Advice to my Children

                 I love my family, I am so thankful that all 5 of my children are close, that we can talk about anything together, and that we can always depend on each other. One of my most favorite things, is to have them all here at the same time, to pour a cup of coffee, and sit back and watch them talk! They are all so different, from one politically extreme to the other, from laid back and chill,to hyper and full of energy, from quick tempered to low key..but the thing is no matter how passionate they feel on something,or how loud the discussions and debates get, they respect each other and do not make it personal! As, I was laying in bed this morning,my thoughts went to them,and I thanked God he blessed me with each one of them. I was thinking of how, if I could give them advice to help make their life easier..what I would say. 
             First thing, keep your faith, God has always been present in my life, but I can see so many places where he has seen me through, so many of my prayers answered,sometimes not in the way I wished, but looking back it was always for the best. Pray daily and read the bible and give God a chance to lead you where he wants you.If you give Him a chance he will always be there, and trust me when I say He has answered many prayers about and for each one of you. 
           Next, do not be afraid to be different! Today, people are so worried about appearances, and what others think,  they hide their real thoughts and ideas for fear people will not understand. Being unique is  wonderful , It brings out new ideas, and ways of doing  things. When you stop trying to please everyone else, you can find out who you truly are. It will make your life so much more content!
You will learn so much about yourself and others, and your true friends will always stick with you, even if they think your odd..lol
            You are entitled to your opinion, and others are entitled to theirs! You do not ALWAYS have to be right, and sometimes its better to agree to disagree! As, important as being yourself is, it's also important to remember that, that does not mean everyone else has to be like you and think like you too! Always put yourself in the other persons shoes, before you judge or get angry. They are a different person, raised different,different environment growing up than you, so they are not always going to think like you! I hate confrontation, but lots of times I do not argue because I always try to see the others viewpoint and where they are coming from before I speak! I promise you it helps a lot!
            Honesty is very important, I have learned this the hard way! Sometimes, I  will not be honest to spare someones feelings, or to avoid conflict. One thing I have learned over the years, IT DOES NOT HELP!! It makes things worse, That does not mean you have to be a jerk, just be honest, and if it is difficult , it will still be better for everyone in the long run.
                 My grandmother was an amazing woman, I have never met anyone like her . Her favorite thing to say was "If you cannot say something nice, do not say anything at all" and she lived by that! If your  criticism of someone is not asked for, or will not help them, keep your mouth shut!  It is so much better and more fulfilling to build others up, not tear them down! It is amazing how one positive word can change another persons day! Try it, it will make you both feel good.
                 I guess the last thing is do not judge others, do not let your misconceptions cloud what you see. Working with the homeless I have learned so much! The outside is not important, it is the inside that really counts, and you may not know what the other person is going through. Love is very forgiving, and it is also important not to lose sight of it. Love is more important then being right, its forgiving when others do you wrong, its stepping up to help when you are needed, not just thinking of what you will get in return, or how it benefits you!
               Wow, I could write a book..hehehe, so much more I could say. If only I had known this stuff when I was young, but I guess it is part of growing up and learning about yourself and life. What advice would you give? What would you tell your children? What one thing do you think would help make their life easier? I would love to hear from you!

Pigs or Turkeys?

 We have been working hard to grow our little homestead. What started with an idea, a small box garden and 3 bantam chickens  has grown quite a bit! We now have 2 dozen chickens for eggs, numerous bantams, 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats, and a hive of bees! We  have raised and processed 27 meat chickens as well, and our garden is quite a bit larger. We also have fruit trees, bushes and vines. We make our own bread, laundry detergent and dish washing detergent. We can a lot, from jams, syrups, to vegetables, soups and meat! As far as we have come , there is so much more we want to do! Now, we are trying to decide which type of animal to add to our little homestead..pigs or turkeys? 
 To start with we had about decided on pigs. We figured we could feed them with scraps, and make a pen out back and in some time have delicious fresh pork, food that we know was raised well and ate healthy! We could take them to be processed, so it would not be too much to handle. However, they do get very big , and eat a lot, and for some reason I am a little apprehensive about it!
Then, we visited a nearby farm , and I sort of fell for the turkeys! Not the turkeys that have been genetically altered to be so huge they cannot even reproduce on their own,like the ones they sale in the store, but the ones that are the way they are suppose to be. Not huge, but one of the original breeds! They are smaller , and do not seem to be much more difficult than chickens, a little different but not too hard. Then there is the bonus of having a fresh farm raised turkey for the holidays, or any other time. No worries on the chemicals that would be ingested from the store bought ones!We could process those on our own , and it would be less investment to begin with too. So which way do we go? Pigs or turkeys? Drop us a message and tell us what you think..

 

Cinnamon and Ginger

Since, we started this journey, I have wanted goats. Not just any goats but milk goats! I researched and read on all types of goats,before I decided I wanted Nigerian Dwarf Goats. They seemed perfect, small in size , perfect for our needs, friendly, great rich milk, perfect for cheese and the output for such a small goat is pretty impressive. So I worked on saving enough money, and preparing a place for them. However,things get put on the back burner, we got chickens, they were cheaper and easy to manage and gave us fresh eggs, then we got meat birds, and it was always something, from a new roof, to repairs to something.. but I kept reading and hoping and praying,, then one day a close friend called me to meet someone who had a pregnant goat..not just any goat but...you guessed it, a pregnant Nigerian Dwarf Goat! I figured I could really learn a lot from meeting her.. and get more knowledge for the future.. but it went better than planned.. I immediately clicked with Hillary, and before I knew it I was the proud owner of 2 Nigerian Dwarf kids!Now that I finally have them here at home, it is even better than I ever imagined! They are the sweetest, cutest little babies! Hillary is an amazing fountain of information, and I quiz her often..lol... but I have learned so much. It will be awhile  before I can breed them, before I can began my dreams of goat milk, cheese , soaps and such, but I can wait.. a step at a time. In the meantime they are very entertaining, great companions, who cry when they see me coming, and make me smile.. if you want to learn more about my new babies here is a link to why their milk is so awesome..

                                                                                                                                             

http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2011/07/31/whats-so-great-about-dwarf-nigerian-goat-milk-anyway/

Things Change!

    It is amazing to me how a person's perspective can change! I remember, and not too long ago at that, going to the store and by the time I was ready to check out, having a cart full of convenience, processed foods! I would go to a big box store and load up on snacks, frozen pizza, sugary drinks, etc! I would be happy with my choices, and glad I would have something quick to pop in the oven or  microwave to fix in a hurry! Now, wow its like I am in a different world! We have not used a microwave, in months! We took it out, so we would be less tempted to grab those quick processed foods when we were hungry. Now, I truly do not even miss it! The visits to a grocery store or few and far between, and when I do go its for things like toilet paper, paper towels, chocolate or coffee!! Now, we make our own bread, snacks,etc. We grow our own fruits and veggies, and what we do not grow we get from local farmers. We raise our own chicken for meat and eggs, we buy our pork and beef from local farmers too.We grow our own herbs, they taste so much better, and we dry them to use throughout the winter!We have our own bees and are using honey instead of sugar more and more!We use the wax to make our own candles. In the next week we will be bringing home goats, and when they are a little older they will help provide us with milk,cheese, and soaps! We make our own dish washing detergent and laundry soap, although we do order some ingredients, I still like the simple cleaning products, that work great and are cheaper and has less chemicals in them! I feel such a since of accomplishment when we finish canning a batch of green beans, or tomatoes! I love that I know exactly what went into them , and that I can go outside and pick a tomato and take a bite, and not worry about what chemicals were sprayed on it!We all feel better, I have more energy, and have lost a few pounds without even trying! When we eat out, we do our best to eat at locally owned places that use local fresh products. I bypass things that I once would load up on , and truthfully I do not even miss them! I am so glad we started on this journey, I think we all appreciate our food more, and I look forward to continuing down this path!I am proud of how far we come , I look forward to how far we go!

 

The Simpler Life

I read this quote today, "Going back to a simpler life is not a step backward" by Yvon Chouinard. I loved it! Why do most people think simple is poorer, backwards, or ignorance? I live in a double wide, it needs a lot of work , we recently had a roof put on it, and I have a lot more I need to do , but it is paid for, I do not have a house payment over my head, it suits my needs! The money I save from that can be put to better use , like getting my Nigerian Dwarf Goats, fencing, fruit trees, canning supplies,etc! Simpler to me means less stress, healthier food, and less dependency on government, grocery stores, and other modern convenience items!  I enjoy the satisfaction of growing my own fruits and vegetables, making my own bread and wine, gathering eggs, eating our own farm raised  chickens, and sweetening things with our own honey. Soon, I hope to add our own goat milk and cheeses and bath soaps, and we are going to try our hand at making our own dish-washing and laundry soap! To me, that's not backwards, its smart! Depending on our own resources is an intelligent choice!It gives you such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction! If you had asked me about all this several years ago, I would have thought you were crazy, and I would have probably laughed. But I am not the same person I was then, I have gone through my life always depending on someone else to handle things, from my mother and father, to my husband. When things did not go as planned, I could always blame them, or at least know it was not my fault! However, that is just wrong, on so many levels..lol. Now, I make my own path, I am responsible for me, my decisions and my choices. Well, for me that means, being a lot more self reliant and simple! Have a great day!

List!

I always seem to have a list going, a list for what I need at the store, a list for what I have to accomplish in the upcoming week, a list of  appointments or places I need to be. I am always consulting them , marking stuff off , adding to them , and when I do not get everything done, I get frustrated! At the present time I have a list of important June dates coming up, a friends birthday party, Father's day, Dad's birthday, feeding the homeless, and my daughter and grandchildren coming down. I have a list of things I need to accomplish before each of these dates, and errands that  need to be run . I also am working 6 days a week for 3 of the 4 weeks this month. It seems every time I get to mark something off , I think of 3 more things to add!I get frustrated when at the end of the day, I did not get all of it done. My kids say, I try to do too much, that I should take a day to relax, and rest, but when  I try, I feel like I am wasting time. If the list are not completely empty , then I do not need to relax, but the bad thing is , lets face it, the list will NEVER be empty! So does that mean I never get to relax? That would be crazy, so why can't I just chill sometimes? I do not think of myself as anywhere near a perfectionist, but really feel like I have to get this done! Is anyone else like this? So what is the solution? Is it really important to have everything just perfect? I am not sure, but I do know we all need to relax and regroup, and sooner or later if we do not do it on our own, circumstances will see that we do! So , my new goal is to try to relax, try to not get all upset when that list is not completely finished, to try not to drive the kids crazy, with my list and things I need to do! Will it work? I am not sure, but here is to trying!

So, What's your Passion?

 We all have a passion , something you love to talk about, learn about and do! I think our passion is a gift from God. A way to use our knowledge,talents and ideas to help others. I have a sister whose passion is exercise and being fit. She lost a lot of weight, learned about exercise and your health and became a personal trainer! Now she teaches others in a variety of classes. I have a good friend whose passion is helping the homeless. She has helped hundreds of people, feeding them, giving out blankets, helping them get jobs and and a place to live and furnishing their homes. She does so many things and she is always thinking of new ways to help. Her passion has led to establishing and leading  a nonprofit to make a difference! My daughter's passion is cooking and baking, she is always trying new recipes, and baking goodies for others. She loves making others feel good and smile by making a treat or new dish, and the love she puts in to it shows in the taste!For me my passion is homesteading, getting back to the basics, growing and raising our own food and doing what we can to cut dependency on anything but ourselves. I love knowing exactly what goes in to what we use  and eat. I love sharing our bounty with others , and sometimes talking a little too much on the "evils" of commercialized food!I think its awesome we all are passionate about different things, we can learn from each other, and help each other out. So if you are drawn to something,if you have a strong interest in learning something, or an urge to try something new and a little out of your comfort zone..give it a shot, it may be the best thing you ever did! So, I ask you,   what's YOUR passion?

Canning Summer's Bounty

I love this time of year, I know I have said it before , but I really really do! I love growing our own food and preserving it , so we have that fresh taste in the middle of winter.I think canning your own food was a dying art, but it seems it is slowly making a come back! I see more and more folks doing it, and more and more canning items for sell in the stores! There is no comparison  between what we put up, to what we buy at the store!

I always make home made vegetable soup in the fall and winter, hands down it is a favorite of my entire family. It has a little kick to it and it really is good , I learned it from my mother, and made a few changes to make it my own, but on a cold winters day it hits the spot! This year my goal, is to make it with all my own stuff, to use what I have grown or canned myself to make the soup and can it for winter! I want to use our own herbs, and tomatoes and all the veggies, I cannot imagine how much better it will be!It is so convenient too, just pop open a can on a cold snowy day, and it taste like you cooked all day!This is one of those go to meals like I talked about in a previous blog.."Convenience or not?" No need to run out to the store or out to eat, its right there on the shelf! It is so much better for you too, all natural ingredients! 

                                              This past weekend we put up  strawberries, we made strawberry jam,strawberry syrup and strawberry pie filling! To be honest , I am a little tired of seeing strawberries! But , to break out a jar  of my pie filling in November or December , and make a fresh pie.. it will taste like spring!Do you do your own canning? Have you ever wanted to give it a try? Believe me when I tell you I promise it is worth it , and not hard like you might think! You may be surprised at how much better it taste!

Supper from our backyard!

Supper tonight was awesome! We ate chicken, broccoli and rice casserole, green beans and bread. For dessert we ate apple turnovers. It felt great to  see the fruits of all our hard work. The chicken was the chicken that we raised, killed and processed ourselves. We used the first batch of broccoli from our garden and the green beans and apple pie filling we canned the year before. 
This was the first meal that we have had where over half of the meal was grown, raised and processed ourselves. It felt great to see all of our hard work pay off in a delicious meal. This motivates me to soon have a meal where 100% is grown or processed ourselves. After the meal tonight, I can really see that it is an attainable goal. Everything tasted so fresh and delicious.
I loved knowing exactly where the food came from (our backyard!!) and what the chicken was feed and that nothing was sprayed on the vegetables and that they are non-GMO foods. Food cannot get any fresher that that! The best way to know what exactly you are putting in your body is to do it yourself.  At the grocery store there are so many hidden ingredients in foods that are bad for you or foods that are genetically modified that most people have no idea what goes into their bodies. It would be great to know that when the next news article comes out about some food that is contaminated with e coli, or salmonella that I wont have to worry about getting sick. 
We also canned homemade strawberry syrup with strawberries we bought from a local farmer. When we cannot grow enough food to can, it feels good knowing that we can support local farmers and the fruit was picked that day at the field beside the vegetable stand we buy it from! Our goal is to produce everything ourselves, yet until that happens, we love to support local farmers. We do not want to go to the grocery store for anything other than basics like toilet paper.Tonight was a big step in our goal , it proved to us it is possible! 

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Convenience or not?

 I am sure most of you eat burgers...so a question..which is better, say a McDonald's cheeseburger or one you hand patty out and grill yourself? Taking a guess here, that most of you will say the one's you do at home. To me, the taste is so much better , not to mention the nutrition. I think that goes for almost everything , and it amuses me a bit that a lot people give me a strange look when I tell them I am striving for self sufficiency. People comment, "wow, isn't that a lot of trouble?" or " why would you do that, you can get everything you need from the grocery store!" Shopping at the store is so expensive now, and a lot of the stuff, even the fruits and veggies come from other countries. I want to know where my food comes from , what is in it, and how old it is. It is so rewarding to take one of your own raised  chickens, and  bake it in the oven, go out to garden and pick your own peas, or dig up your potatoes and cook then along with a fresh baked slice of your own  bread! The taste does not even compare.. its so much better, and yes it is more work , but so worth it. Even on days I am in a hurry , I go to my home canned goods, to make a quick meal, I still have a long way to go , but with what I save growing and raising  my own, I can afford to buy the locally raised grass fed beef and such. I love going to the store and totally passing by  most of the departments , to just pick up , a few key things..It is like a game to see what I can make and get on my own, or locally  buy. .. I cannot wait until my goats are here and in milk! Fresh cheese, butter, milk and such is another thing I can do myself! So what do you do on your own , do you think it is worth the extra work? You can now leave a comment and not be signed in , so please drop a quick note and let me know your thoughts!