food processor I bought for my birthday. My parents gave me money and this is what I needed, I use it to make so many things and mine died after many years of service.

Below is the picture of the box. After much thought and research I decided on this one, instead of the traditional looking food processor. It made butter this morning perfectly. Now I did think hard about not getting an electric gadget and normally I try to keep things simple, I am not a gadget person. And I have done the whole off grid everything by hand thing, and I mean everything. But sometimes different seasons of life a gadget now and then is a good thing.

Cheese making yesterday, cut curds resting. The process is so easy and so basic. Because of making cheese we have cut way back on how much we eat of it as well as butter. It takes time to age a month, I make it weekly with fresh milk, add only a culture and rennet no preservatives or coloring. I also make sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and probably a soft cheese for cream cheese this week for enchiladas. Again because I make these items we have cut our consumption of it down a lot, my family love these products so I try to make sure they have a freshest and best I can give them. And they are cultured giving us natural live cultures to help us in assimilating the goods things in them.

A gallon of whey and the first pressing of the salted finished curds. Later I added 20 lbs totaling 30 lbs the sit overnight. This morning I will take it out and let it air dry before sealing in an airtight bag to age for a month in the refrigerator.

There was another half gallon whey in a pan on the stove. Which now as well as the above are being turned into ricotta, I'm thinking maybe a veggie lasagna tonight.

I have also been thinking a lot of Christmas, since we keep it very simple there, 3 gifts each for the kiddos. I am looking at making a quilt for Wyatt, some skirts and tops for Ashley, something for hubby, (he reads this so I won't say), and other goodies to mail to my parents. Homemade goodness that I enjoy so much.

Seasons of life go up and down, things revolve, change, the kaleidoscope of life is different everyday and finding that balance learning to let go and do what is needed can be hard. To not make yourself feel guilty for not being able to do what you normally do is hard. But learning to roll with the waves of your life and others so when the storms come, and they will, you are not buffeted about to much causing damage.

Good luck in finding your Zen...

Love,

Erika

Busy November Weekend

2011-11-07T07:47:00.000-06:00

We had a busy weekend with my dad visiting. We had a lot of fun now back to the daily ins and outs.

Yesterday we drove to the coast where it was windy and a little chilly on the water. But we did get some very pretty pictures of the birds.

Saturday we went to the little zoo in Hattiesburg, they have done a lot of work there and it looks good. I can't wait to see what it will look like when they are done with the projects we saw in the works.

A pretty little goldfish pond near the train and Praire Dog town.

The little alligator

I loved this sign discouraging litter bugs.

This little guy was loving the attention of all the kids and cameras

Finally a bread in the Sun Oven, not a yeast bread but a quick bread. It worked just fine except it was a very cloudy day off and on and so it took all day to bake. It would so much better if the day was sunny instead of cloudy. It started out lovely and sunny and then all of a sudden clouds everywhere. Oh well maybe next time...

I hope your weekend was a blessed one and that you have a blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Daybook

2011-11-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY

November 3, 2011

I have not done in....well I don't know when I did it last, but hubby said he liked when I did. I remembered it this morning while I was clearing out old files etc in my documents folder.

Outside my window...

It is cloudy and misty lots of moisture in the air. I wish it would rain since the dust is very thick. With the windows open and the dryness it is making the house dustier faster that normal. There are reds and yellows in the trees everywhere because of the dryness though and that is a lovely sight.

I am thinking...

Of many things that need to be done today and tomorrow....It is my birthday this weekend and my dad is coming for a visit. We have not seen him in 2 years so we are looking forward to the visit.

I am thankful for...

For my husband who has had patience this past year...

From the kitchen...

A big pot of broth to can up, some sour dough goodie needing to be made, dinner will be a cassarole that I premade since we won't be able to make dinner today.

I am wearing...

A long brown tiered skirt, a striped top in different shades of red, and not shoes at least not yet.

I am creating...

A couple of pleasant blouses made out of bandanas and planning sewing gifts for Christmas

I am going...

To 4H this afternoon, and then the kids also have a afternoon class they do once a week for church. We will be home after hubby gets home most likely.

I am reading...

An Anne McCaffrey book

I am hoping...

There is not enough room to type all I am hoping for.

I am hearing...

Rick Springfield's Jesse's Girl on Pandora, Wyatt getting something out of his closet, and Ashley coming in the front door.

Around the house...

Well I started last week cleaning a room a day moving things, dusting, wiping walls, reorganising things. It needed to be done and my birthday and dad visiting gave me the incentive. I have been going through the motions of living the last couple months so things needed to be put back to rights. Now that I am feeling myself somewhat again it has been nice to do a little at a time.

One of my favorite things...

Organisation I am ridiculous about things like that it makes me feel in control even when everything around me is out of control, clutter stresses the you know what out of me. So now that the world is in chaos and things are in turmoil everywhere knowing where things are in my home gives me comfort and I can focus better and get through all the other fuzz out there.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

My 38th birthday and not doing anything for it. I am not a let's go have a party or take a trip for my birthday kinda girl. I like it simple my family with me and just enjoying them being with me for another year. I like to be remembered on my birthday and mothers day, but I don't have to be pampered or spoiled just a hug and a greeting nothing more.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

See the lovely color of the Red Maple behind me, that color and varying shades of it and yellow are all thru the forest. Wyatt took this of me this morning so this is what I am wearing today. I am being chewed on my one of the barn cats, he was never weaned properly so feels he has to nurse on his people by chewing.

I painted my toenails a couple weeks ago a bright pink, I wanted some color on them which is unusual since I usually am not a nail painter at all. Having to redo and keep up with it all is a pain especially on fingers that are in constant use. But sometimes I will paint my toes some outrageous color blue, purple, bright pink something that brings a smile to my face, but no one else but family will see.

You probably can't tell for those who read this blog normally, but I have lost over 20lbs and am very happy because of it. Not the way I lost it, but loosing it yes. Now I hope to keep it up in a good way or at least keep it off. I did the same last fall but gained it and some more over the summer.

I hope each of you have a blessed day.

Love Erika

For this month's Simple Woman's Daybook head on over to the blog...

A Post

2011-11-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

Hubby keeps telling me to post and I just can't. Have you ever gotten like that, when everything you think of to post you think is boring or no one would want to read it. ;)

I am working on a talk right now for Nov 13 the topic is Who Am I? so that has been taking all my left over mental space after, homeschooling, homemaking, sickness, etc. Needless to say not much mental space is left for it. I get snippets of thought here and there, and I have started a list of those bits and pieces. I am one of those speakers that can't write out a talk I take notes a word here, a thought there, a scripture, quote, etc, and then when I am at the podium I let the spirit guide in what I need to learn and convey. This way of speaking for me is very inspirational when I plan it out and write it out they are always duds.

Yesterday I took some pictures of the kitchen to just put in a post, of course I cleaned it beforehand. ;) Afterwards I pulled out the meat grinder ground some turkey, made ricotta, and later made lasagnia with both, pulled fresh made cheese from the press and set it to air dry. And pondered stuff....

The big pot on the stove is a gallon and a half of whey from Monday's cheese making. There are ways to make ricotta with powdered milk and regular whole milk and I have done both. But this last spring I learned to make it with the leftover whey which is the traditional way to make ricotta. You don't get as much this way as you would the other ways, but that is not the purpose. Boy I used way and whey way to much didn't I. :0) I would normally keep some fresh whey for culturing, but not this time.

I later ground homegrown turkey meat since Wyatt asked for lasagnia and he likes meat when I usually make a veggie variety. The sauce was home canned this summer, cheese homemade, meat homegrown, the noodles were storebought. And then I cooked it in the sun oven very yummy meal!

Also in this picture is my $10 thrift store find of the Big Berkey that also included 4 brand new filters. A bucket of white wheat berries, this bucket is one that isn't sealed and I scoop out what I need.

To the left of the stove is my area for making vinegars, the sour dough starter is there, and other yummy fermenting, culturing, and sour doughing things. Oh and cheese making area.

The other side of the stove, if I would have moved a little more you would have seen a gigantic pile of dishes. :) This area of the house is used A LOT, there is a bowl with soaking cheese clothes, a couple of mixing bowls ready to use, the garlic storage thingie, wooden cutting boards, and rolling pin.

Cheese set out to dry, Herman the sour dough starter along with fresh ground wheat to feed him, and 2 jars of apple cidar vinegar aging. Oh the weights were from the cheese making I just took it out of the mold and hadn't put the 30lbs of weights up yet. Here you can see what kind of mold I use it is called a Tomme, for what we do and the amount we make it works perfectly for us.

Herman the sour dough starter is a daily thing, if I am not needing to use it I just add a tablespoon of flour and one of water and give a good stir once a day. If I know I will need it for something the day before I will add a much larger amount of flour and water to build it up to the amount I might need. I could leave it in the fridge feeding it once a week and I did try to do that in Sept, but forgot to feed it. A little over a month later I pulled the jar out fed it and it was fine, bubbly and active. But I was lucky.

Also doing it the way I do, not using every single day it can get very sour so I have figured out that if I pour off the liquid that forms at the top and then feed it that keeps that sourness away. This liquid is called hooch which I thought was so funny the sourness mostly comes from the hooch. I don't use Herman every day but a few times a week and it works beautifully the way I have worked it for us. Oh and I put it in a clean jar every few days.

This is one of my herb cabinets, there is another one under this one. These are all in the same area as the above counter top. I have all kinds a things in here and below, I just finished a course through The School of Natural Healing and really learned alot. I enjoyed it very much and am trying to implement the teachings into our daily lives it is a slow process, but also I am listening to my body. Your body will tell you what is wrong if you listen and how to correct it. Like halloween candy will always make my hands and feet numb because my body can't or doesn't want to process it, so I should just avoid it, the numbness is it telling me that. :0)

Our little Fall Harvest for church was at a members house this year. The kiddos always come up with something to dress up, last year Ashley made her costume she was a greek thesbian, this year a fairy from Mid Summers Nights Dream one of Shakespeares works. She loves Shakespeare and actually understands it all, but math baffles her. A few years ago, 6 actually, I made a skirt with pumpkins all over it that I usually wear and hubby and I try to find funny hats to wear. We found a bunch of halloween fabric marked down last year so I made a new skirt this year.

I wore the skirt, feather boa, and one of the many hats. We don't celebrate Halloween, but every year we have made or something, the kids a dress up outfit that they used to play in year round, we'd go to grandma's and then home, carve a pumpkin maybe, go to our church's fall harvest. But we have never gotten into the whole scary commercialism of it all. So now that the kids are alot older they have kept the tradition of having fun planning a dress up theme to wear to the fall harvest. Wyatt loved Gilligan's Island and last year we were going to dress him and his dad up as Gilligan and Skipper but didn't have enough time to put it all together.

We had alot of fun as usual, we had several different kinds of chili, stews, a bonfire, hay ride, and just a alot of fun visiting with friends.

Well such a long post of really nothing, well not nothing just snippets of my little world. Simple and unadorned, the photo above actually was taken before I brushed my hair I took my sleeping braids and coiled them in a bun so I could get my sewing done early before the kids woke so really simple and unadorned :0).

My life revolves around our daily doings, the kitchen, providing meals, preparing for future meals, sewing, my family, my love of learning a simplier way to live even if it may be harder than doing it with all the time saving gadgets on the market. Remembering to slow down take a breath and truly look at my little world I love so much. I forget that sometimes, and feel very bad for it guilt and uncertainty take hold till I am reminded to look and breath.

I leave you with a recipe that I have looked and looked for since I wanted to try it and finally found it.

Skillet Granola

2 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 c butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

(since I don't use this or white sugar, sucanat, rapadura, or even more honey would work)

1/2 c almonds

1/2 c dried fruit

heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Push the oats to the side of the pan. Melt butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in honey and brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Push the oats around in the pan and stir to combine. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so to make sure to coat throughly. Pour out onto the cookie sheet and spread to cool.

After cool add nuts and dried fruit you can also add 1/2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg if you want. This would taste great on yogurt or add coconut etc too make a trail mix. However you like your granola enjoy this simple recipe.

Have a simply blessed day....

Love, Erika

Oh and a question if you would be so kind to give me your thoughts. When I write or say Who Am I? what comes to mind about yourself? I am wanting quotes from those sweet women around me on their thoughts on who they are in their minds. Thank You for commenting and sharing your answer.

2011-10-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

Turkeys are all in the freezer, we have three whole ones and the rest we cut up the breasts I sealed up separately and the rest I will start putting through a meat grinder today.

We found a neat little surprise in their yard...an egg. One of the hens layed an egg below I laid it next to one of the duck eggs. It is a very pretty egg lightly speckled. We are hoping next year to raise heritage turkeys and keep a few to breed. Our breed this year would have kept getting bigger and bigger and soon wouldn't have been able to stand up.

One of the things we are working towards is any meat we do eat we raise. We have cut back on the amount of meat we eat, but my husband is a definate meat eater. And to raise our own on pasture and to know what they eat is important. No the cost isn't cheaper, but the end result is better and we know there aren't antibiotics etc in them. All our chicken and this year turkey is what we raised, in the past we have had rabbit, beef, and pork.

One of the things my son loves is sausage being a very picky eater it is hard to find the right things for him to eat that he will eat. It is all very frustrating to say the least. Sausage is full of preservatives and unheathy cancer causing additives, so I make my own with just plain pork and spices. Right now I buy ground pork at the store, but I am hoping to change that soon. I will try to make some with the turkey meat I grind up today as well.

I will take a pound or so of ground meat pork or turkey and add sage, cayenne, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings we might like. To make italian then use italian seasonings. Either cook in patties or how you want to use it and enjoy. It tastes much better than the processed stuff and is a little cheaper depending on what you use etc.

I'm thinking of turning a bunch of the ground turkey into sausage for different things breakfast, red beans and rice, pizzas, and spaghetti.

Monday found the kids on the couch still sick, but yesterday they we on the mend. But the fun thing that came in the mail was a ribbon and certificate for their pumpkin. In Dec they will receive their monatary reward for the contest at the awards banquet. The won 2nd place for their creation, they are spliting the money and suggested that we divide it in thirds since I helped some (with the hat), but i am not going to take their reward its all theirs. Now Dec will be gingerbread house contest lets see what we can make for that....

I hope all have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Monday Musings

2011-10-24T08:25:00.000-05:00

Friday we had a birthday in our home, Wyatt turned 15....so I now have a 17 yr old and 15
yr old. Its all very unsettling I am going thru what all moms go thru, at least that is what my mom keeps telling me, questioning if I have done right.

He has found a love for taking pictures so we bought him a camera, a nice little digital that he can play around with and take black and white pixs etc. So Friday he took photos of everything he could I think, I downloaded a few of them this morning to share.

This one I took on my phone, we still have flowers blooming in gardens, on patios, etc. Though the nights are cool and the days lovely. I love Zinnias so during the summer we try to grow a lot they make great cut flowers to bring inside.

Our marigolds are still gigantic and blooming profusily even after our first frost we had last week.

These are growing all over the roadsides and fields. They are a lovely yellow that make country roads even lovelier to drive on.

Another of Wyatt's photos outside one of our little libraries this lovely rose has blooms covering it.

My photo, a nice roll on the warmed concrete walkway in the cool morning. Tummy warming is a favorite on these cool sunny mornings.

A pumpkin for a decorating contest the kids entered last week for 4H. They did it together so they weren't competing againest each other. We also picked up their stuff that went to the state fair, they received blue ribbons for everything but one that one received a red one. But they are happy to get ribbons for all of it blue or red.

And one last photo of Wyatt's, he stayed home from church yesterday because he wasn't feeling well. Ashley decided to start feeling bad as well during church, the change of seasons seems to start sinus' draining and throats to get sore.

So while we were gone he slept and then took this photo. I bought this lamp for $1 and the glass chimney for a quarter I think. I love it since it can hang on the wall I haven't tried it out yet, but during the winter I love to light candles and oil lamps something very warming and soothing about them to me.

My husband tells me I need to blog though I think I have nothing to blog about. I have been going through the motions of life and nothing new has happened that I want to share. We have started slaughtering turkeys, the ducks are laying profusily, the hurt one is back with her friends and very happy, my dad is coming to visit in a couple of weeks, the kids get their wisdom teeth out in 3 weeks, I have fianlly found a place for all those (15) 5 gallon buckets of wheat I had lined up in the hallway since August when we sealed them up, I put my sour dough starter to bed the beginning of Sept and then forgot it, well it is still alive and thriving (thank goodness), the kefir is happy as well, I think red beans and rice are for dinner tonight, and the kiddos are and I have a very slow week this week which is good since last week was very hectic.

I hope all have a wonderful week and I will try to blog some this week and share some of our simple doings.

Love,

Erika

Monday Musings....

2011-10-10T11:03:00.000-05:00

I hope this finds you rested from your weekend. We had a very uneventful weekend which is a good thing. Wyatt took some very pretty pictures of some flowers growing on our garden fence, one of them is below. I love this rich purple Morning Glory. The little white one is a White Cypress Vine, there are little red ones growing wild all over the roadsides right now. He is hoping to collect seeds from them.

Friday our escape artists escaped and roamed by the livingroom window, here they are waddling away from me back to where they belong. They are laying quite well we have lots of eggs in our fridge right now and we are giving them away to those who want them, though we are eating our share. It is nice to be able to share what we are blessed with.

This is Jemima Puddle Duck, she is in the hospital cage at the moment with a bum foot. She is quite unhappy, so Saturday hubby and I filled a container and let her splash around she was quite happy till we doctored her foot and put her back in the cage.

We were just a little wet when she was done, but she had a good time splashing around.

Wyatt doing the dreaded Algebra under my new plant hubby bought me a few weeks ago. I love this plant and am so happy with it. It seems to be very happy where it is and it adds a touch of nature to the livingroom.

Last week the kiddos had an appointment with the dentist, we've never been to this one and I was pleased with the decor. This picture is of the hallway and the next one is the ceiling of the room Ashley was in. Wyatt's room was done like a fish tank with fish etc. Ashley's when you looked at it you saw more detail catapillars, ladybugs, butterflys, bugs...it was very pretty.

Next comes the oral surgeon for wisdom teeth to be pulled, but that won't be till after my birthday weekend at the beginning of Nov. They are not looking forward to this, but one has to have his pulled only two thank goodness and the other it should be done so that there are no problems later in life. I did not get mine out till I was 33 and they told me it was getting to the point where the bone wouldn't fill in. Though I had no problems at all, uncomfortable yes, and Hurricane Katrina hit while I was in the midst of that uncomfortable, but I made it just fine.

I hope all goes well for you and yours this week. Our week is slow just school, but next week kicks in a very busy week at least when we are busy it is all at once and then it slows down for a little while. Next Monday we find out how they did at the State Fair with their projects, 4H starts for the year, Sis Allred from the General Relief Society is coming to our stake to do a fireside for the women kicking off our women's conference, the kids have a fireside the same night, Wyatt gets a cavity filled, Wyatt's 15th birthday!, pumpkin carving to enter in a 4H contest etc etc. What a week so we should rest up and plan this week.

May your week be blessed

Love,

Erika

The Sun Oven...

2011-10-04T17:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I used the oven again, you know I really love this thing. I cooked a meatloaf and augratin potatoes for dinner. I thought it would take longer like the chicken, but it did not which made my day.

It was a clear cool day and when the sun broke over the trees at about 9 am I put the meatloaf in. At noon it was done and the oven was at 300 degrees. So I hurriedly put together the potatoes and put them in. Now they took longer and the oven kept cooling off (no lower than 150) because I kept forgetting to rotate it or move it back into the sun. I love our tall old trees, but not when cooking with the sun.

It was fun eating a meal that was at least half cooked by the sun. Cooking the butternut squash out there would have been neat to. Maybe I will get bread done in there soon as well. The days are perfect for it right now.

Tonight I cooked something in it as well, a cassarole. We are going to eat out under one of those old trees like we did last night and then have a bonfire.

Hope all have a wonderful evening.

Love,

Erika

Dauphine Island

2011-10-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

My mom and I went away this past weekend, not very far mind you but we still a nice place. We went to Dauphine Island which is at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. We stayed at a nice bed and breakfast and had a relaxing time just being.

This island was mapped in 1519, it was named Massacre Island by Pierre Le Moyne de'iberville because of a pile of human skeletons he found there. A colony was started and in 1707 it was renamed Dauphine Island in honor of the heir to the French throne. Over the years control of the island went from the French, Great Britain, and Spain. In 1813 in became America's and soon a fort was built to defend the coastline. There are two forts at the mouth of the bay another is at Gulf Shores.

They had a lighthouse that is about 3 miles off the coast of the island on a little piece of land called Sand Island. I wanted to go out there, but it is not aloud the lighthouse's island is slowly falling into the gulf. A restoration project in underway, but funds are needed before work can start. I hope that they can raise the money so that some day I can see it up close.

We arrived, checked in, and walked the beach after we were walking back to the car I saw a blood mobile...Now I have never donated blood, but have wanted to, just scared to. Well I asked my mom if we could and she said sure. We had a good time and it was easy.

When we were done we walked on some trails at Shell Mound. It was so pretty tall trees with sweeping limbs, birds, butterflys, and lots of mosquitos. They didn't bite, but if you stopped they piled on you but thats all. I said it was because they knew we were already short on blood.

For over a month now I have been up between 3:30 and 4:30am every morning most of the time in a panic. And Saturday morning was no exception, I read my scriptures but for some reason that didn't help that morning so I walked outside and called hubby at about 5am he was awake knowing I was awake. We talked, while the wind was blowing off the water at between 20 to 30 miles per hour very gusty! When I came back in my mom was up and she and I went out to watch the sunrise. Such glorious beauty we have been given!

We stayed around and ate breakfast with the other guests, from there we left and walked on a pier while we waited for Fort Gaines to open. I love living in the country, but I grew up around water, the ocean, and it is in my blood. I love it, the salt spray, the aroma of the sea, waves crashing, gulls talking...

At the fort we saw all the usual things you see at these old forts, this fort is very well preserved so that was nice, they had a nice museum, and a blacksmith that is there 3 days a week. Besides his political commentary on the enviroment etc it was great, though his commentary wasn't bad. He had his little 7yr old dog who was a cutie and followed his master everywhere.

He made a fish for a key chain while we were there, I was fasinated with the whole process.The rawness of it, the simplicity of creating something so simple, but beautiful from a stick of iron.

Later that day we walked the trails of a bird sanctuary to reach the beach, shell hunting was our goal we didn't find to many though.

Gifts shops came next, and then a wonderful BBQ dinner at a little place that was so good.

Sunday morning didn't find me up at my early hour, but at 6am instead. I actually slept in I guess walking a few miles on sand does that to ya. We quickly dressed and walked the beach again on another part of the island. It was so windy all weekend, but that didn't ruin the pleasantness of it all.

We were on the west end of the island for this walk. This part of the island is where all the rental and summer homes are. Most were shut up and had signs saying for rent. Since we went during the off season the island was pretty empty except for the residents. But I loved that, the personality of the island showed through and the locals were friendly.

We walked for an hour went back and ate and hit the road. A weekend well spent, but we were ready to see our families. The kids really missed me especially Ashley which is unusual Wyatt is the one who usually does.

I hope all had a wonderful weekend and have a joyful week.

Love,

Erika

Cooking with the Sun

2011-09-27T08:34:00.000-05:00

I was asked to test drive this neat little thing and blog about it. Well when FedEx dropped it off I was excited to give it a spin, since I have wanted one of these or at least to try cooking with the sun. Our summers are so hot getting the cooking heat out of the house is a must. Even crockpots heat up the kitchen, but this isn't even in the house.

The next day, after opening it I went about following the directions of getting it ready. It comes out of the box ready to go all assembled etc. All you need to do is clean it with the simple instructions. I put it outside in the sun, added the included pan with warm soapy water and let the sun do the rest. In about 2 hours I wiped out the inside with hot soapy water and it was ready to go. Easy!

After an hour on a cloudy day it was holding steady at 230 degrees to 250 degrees. The condensation is from the pot of water with the lid off.

Yesterday we decided to cook a chicken. It was a cloudy day so we started early and let it slow cook all day. We checked on it throughout the day and rotated it as the sun moved, moved it a couple of times since it ended up being shaded by a tree. Finding a place in your yard that has direct sun all day is ideal, I now know where is best.

When cooking the lid is placed on the pot that is included with the Sun Oven

Our chicken, I forgot to take a picture till after I started to cut into it.

Verdict: Well I liked it, I did think it could have cooked longer, but it was moist, cooking in its own juices. And I did have to move the oven around and play with it, as well as it being a cloudy day, for a first time use I am happy with it.

Now I have a month or so to test it out so I will post more as I try it on things. I want to try bread and muffins. But today is going to be cloudy and possibly rainy so not today.

I hope your day is a blessed day..

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-09-22T09:57:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks have been...well they have been and coming on the computer has not been a priority for me.

Last Friday hubby took the day off since he was working the next day and we did the family thing. After our volunteering we ran some errands, and then went for a hike on one of our favorite trails. We only did 3 miles on that day, we went to the little stream that the kids love digging around in and skipping rocks.

Yguy is into taking pictures right now so he took pictures while Ash dug around for rocks to skip and just cooled her feet in the cool water.

Hubby and I sat and watched, talked, and listened to the stillness of the forest.

Ashley turned up this little guy by accident. Of course they gave him a wide berth and let him swim his little way to the other side of the stream.

This morning I decided to make a completely out of ordinary breakfast, for us at least. Banana Choc chip Muffins.

1 3/4 c flour

1/4 tsp soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

sift the above item together

then add

1/3 c shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 c mashed bananas

choc chips to your taste.

Since this is for a loaf the cooking directions are; place in a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bread is done. Muffins cook differently and faster.

More trail photos. Lately hubby and I have been trying to spend alot of time together and with our children. It is very important to us to let them know how much we love them and how much we love each other. Things in the world are so crazy and the future is uncertain, but the constant is our love as a family.

As my children grow, and soon into adulthood, I am uncertain as to what to do. I feel lost and a little scared wondering if I have done the right things by them. They are compassionate people, Ash sees only good in all people, though she knows there are bad apples everywhere she sees the good in those bad apples, she is reserved and quiet. Wyatt loves to help and jumps in to help those in need, he is a little more vocal, and not as shy.

I remember being 17 and thinking the world was a great place, but over the years have learned it isn't always that easy nor as friendly or loving as home. While I don't see what the future brings I do see two children growing up and lovely the Lord and being grounded in that. For that I am thankful and feel I have done at least one thing right.

Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety of hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

A Day Away....

2011-09-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

Last weekend the kids and I went to see my mom. She lives about an hour south of us in a little commmunity of Diamondhead, this little community is near the town of Bay St Louis. If you watched any of the hurricane coverage on the weather channel for Tropical Storm Lee one of the weathermen was there broadcasting.

This little town is right on the gulf and was devastated from Katrina as well as the rest of the Mississippi Gulfcoast. My mom and I lived on the coast during the storm and stayed through all of it and the aftermath. Our families have moved since then her still on the coast and mine a little farther north.

We walked on the beach for awhile and had a nice time. There were hardly any people, and there were horse tracks in the sand from a couple of horses from an early morning ride. We found lots of sea grass in piles from the beach cleanup. The tropical storm brought alot of grass and driftwood up, so we collected some for projects here at home.

Walking barefoot in the sand was a nice refreshing change, one I haven't done in a long time.

Yguy took this photo for me on my phone that I then forwarded to hubby.

There were lots of seagulls, sandpipers, fish jumping, hermit crabs, and those little jelly fish. It was nice and peaceful and relaxing day.

The Friday before we went on a field trip to a lake so Ash could collect leaves for a 4H project. Yguy chased dragonflies to take pictures, we saw a snake, butterflies, lizards, and of course found a tick or two.

I hope all is well for you and yours.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-09-01T08:19:00.000-05:00

Plain and Simple that is our family, we like things to be so basic in all we do. We love all and except all. Well, there are some that can get on the last nerve, but I can honestly say we have tried with them and it is a daily battle to keep trying.

Our children, when reading the scriptures they will come to a place where it is calling a Donkey an ass they will say donkey, so they don't have to say the other word. When faced with words that are offensive to them like, dumb, stupid, shut up, they will skip them. They have always refused to say them even when learning to read, at a young age they both knew it was a bad word and refused to read it. It is sad to hear a 3 yr old saying these words and the parents encourage them to use them or aren't bothered by them.

Now as teens they are kind hearted, they knit pick each other sometimes, but they are kind to all. Especially those who most others are mean to.

a car wash for the van, we will gather up quarters sometimes so we can have a car wash instead of doing it ourselves. The kids and I find this to be a hoot since we laugh and joke while in the wash.

Last night we took our kids to a dance at church at our stake center. They said they had fun and met up with friends of theirs they only see at things like this. Ashley and her friend Hannah were excited to see each other. They are two peas in a pod, and the moment I first met Hannah I fell in love, she reminded me so much of my Ashley. Quiet, reserved, shy, but with a spark in their eyes that they don't let to many people see.

But, then you have the rest of the kids there, you remember the incrowd...I was never in the incrowd. They are the ones that seem to have it all, and don't even realize there are other people in this world beside the perfect little people in their own lives. They are more than ready to take on the world and step all over those who are a little slower, shyer, awkwarder...

Nothing beats a nice early morning nap on mom and dad's bed, especially if you can get there before mom makes it. All that is missing is Pippin the youngest. But he later got in, and caused a bunch of discontent by pouncing on them all. Wheezy (15yrs old), Buster and Lucky ( 9 yrs old), Pippin (1 yr old).

My kids and my husband and I are those shy, awkward people. Though our son seems to be able to jump into anything and be ok, a gift for certain, he still is shy. The rest of us, well though I married at 19 and had Ashley 14 months later, I still took some time to come out of my shell. And now as an almost 38 year old I see that it is OK to be a little slower to develop, to grow into your talents, to find yourself.

This is where hubby and I were this weekend, a peaceful place that I just love to go to. This was taken at about 7:30 in the morning, it was cool with a slit breeze, a true blessing.

Last night the kids had fun, though they were faced with the awkwardness of the world, being asked to dance or not, asking and being turned down, and then asking those who others made fun of openly. Will they be OK with this, yes they will, will they learn from this, most definately.

Ashley driving me to town Monday to mail a package. It makes her so nervous to drive, but at least she isn't cocky about it, she is cautious about it, safe.

I know for this Mama, it hurts to see your kids faced with the world and standing there while it happens. You know it will be OK, you know that this to will pass, but you still hurt inside for them remembering those feelings that were stirred inside.

Recently we have been discussing alot of what it means to be a christian, and we have learned alot from our discussions.

You have christians who say they are but, well don't really act or look like it. You have those that are very bold with their belief system, very pushy with what they preceive being a christian is. And then you have those that quietly live what they believe, learning, growing daily they show their love for the Savior in a quiet gentle way and by their examples.

No one Christian is the perfect model of what a christian should be, and just because we say we are christian doesn't mean we are perfect. We all get trapped in pitfalls, our kids tease or are teased by other christian kids, adults are judgemental of those around them who are their brothers and sisters, etc etc.

A lone butterfly sipping from the hummingbird feeder among a bunch of yellow jackets.

We are here on this world to be that lone ranger, to be that good example, to stand out in rightousness for others. But at what cost are we willing to be that person, are we willing to step over and on those we feel are beneath us, or are we willing to quietly, lovingly give a hand to those left behind in the social gene pool to pick them up, dust them off, and walk together in this world.

This world is not easy, and I for one am proud of my kids for being those different sort of people that find hate, even by those who say they are christians to be offensive. Who jump and lend a hand to the underdog, who in their own ways are the underdogs, but are Ok with it.

Are you?

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day,

Love,

Erika

X, Y, and Z is for....

2011-08-28T16:29:00.000-05:00

When you have nothing else to say...

Love,

Erika

V and W is for...

2011-08-26T05:41:00.000-05:00

My family says I am Valuable and Valued, I am blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Volunteer: I like to volunteer and right now we help at our Satellite Bishop's Storehouse. It is something I want to do more of after my children are grown.

Vote: This is something I like to do I feel it is a duty of us all. I have been registered to vote since I was 18, right before I gradutated from high school I registered and it is one of the first things I do when we move to a new area. Though the whole jury duty thing I wish I didn't have to do. I have been called many times and this month I was on Federal jury duty though I was released after 2 weeks and did not have to serve.

And since we have a busy weekend....again I will go ahead and do W.

Wood: that is my last name, though it has not always been my last name.

Walk: I like to go for walks and enjoy them in the fall or spring when it is either just cooling off from the heat of the summer or just warming up from the chill of the winter.

Wife: nothing to much to say about that except I love being one.

Woman....

Wildflowers: I love to see fields of these.

Have a very blessed day...

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-08-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

Oatmeal, catnip infusion, scripture study, and finding peace in myself.

This morning I am sitting here looking thru the memories in my mind and thinking of all the things I have to do, prepare for, etc etc etc. Yes, the future is a daunting one for me, and trusting and letting it lay till it gets here is so hard. I worry about my children, I worry about the economy, I worry to much.

One of the things I have done to close out the world is I don't read the paper, or watch the news, I skim headlines on the internet, on our homepage but that is all. Yes, I shelter myself from it, but it keeps the worry at bay by not flooding myself with all the negative and creating anxiety in me.

This does not mean I am clueless as to what is going on in the world. I do find things out from hubby, friends, family. But I am not flooded with it morning, noon, and night. And for some reason that helps. I look at the news like the grocery store there is so much junk in it and to sift thru it to what is relevant is very stressful sometimes. So in the grocery I stick to the outside perimeter only skimming down the aisles every now and then.

I have so many things that pop into my head that make sense and makes me see the love that Heavenly Father has for me and I know it will be alright. But, then I look around and that trust dwindles and I start to feel anxious about so many little things.

2 Samuel 22:3 The Lord is my rock; in him I will trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my savior: thou savest me from violence.

As I stated yesterday, trust is very hard for me so this is a daunting task. I have trusted so much in the past only to be knocked down that I have put a wall up and it takes so much for me to trust an individual.

But, I know that trusting in the Lord is what I should do, he answers all prayers in his own time and how he knows is best for us.

Knowing and actually doing are two very different things. I am bombarded with the worlds expectations of us and I know is not for me, but the condemnation of others is hard. I am not faltering on my choices, but I am letting whispers, laughs, unkind words, questions make me feel less of myself.

Why do we feel we must judge those around us who are different or who choose to be different.

A story, this story does not mean I agree with this man's choices or that I am for his choices.

There is a man in one of the small towns we shop in, he is a cross-dresser. I have seen him in our Walmart during the day for all the world to see. He is in high heels, short shorts, a silver la may blouse, dangling earrings, makeup with red lip stick. He is most certainly a man, I walk by, take note of him in my mind, but keep walking. One day I am in Walmart, it is busy and he is there in the checkout near mine, waiting, people are behind him...pointing, laughing, degrading. He stands there his head held high, shoulders back. And I am in awe of his fortitude to stand there and deal with it. He might be hurting inside, but it doesn't show. I have never seen him in that Walmart again....

Is society's self esteem so low that we have to point, laugh, and degrade those who have found what they feel is right for them even when we disagree? I do not agree with this man and his lifestyle choice, but I do see him comfortable with his sexuality and his body to be who he is and show it, but I am not so low in my self esteem that I will judge him and mock him. I actually admire him and those around me who live, dress, work, and do what is in them. He has courage to live like he feels he should how many of us can say that?

I love to wear skirts, homemade clothing, be a stay at home mom, home school, garden, live in the middle of nowhere, beat to the tune of my drum, be debt free, and live like I know is right for me. I cannot say I have not and do not judge those who make different choices, but I do strive to understand and see them for who they are a child of God. I too am only human and learn daily to take note, but not condemn those around me.

When do we learn to look past the judgements of others and move on to not let that create worry, anxiety, or feelings of ineptitude?

When do we stop trying to fit in the box society has created for us and see that we all have talents, are different from each other? That cookie cutter mentality has created a society of people who are self righteous, self loathing people, who feel superior to all around them.

One of our vocabulary words yesterday was Youthquake. A weird word that came about in the 60's. It means our youth creating a wave that shakes our foundation and changes society's values, styles, etc. The kids and I talked about the entitlement mentality our society has and what it all means. Their writing assignment this week is to pick an article out of the world section of the newspaper and write an argumentative essay on the article. One of them was the violence and looting in London, neither one of them picked the article, but it was perfect for this word. They both agreed that asking in prayer and getting guidance from Heavenly Father is a much better use of their time then following the wave of styles, degrading of values, and the "fitting in" so many of their peers feel is what is suppose to happen.

I may worry about my children and their futures, but when they teach me I am humbled and reminded to trust in the Lord.

Love,

Erika

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

6 c quick cooking oats

1 1/3 cup dry milk (I omitted this)

1 c dried apples

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar (I omitted both sugars)

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. To make add 1/2 mix to 1/2 boiling water.

I made mine without the powdered milk or sugars. And added honey to mine with coconut milk. 1/2 cup serving is more than enough, very filling. Though I am limiting my carb intake to a small amount daily this is perfect and without the sugar is very good.

U is for....

2011-08-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

Hubby is getting into this so all the words are from him today...

Unique: as I have said I beat to the tune of my own drum. But that does not mean I do not feel the pull of the world.

Uplifting: uplift the family etc

Underestimated: he says people underestimate me.

Undaunted: I keep plugging forward undaunted by hurdles.

Unending: my quest for knowledge is unending I strive to keep on learning and growing. Even though my family and others think I am nuts with some of thing I learn.

Unbelievably Beautiful: Don't I have a great husband!

Thank You Hubby,

Love,

Erika

T is for...

2011-08-24T09:19:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, Hubby helped me today, and he keeps calling me with T words most will not be put on here...LOL sorry babe.

But he did say the following...

Talented: why is it others say this, but when we hear it we don't believe it.

Trustworthy

Terrific

Tea tottler: I am not a drinker...now. Twenty years ago I was and so was hubby. He is an alcoholic who has been sober for almost 19 years I have not had one in 13 or 14 years.

Now me...

Trust issues: this one I thought was funny considering hubby said trustworthy, I do not trust people very easily it takes alot for me to trust someone and that includes family members. I have had a very rough road to travel and have been hurt many times so trusting someone is very hard for me.

Taciturn and talkative: Depending on a situation I can clamup and not say a word or talk way to much. If I am intimidated by a situation or a person I get very taciturn and also if I really feel distrust in a person or situation I will be very quiet and most of the time walk away. See I told you I can be rude. lol

Tattoo: I have 3, they are from many many moons ago.

Thankful: I am for all I have been given, for all the hurdles I have had to climb over, for the wrong turns I have taken, and for the many times I have been brought to my knees from my failings. They all have made me who I am and are taking me to who I am to become.

Have a wonderfully blessed day...

Love,
Erika

S is for....

2011-08-23T08:28:00.001-05:00

Update: Thank You Maria, I cannot believe I forgot this most important S....Sewing I love it and have taught myself so much, but there is so much more I can learn and want to learn.

Silly: see this woman sitting next to me, she and I can have the biggest laugh over the silliest of things. Her and I are working at the front table at our volunteering job. We love working together, she was my assistant at girl's camp and we laughed and laughed, so much so my asthma kicked in more than once. She has become a friend I know will love me no matter how silly I am, since she is just as silly if not more so!

Simplified: me above, this is me in all my simplicity, no makeup, handmade blouse, no styling of my hair. This is me everyday, everything else is to complicated

Squirral: Yguy caught this little guy over the weekend, actually he rescued him from one of the barn cats. He was stunned so he brought him in, and kept him warm in a kennel till I came home and decided he was recovered enough to be let go. He was oh so happy to be released.

Science Fiction: Love it! Have no idea why I just do. Issac Asimov I used to read and loved him. Star Trek, Star Gate all of them, I love.

Words from my husband....

supreme ruler, super, seductive, spooky, short-compared to my son and husband, yes I am

Yguy, worked yesterday at a friends house picking corn so our friend could get hay taken care of before the weather came in. He just bought two draft horses, of course I had to take a picture of them.

This morning's breakfast, I try to make something Yguy will eat so he has something on his stomach otherwise he gets a headache, sidetracked easily, etc. Even if its something little, I don't like to give the kids sugary cereals etc. Though when in a pinch for ideas I have gotten them poptarts so that the picky one will actually eat. But, I really dislike doing it I feel that if you get them on the road of junk now as adults it becomes a problem.As it is now for me, teach them while they are young the road they should take and they will stay on it. I was never taught that, so as an adult it is hard and my body is letting me know it.

Camping Bars (typed the way I cooked them recipe change etc)

3/4 c sprouted wheat flour

1/2 c quick oats

1/4 c flax seed

1/2 c butter softened

1 T orange zest

3/4 c sucanat

2 eggs

1/2 c coconut

Mix with a mixer all ingredients, Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

I want to make this with honey, but this morning I didn't want to change it to much.

Hope you have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

O, P, Q, R is for..

2011-08-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

Is it Monday, already? Where did the weekend go? Or even the last two days of the week last week, oh well. We have been a little busy this weekend.

We dry packed canned Saturday, volunteered Friday, and just had a busy 4 days.

O is for....Organized... this is what I'd like to say, but right now I am not feeling very organized with the weekend's upheavel all over the house. But generally I like things a certain way and organized.

P is for....passionate...in the dictionary one of the definations is hot tempered...that can be me, though I have learned to curve and control it over the last few years. I can be passionate in my beliefs, though it is an inward passion I don't believe in shoving my beliefs, morals, or values at people. Just as I don't like to have others shoved at me. I learn by other examples so that is how I would rather live as well being an example.

Q is for...Quietude: a state of being quiet: calmness; this is something I would like to work at being quiet calm..listening. I get so busy I don't stop and listen and this I need to work on.

R is for.....

Read: I love to read and sometimes can not put a book or books down. I have to limit myself or reading will take over.

Realism: I look at things at face value. Dreaming is really all that fun for me, I tend to look at what is actually there to work with etc.

Ringer Washer: I used to use one of these and thought it was the best thing in the world. Considering I had been washing all our clothes by hand all summer. This was many, many moons ago.

Have a wonderfully blessed day....

Love,
Erika

N is for Plain and Simple....

2011-08-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well, not really but since I missed doing my Plain and Simple last week here it is this week. These little pretties are West Indian Burr Gherkins or little cucumbers. We have grown them for years and they are so much fun and very prolific. There is a big bunch in the old chicken yard that came up all on their own. We gave our hens the leftovers last fall.

Last week I set them to ferment as well as asparagus. The asparagus were ready yesterday so I chilled them in the fridge and had them with a lovely salad at lunch they were so good. Can't wait try these little cuties.

Native: I am a native of Florida born and raised there till I was 17,and then moved here to Mississippi. Not to many people can claim that anymore, I think since so many transplants have moved there. I remember when I was a kid bumper stickers that had a green state of Florida on them with the word Transplant or Native in big orange letters were very popular. My mom was a native my dad a transplant. :0). Now 20 years since I have lived there it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Isis with her boy, of course she is clueless as to who this person she shares a room with and carries her around is. She definatly is not like a dog, she is independant and not very loyal. But he loves having her...

Nasa: when I lived in Florida we lived across the river from the Kennedy Space Center I remember seeing the first shuttle launch, Columbia, and later in 6th grade the shuttle Challenger accident. I was standing in the parking lot of school, the rest of the day was a slow day as we sat and listened to the radio. I don't remember much school work being done that day.

Nonconformist: I like to beat to the turn of my own drum instead of the standards of the world.

Normal: no this isn't me.

Our pastured turkeys. They are doing very well and are a source of amusement. They are now in the yard with the ducks since we thought they were big enough not to drown in the duck pond. They are, but they still have fallen in and just stand there not certain what to do in the water.

Last night the boys cleaned the duck pond and refilled it, they were so excited and couldn't wait to leap in. On the egg front we received our first egg the other day from our little flock. The ladies are not named yet, though one was, she has left us thanks to a fox. But the drakes are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Binley.

All of them in the pond having a blast, they would splash around and then all jump out and run around and them drive back in. Such fun and excitement!

We do enjoy them very much such talkers and a joy to have.

I have been to New Hampshire, Nebraska, New York, New York City, New Jersery, and Newark. And I am sure some more, but off the top of my head this will do.

I hope all have a wonderfully delightful day....

Love,

Erika

M is for....

2011-08-16T07:43:00.000-05:00

Married: and love it. Yes, it can be stressful and hard work, but after 18 years we are still very much best friends and can have a good laugh over anything.

Mom: being a mom is interesting and fun. I do not think I am very good at it, but I do know that this is where I am suppose to be.

These two things complete me, I am Mystified as to why others wait so long to do either, I know sometimes things are beyond their control, or they just don't want to for no reason its just not for them. But those who feel that it will hinder their life, slow them down, or keep them from experiencing life. My marriage has filled so many spots in my life and the kids have enhanced it even more. I wouldn't change any of it. I am looking forward to those years of just hubby and I as the kids grow and leave the nest, but I'm not in any hurry for I love where I'm at in my life and learn daily from my children and husband.

Though I may be mystified that does not mean I judge them, their choices are theirs and mine are mine. It just confuses me.

Marveled: at the world and the gifts around me daily.

Have a lovely day,

Love,

Erika

L is for....

2011-08-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

From the teens in the house:

Lovely

Loveable

Loving

Loyal

And from me:

License: I used to have a CDL, I told you at D I loved to drive

Loud mouth: I have a stage whisper, and have no problem projecting my voice. My husband is the same way, our children on the other hand are soft spoken and our son trys hard not to speak above the range of my hearing. :0) Or I am just loosing it.

Loner: I was definately this as a kid and teen. And even now I have few close friends it is so much easier that way having hoards of friends can be very draining for me.

Have a lovely and blessed day...

Love,

Erika

K is for....

2011-08-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Well, today I have three teenagers to tell me what K words fit me, one is our adopted son who lives with his parents, but spends lots of time with us. Hes not really adopted though we like to say he is since hes like one of our kids and he stayed the night last night.

Kind: when I asked the teens in the house they said this first where they get this I have no idea.

Knowledgeable: from the kid's friend. I asked him why and he said, "because you know alot about things, you can cook, blog, all kinds of things." I have just made them pancakes from scratch. :0)

Keen, the defination of this that they said was me not the piercing scream, but very perceptive,shrewd, eager, intense.

Kernel:(the central most important part, essence) my son said this as he sifted thru the dictionary. After I read the defination I thought that is nice. He was telling me I am the central important part of our family.

Now my word:

Kaleidoscope: (something that is constantly changing) I would say that is me daily I am changing to be more of what our Heavenly Father sees me as. I know that one day I will see that person too, but for now I am striving daily to learn and grow.

Well we are off to take the kids the seminary kickoff and then actually hang out as a married couple. Hmmm I wander what thats like since we don't get to that often.

Love,

Erika

More K's

I and J are for.....

2011-08-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

You know some of these letter are hard! But I have enlisted the help of my family in this and they have said a couple of things I wonder about, since I am not sure I believe them myself. :0)

Their two I choices:

Intelligent: I beg to differ on this point I can be very blond, though I do believe in teaching myself whatever interests me and figuring it out on my own. I do not like dealing with people who have to flaunt education, intelligence, or financial success in others faces for the sake of feeling superior. I believe we are all equal and need to be treated as such from the lowliest worker to the president of the US. Salesmen and Polititians are the same to me and I have no time for either, but I do vote using my intellect to sift through the trash they are pushing our way.

Important: All three said this, I am am important to them and that is all that matters.

Introvert: I prefer my home and family over big crowds they are very draining and frustrating. Though I have no problem being in crowds I just need time to fill my battery afterwards since it was drained from the experience. Girls Camp each year is very draining for me, though I love cooking for all those people. I am not a social butterfly and have a hard time understanding those who are.

Independent: I can be very independent and self reliant. I prefer to do things and learn things on my own. I usually jump right in and do instead of waiting for someone to hold my hand through it all.

Inflexible: Because of this independence I can be very inflexible. I want things done a certain way no matter what, but I have learned to curb that quite a bit the last few years

Mary, going for a ride with mom. She goes with me alot, especially when its just me going. She loves it, but worries when I get out and go in somewhere she doesn't understand and watches very intently until I come back out.

Yguy's new hobby, Quail they are so tiny and seem to be very fragile we have lost several.

Jack of all trades: I know alot about many things, but not a bunch in one specific thing. I like to learn and teach myself and once I learn to a point that satifies that urge I move on to the next. High school I read ahead of everyone and spent lunch in the library reading all kinds of topics, though I was an average student. College bored me to tears, I spent one semester and then decided to stay at home and raise my daughter, and from their I started learning outside the bounds of the educational system and feeding that curiosity that schools wouldn't and/or couldn't feed.

Jocular: I love to laugh, and joking around and laughing heal the mind, body, and soul of many ailments.

Jail bird: now this is going into my very rebellious teen years. At 14 I spent part of a night in jail till my dad came and got me. We won't go into why I was there it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time and most definately with the wrong people. When my court date finally came I had hives so bad for over a month it freaked me out having to stand in front of a Judge not once but twice in that month's time. Oh the things we do when we are young, now 23 years later I can laugh over it and am greatful I grew out of that real fast. :0)

Now that you know extemely to much about me and my past I will wish you have very blessed day.

Love,

Erika

H is for....

2011-08-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

Hair dresser: This is somewhere I don't visit for myself at least. My kids do, but I don't all that often once a year maybe, twice to have the ends trimmed. Sometimes I will get more cut off, but I am not a person who like to style my hair daily and my hair is so straight that I have to to make it look nice. So I keep it long. That said....

Hair: I have long hair down to my about waist. Right now with the heat it can bug me badly, but I keep it in a braid or up.

Helpmate: I am definately this for my hubby.

Herbs: Love them learning more about them and having a blast doing it.

Homemaker: Nothing much can be said.

Homeowner: My hubby and I own our home without a bank being co-owner with us. Its nice to have that comfort.

Homebody: I prefer being home to out and about.

Happy: not much to add to that...

have a blessed day...

Love,

Erika

for more H's

G is for....

2011-08-09T10:19:00.000-05:00

Gorgeous: this is what the 17 yr old said this morning.

Giggles: I love to laugh, not just laugh to be nice, but really laugh. Giggly isn't how I would describe it since when I think of that I think of the teenage girls that my son trys to avoid at dances. :0) But giggle begins with a g.

Greatful: I am greatful for all I have.

Gregarious: This I am not it means to live in a herd and/or comfortable in large crowds. I am not and never have been. I prefer small gathering or one on one.

Gracious: I believe all are equal and should be treated as such. The ones that others feel are the lowiest of life I seem to be able to reach out to and make feel comfortable in a uncomfortable situation.

Good Natured: I like to think of myself as this.

Garden: I love to do it...but ask me if I am any good at it ;)

May your day be blessed....

Love,

Erika

for more G's

E and F are for.....

2011-08-08T07:57:00.000-05:00

I forgot all about E on Saturday.....but I will add it here with F. Hubby actually had the weekend off so we had a nice relaxing weekend so he could rest up.

Earthy: from the dictionary coarse, unrefined, simple and natural. That's me and I can be quite rude on occasion as well :0)

Erika: again that's me....

Eggs: they are not my favorite food they taste funny to me sometimes and I have to be in the mood for them.

Flowers: I love them all kinds but mostly fresh cut from a garden, field, or side of the road.

Fragrance: I am not into to many fragrances I prefer naturals over manmade, and I don't like them to be overpowering in odor, that gives me a headache.

I cut these this morning, the bees were having a lovely time on them and their cousins. When Ash and I walk this morning I will see what wild ones I can pick.

Fresh: I love fresh food with lots of Flavor.

Moonflower, it only blooms at night and this was the first bloom last week. One has bloomed every night since. They have a lovely, lite, aroma, almost like gardenias.

Have a blessed day....

Love,

Erika

For more E's and F's

D is for.....

2011-08-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well today is going to be a hurried post since I have been gone all morning doing our volunteering and now we are waiting for grandma to visit. :0)

D....I did have as hard of a time with this one and like before the kiddos gave me a couple of words.

Dangerous: my son says I am dangerous with driving, can shoot many guns...hes 14.

Delightful: from my delightful daughter

Daisys: I love them! Like the movie You've Got Mail, daisys are the friendliest flower.

Dabble: I like to dabble in everything and learn all I can. I am a jack of all trades master of none.

Decisive: I am not a wishy washy person, I make a decision and follow thru I also am Dependable when asked to do something I do it to the best of my ability and expect those around to as well.

Dimple: I have two on my cheeks but not by chin.

Drive: I love to drive everything. I would love to drive anything and everything at least once. I used to drive a school bus and was very good at it.

Domestic: I love being a housewife and mom. Working outside the home stinks in my estimation and is definatly not for me.

Duffer: in the dictionary it said this means a person you can't golf. That is me I would love to though but never have. And I would get to drive the gold cart.

Dutch Oven: cooking in them is fun and I have 2 antique ones we use alot in the winter.

Hope your day is a blessed one...

Love,

Erika

For more D's

Plain and Simple

2011-08-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

at the cottage....

I'm going to combine my Alphabet in August with my Plain and Simple probably for the whole month.

So let's see how creative I can get

Saturday morning dew steaming off in the blazing heat and it was 7:45 in the morning.

Cabin fever: get cabin fever when the weather is either cold, rainy, or hot. Lately it has been the later two and the kids and I are starting to get this badly. So we are running errands in this dreadful heat today to remind us why we seem to be inside alot.

Caesarean section: I've had three and they weren't as bad as they say. Though if I could go back and change it I would, but I can't so why dawdle on it.

This picture represents us very well. Me as a blur as I seem to be always on the go you'd think I would be skinny, the counter showing our hecticness, crockpot going so that we eat right, and hubby trying to catch up with things on email since he is hardly able to keep up with himself let alone us, church, and life.

Candles: I love them, love burning them, making them, finding them at yard sale really cheap.

Cheap: I love to find things cheap especially at yard sales. Going to yard sales is my therapy. Depressed give me twenty and send me yard saling and I am a happy camper.

"Play with me," Don't ya feel sad for her she wants the cat to play with her so bad. He usually does but not then. He was hot and she was being rough.

There are my babies Pippin the cat, and Mary the dog. Yes I love Lord of the Rings and these two do resemble who they are named after and they love their momma (me) very much.

Cats: I love them I am definately a cat person I have 4 inside and 7 outside. We just got all but two of the barn cats fixed which was a feat, claws, teeth, growling, but it is done and they have forgiven us somewhat.

This sunset was so pretty I wish I had a better camera to capture the beauty.

Cards: I love playing cards especially Rummy. I am pretty good at it as well. Hubby and the kids gang up on me and try to beat me, when one of them does they all give a cheer. But it doesn't happen that often ;)

Chair: this lovely chair is a new project for me. We are going to sand it down, repair some areas, primer and paint it, and use it under the trees. I can't wait.

Cash: I prefer to use cash over credit. Credit cards have gotten so many in trouble including hubby and I, that now we prefer to pay for something outright. Including our house, barn, vehicles, etc. We have no debt, though we have a small income we have been blessed, and I have worked only twice in our years of marriage. Each time only about 4 months each. I have way to much here at the house to keep up with.

The rocker from last week we painted it in the heat yesterday, I could believe how sweaty we got standing in the shade. I like the white the brown seem to darken the room. The kids playfully argue over who will sit in this chair they both love it. :0)

And Ash's new skirt she made yesterday and without a pattern. This is her this morning she looks grown up even with her pig tails.

Hope all have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

B is for.....

2011-08-03T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have enlisted my teenagers in this and since they love me so much they had some very sweet words to say.

Beautiful, Brilliant, and Bookish.

I do love books and read alot I am also....

birdbath

Baker: I love to bake bread, rolls, cakes, etc

Blond: in hair color and lately mentally. Very forgetful etc. My kids say I am getting old. Why in your 30's do kids do that? I did to my mom and now mine are to me. ;)

butterflys, I love them

Bohemian: I like to think I am slowing moving towards an unconvential life at least for our little part of the world.

Betwixted: I am the between or middle child. I have an older step-brother and a younger step-sister.

Boat: I lived on boats in my childhood and teens and learned to walk on one.

Beach bunny: I love the beach, a real beach, not what we have on the Mississippi gulf coast. With beautiful clean water, rolling waves, sea gulls, the sea breeze. I smell of the sea breeze brings back many memories. I lived on the beach as a teen always there, always a dark tan.

Baby: I love baby anything, kittens, puppys, birds, raccoons, people, whatever. But, they do grow up.

More B's

Love,

Erika

A is for.....

2011-08-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

This month I am participating with Chiot's Run in Alphabet August click either one of those and see what it is all about if you want to join in let Suzy know.

Well I must say I am not very creative I can take an idea and do it or expand on it but to come up with it from scratch it can be a headache making moment.

So I can say yes to just about all she put on her list and then add some. :0)

My seventeen yr old and I are sitting here and I asked her what she thought.

Adventure: she says I am willing to try new things at least once and I dare to be different in a must conform world

Awesome: Which I think is great since at seventeen I did not think my parents were awesome. Her and I are very close.

So now out comes the dictionary...;)

ablaze: I am full of excitement for life. I love life and learning new things. I will teach myself anything except knitting that is something I have not been able to master.

abridge: well this I am not I can be very long winded so abridging my words in speech or written form is very hard.

addicted: I am addicted to chocolate, science fiction, books, my awesome hubby of 18 yrs who happens to be named Andy, naps in the afternoon, animals I love them, and all things old.

administrating: I am an organizer, I like to jump in and keep things on tract. I think that is also OCD...

agrarian: we have 10.2 acres of land with a little house and a big barn and we love it. We raise a big garden and animals.

alfresco: I love being outdoors though right now with this heat indoors has become a norm.

adored: by my wonderful daughter standing behind me.

avid: in my beliefs, opinions, and the way I choose to live my life. Though I don't believe in shoving my opinions down others throats and I don't like others doing it to me. I still live the way I want and not to much can sway me from my convictions.

And last and most generic: American: and because I believe in being a good American I will go vote today and then because I am registered I have been called to jury duty not for the week, but for the month!

If you want to read others A's then click on over the Chiot's Run

have a blessed day...

Love,

Erika

Sabbath Day Prep...

2011-07-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.....ready....I am
ADD. Wow, you thought I was going to say something really bad weren't you ;).

When I was a kid I was very hyper and had a very hard time focusing. As a teen that transformed into a very unfocused, out of control, trouble finding person. When our oldest was little she left the energizer bunny in the dust. non stop she hardly slept. But being the weirdo, non-conformists that we are we refused the traditional world standard on treating this very active child for a more a healthier way and in the end teachable way.

A trampoline works great for a child who is constantly moving. Talking to them, training them works and how do I know that, that is what we did. She now is a 17 year old than understands herself and has worked hard to control herself. And the trampoline found a new home a couple of years ago.

So while we learned to help her with her bouncing off the walls I learned to treat myself as well. I was never taught or talked to about my hyperness and wondering mind, I was given meds. So I learned to see in myself what triggered, how to focus, and to organize myself. I am a tad OCD now, OK,ALOT, but I don't run around like a chicken with my head cut off anymore getting absolutely nothing done. Well, I didn't till the last couple of months.

Our minds move so fast with so many things that it is hard to catch one single thought and focus. Her and I both now understand each other very well and she is learning daily to focus herself. It is a daily work and a daily struggle. Over the last eight months I have lost that focus due to health issues. Well I am taking back that focus.

Sunday prep is one of those focus factors. This week I have tried all kinds of crockpot recipes, you see I use to prepare a meal the day before in the crockpot, pop it in the cooking base the morning of and have a nice meal waiting for us when we got home. But, that has gotten to be a lost cause the last couple of months.

We also used to prepare everything clothing, bags, etc so that there was no work on Sunday and leaving the house was a breeze. Well, my wondering mind got lost on a bright shiny object and that focus with it.

So today I have three recipes to go in my crockpots, one for tonight, one for tomorrow breakfast, and one for tomorrow lunch. We snack at dinner on Sunday.

So for Sunday Prep:

1. meal in crockpot or pots Saturday night along with side dishes prepared.

(Philly Steak and Cheese with a Salad)

2. Clothing ironed and set out. (These I try to wash and Iron on Mondays)

3. Church lessons etc prepared, read, or at least skimmed through depending on if we are teaching, talking, or listening.

4. Church bags packed and set in back of van, as well as a snack since we are usually at the building late and grabbing a snack or junk on the way home is so easy..remembering to keep the sabbath day holy...Or as the 14 yr old, fast growing boy does; raids the nursery's snacks that are kept in his dad's office to keep older kids from raiding them. Gold Fish and fruit snacks are a permanant fixture on my Sam's Club shopping list thanks to him. :0)

5. House set to rights and clean so it's not a distracting stess factor for me when we come home on Sunday.

It takes some mental prep and focus, an hour of work and we are ready to focus on what is needed on our day of rest. I am off to finish my work.

How to you prepare yourself for the Sabbath Day?

love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-07-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

at the cottage....

Those simple pleasures in life that bring great joy and renew my spirit.....

baby birds trying so hard to sleep, in a hanging flower pot...

a new treasure a rocking chair, this was bought from a friend's daughter to help her raise money to live in Spain for 10 months teaching English.

My 15 yr old kitty, Weazy under it. She loves sleeping in the corner of the living room. I'm thinking of painting the rocker white what do you think?

My Faith

My prayer basket, scriptures, journals, notecards, stickers, letter writing materials.

Hand dipped candles, set in thrift store finds. Handmade pottery candle holder sweet delight.

all those roasted tomatoes turned into salsa...More tomatoes are coming in abundance.

Old crockery bowls used to feed my family such wholesome delights.

Herbs moved to another cabinet bigger, but still not enough room ;) Learning to bring Heavenly Father's gift to good use.

One of my angels gave me this angel, I love it...

Peaceful delights..

My dear gifts Ashley and Wyatt.... I treasure them daily....

Have a blessed day....

Love,

Erika

Little Friends

2011-07-25T08:49:00.000-05:00

We moved here about five and half years ago, not long after moving here we built a big barn. Well it seems that since almost to the day of its completion it has been a wonderful place to see our wildlife neighbors.

I have, twice now, almost stuck my hand in a feed container and grabbed hold of a oppossum. Right at the last minute I see what I am about to grab. Both times the barn was dark and I was feeding in the early morning. The last time was this last spring and a big, fat, very pregnant one was in the cat food. We laid the container on it side outside of the barn and she slowly waddled away.

It has become a weekly thing to see a raccoon in the barn, but lately it is almost daily. And now she has taken to stopping and looking at the person who finds her before running off into the forest.

A couple months ago she was in the hay loft all four of us had fun peeking up through the stairway at her before she climbed down a beam and ran out the front door.

We have been thinking of catching her and releasing her somewhere else since she has been getting bolder and bolder.

Last week Ash and I were walking and we found 3 young coons in a big oak tree on one of our trails. They were trying to hard to hide from us....

This one was trying to hard to hide, he had his face stuck in the tree and all that moved were his little ears listening to use walk around the tree. I think he thought he was doing a wonderful job of imitating this tree and that we did see him.

If you look closely you can see this ones mask and stripped tail. He was hanging on the side of the tree trying really hard to hide, but was not succeeding very well.

There was another up higher than these two that I could not get a good picture of, but all you could see was his face and his eyes peeping over and watching us.

We did see momma right after this coming from the barn. So I guess relocating her will have to be canceled, which is OK we just have to make sure containers are closed better and maybe set up a little area for her and her brood by this tree for us to put little snacks sometimes.

I love the little gifts we are given in this world when so much hatred is happening all over.

Have a blessed day...

Love,

Erika

Sprouting Wheat~~~a tutorial

2011-07-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was asked yesterday, by a friend, to do a post on sprouting wheat. I sprout wheat sometimes weekly, but mostly every other week. I will do a #10 can of white wheat in three 1/2 gallon jars. In the end this gives you quite a bit of wheat to use for all kinds of things.

Below is a picture of the first day. I have bought sprouting jars from the health food store you do not need these, but I prefer them and for $6.95 a jar plus lid with screen I don't think I am going to break the bank. The lids only fit these jars though.

You can use a clothe rubberbanded over a jar, but for me this works great, and I love the ease of this, its quick to fill and strain as needed.

I filled this jar a little less than 3/4 of the way with wheat and then topped with water. I usually do this at night right before bed and in the morning pour off the water, rinse, loosen up the wheat since it will compact together and let sit on the counter not in direct light. I will rinse twice a day unless I feel I need to do it a time or two more. The wheat will expand as you can see, this is after 8 hours of soaking.

The lid with the screen, I really like these and use them for many things. I haven't with kefir, but now that I think of it, it would probably work really well. I also use these jars to make sprouts for salads, sandwiches, or baked goods. I have added them to meatloaf, salmon patties.... They are sprouting jars

Here are the jars after I rinsed them the first time. You want to drain off the excess water, I will drain all I can and then tilt them on a towel so that they can drain more. I will lossen all the wheat up so air can flow.

This is a day and a half later, I have rinsed them day and night and they are doing very well. I will most of the time let them sprout for three full days this lets the sprouts grow longer. Sometimes three days are needed like during cold weather...

I have dried the wheat in the oven, but I dislike this method since the heat is to much and doesn't dry the wheat consistently. The oven will burn the wheat as well. You don't want the heat to be above 115, I can set the temp on my dehydrator to what I want, which I love.

I have 10 shelves, and each shelf I line with parchment paper, I do reuse this paper otherwise it gets expensive. I will save the sheets in a container between uses.

Spread out the wheat on the sheets of parchment, spread as thin as you can, but if it is overlapping that is fine I will fun my fingers thru it during the drying to break clumps up. I do not have to rotate the shelves on this dehydrator like I did on my old Ronco. The Ronco was 20 years old but still did a great job. If this is what you have the trays can still be lined with parchment and used wonderfully.

Filling the dehydrator see the rubbermaid containers underneath? There are four, one for the foodsaver bags, extra 5 gallon bucket mylar bags, cheese making supplies(tome mold, cheese clothe etc, and soap making items, the parchment sheets for this are kept in one of these containers.

The dehydrator full. Now this part of the process will take 2 to 3 days depending on our humidity etc. Like I said earlier I will run my finger thru the wheat to break up clumps as it is drying. To test dryness chew on a couple, pinch one or two, you will feel and taste moisture if there is any.

Now the jars are rinsed and back on the counter soaking alfalfa and mung beans to sprout. The process is the same, but these will be sprouted longer, and on the last day be put on the window ledge to soak up the sun the get the chorophyll running to add those extra vitamins.

Now I buy my sprouting seeds from the health food store, the wheat I have lots and it is bought through our church.

I did find this wonderful place while looking around..

The Sprout People

I have not bought anything from them, but I do see myself doing it soon. They have seeds of all kinds, sprouters, and tools and answers for all kinds of things to do with sprouts.

And here is a great post on why soaking is best.

And here an excerpt from Nourished Kitchen on why sprouted grain is best:

Sprouted grain differs from whole grain in three fundamental aspects: 1) sprouting activates food enzymes; 2) sprouting increases vitamin content, and 3) sprouting neutralizes antinutrients like phytic acid which bind up minerals preventing your ability to fully absorb them. When examining the nutrient density of sprouted wheat to unsprouted wheat on a calorie-per-calorie basis, you’ll find that sprouted wheat contains four times the amount of niacin and nearly twice the amount of vitamin B6 and folate as unsprouted wheat; moreover, it contains more protein and fewer starches than non-sprouted grain and as a further boon, it is lower on the glycemic index making it more suitable for those suffering from blood sugar issues.

Furthermore, sprouted grain and sprouted flours – having been effectively “pre-soaked” do not need to undergo further soaking or souring and are therefore suitable for quick breads, cookies and cakes in a way that sourdoughs and soaked flours are not. (Learn more about soaking grains, beans and legumes.) For those who do not wish to take the time or effort to sprout grain or mill flour at home, you can always purchase sprouted grain flour online

Since we don't use white flour and I want my family to get all the benefits of the wheat we either use sprouted wheat flour, soak it, or sour dough it. I do keep a jar of sprouted wheat flour for white sauces or for gravys etc. It works great and the taste is so much better. I rotate the contents, so its fresh, everytime I grind sprouted wheat.

I do want to try sprouted bread like Ezekiel and even wheat juicing. If anyone has tired this or is doing either one please email me.

I hope all have a wonderful weekend...

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

2011-07-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

at the cottage....

I think, I will change Plain and Simple to Thursday, Wednesday seems to come up on me way to fast. :0)

Yesterday, hubby was home so I stayed away from the computer. He hurt himself at work and so we went to the doctor to get him checked over and then ran a few errands.

Today's Plain and Simple I thought I would share some things I do in the kitchen or have recently discovered.

My son is working towards being a chef for a career and he wants to cook Italian. So we bought him a how to book on italian cooking. I skimmed thru it a couple of weeks ago and found a recipe for these wonderfully tasting potatoes.

We had just gone yard saleing with my mom and I bought a counter top convection oven for our outside kitchen (it was $1) and thought this would be a good recipe to try in the oven while we were grilling something. These potatoes are so good! A very nice change with oven potatoes and very tasty using fresh ingredients.

Potatoes (I used our homegrown reds) and I cut them up, cut up the amount you will need for your family.

1 medium purple onion cut up or I have used a sweet onion. Like vidalia or walla walla

8 cloves of garlic peeled

fresh rosemary to taste.

butter (we used our homemade yummy goodness)

olive oil

I am a throw in the pan kinda cook so this of course is not exact measurements. This was cooked at 350 for an hour or until everything is a nice camelized color. Stir things up a bit thru out cooking this helps everything stay coated with the butter and olive oil. The garlic and onion carmelize so well. I did prefer the purple onion over the sweet.

We have switched pretty much to wheat on everything we bake. I don't buy white flour anymore or white sugar though I did buy some in June to make cookies for the fathers at church. Yguy used it all up yesterday making cookies. :0)

My hubby's stomach has a hard time with red wheat so we stock white wheat and I sprout it so it breaks down so we can absorb all the goodness these little grains hold. I sprout it for 3 days about and then dehydrate it in the dehydrator.

They grind up beautifully and make lovely rolls etc. Above are some grains I ground the other day for pizza, see the dry little sprouts on them?

I will sprout and dry a #10 can size of wheat at a time. This amount fills up my dehydrator they take about 2 days to dry and I will grind up what I need as I use it. It is better to have fresh ground.

Roasting tomatoes I love the smoky flavor this imparts on any veggie I'll grill. Tomatoes are quite easy, These were picked and put right on the grill I have a 1/2 a bushel to do today that we picked yesterday. We grow heirlooms and they are so good. Cut up fresh with olive oil and lemon juice tossed in is so good they are so much tastier than store bought to eat fresh.

To grill I fill the grill up like above and turn the burner on low since this is a gas grill, on an open fire which is even better you don't want lots of flame just hot coals. The skins will crack and the bottoms will brown turn them over and let that side do the same things. I will fill a bowl up and then let them cool before peeling chop them up and make what you want. Right now I am grilling, peeling, dicing and then freezing till I have a big batch for salsa. I will also do it for canning just plain diced tomatoes.

I hope this finds you well and you have a blessed week...

Love,

Erika

"Blog," he said....

2011-07-19T11:59:00.001-05:00

My husband told me to blog this morning....I haven't because I don't have much to blog about. But, he enjoys reading my blog and so this morning he asked me to.

This weekend the kids went to youth conference and had alot of fun. They stayed at the dorms at USM and had many spiritually uplifting workshops, a fireside, and of course 2 dances.

Saturday hubby and I went to work, I didn't chaperone conference this year, so hubby and I planned a nice weekend, but working in the funeral bussiness plans change from one minute to the next. I tried posting while we were at the graveyard waiting for people to arrive for the funeral, but the post was lost.

So here it is...kinda

My hubby is a grave digger in a small community for a small funeral home. He has been in this bussiness for 13 years this is the second funeral home he has worked for. This one is much smaller than his last and so most of the graveyards are way out in the country.

Crickets and birds were singing in the early morning breeze under the tent it was cooler with the breeze, though it was very hot. We both were covered in sweat when we finally made it home later in the day. After this service we dug another grave for Monday it rained off and on, but yet again we were in the country and the solitude and quiet was nice.

This was the oldest marked grave I found at this little graveyard. The woman died in 1860 a couple of years before the civil war he died after the war. The things this headstone has seen thru the years....

There were many older graves I love the history behind them, who they were etc.

Back to the title...my husband loves to read my blog, I don't consider myself different on here than I am in real life.

But, do I let a side of myself open up on here that I don't in life even to my husband? He says he sees a different side to me here. How many of us use this avenue to share parts of ourselves we keep hidden from those around us?

I know for me I will talk about my reasons for wearing skirts 99% of the time, my craving for a simplier life and what steps I take daily towards those cravings. Some of my insecurities and feelings. My husband knows these things about me, he knows more about me than anyone in the world even my parents.

My passions, my opinions, my insecurities, he knows all of my crazy ideas and convictions. He also knows what things set my hot temper off, my body language when I don't like something, or my tone of voice on the phone when I am talking to someone who just pushed the wrong button.

We have been together since I was 18 years old and a senior in high school, he has helped me grow up and walked with me as I have learned to become a wife and a mother. He has encouraged me to teach myself to cook, sew, garden, and learn to be a daughter of God. I joke that he finished raising me after we married when I was 19 and he was 28.

He knows how much I strive to be myself and not what the world wants of me. The latest styles in clothing, living, housing, opinions, etc none of that holds me or sways me. I find joy in learning and striving to be what Heavenly Father sees me as. Each of us have a plan for us our plans are all different how I find my way to that path is so much different that someone else. Our destination is the same the way we get there is different, we must and do learn in different ways.

Here on my blog I think I hold so much of myself in check and I express myself differently and that is what my husband reads. I am the same person, expressed differently since daily I am evolving, and on here I am finding that person and learning to be that person in life.

My husband is my soul mate, we laugh so much together even after 18 years of marriage. We have cried together, mourned for our child together, held on to each other when life has been hard for one of us. Clung to our convictions together even when family and friends have persecuted us for it.

We have walked hand in hand thru this life and I pray we continue to learn daily together as we continue our walk.

You are and always will be my best friend, Andy.

I love you more than my luggage. :0)

A Homegrown Family

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TrufflesHomemade~~

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Weekly Menu Plan

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