I wish I could say that things have been quieter around the farm since the chicken massacre.  However, it hasn't completely.  Seems that our intrepid chickies are getting braver and braver.  The neighbor to the north of our next door neighbor came calling the other day.  He had been noticing his landscaping being messed up and couldn't figure it out.  Then he caught the culprits red-handed.  Yep, our chickens.  So, now the silly birds have to stay penned up all day because they won't stay on our property.  We have to figure out how to fence them so they'll stay home.  I wish we could free-range them, but that's not a good option right now because of the staggering prices of fencing these days.  I'm thinking we'll do something sorta like a moveable fence until we can fence in a scratch yard with 2 pastures that we can rotate.  Of course, this will require wing-clipping, but I'm told it is harder to explain than to do.

In goat news, I think all the goats are bred now.  The 2 big girls have been for several weeks now, but Ruth acts like she has been bred for about a week now.  Esther just started keeping her tail up and looks like she might've been welcoming to the buck, too.  He is a well-mannered little thing.  He's a young one, with good lineage.  I'm learning a lot about pedigrees and lineage.  It's almost like a puzzle, especially to see what could happen with outcrossing and line breeding.  Too much of either can set you back generations on your breeding and herd management, but just the right mix can improve your herd a lot in just a few generations.

In infrastructure news, we've gotten the human door to the chicken coop fixed.  That is a blessing, since we can't let the chickens out, and it makes it easier to gather eggs, feed, and water them.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so after church, I want to put straw on the strawberries and hopefully the ground will be dry enough to plant the rest of the garlic before it's too late.  We've also been working on the inside of the house.  The bookshelf looks much better, and our bedroom is slowly improving.  If we can figure out a cheap mudroom solution for the winter, we'll probably be able to get most of the organizing finished.  We're thinking of putting up a simple frame and some cheap plywood.  Just enough to keep the wind out of the west from whipping in the door, plus give us a place to take off our muddy shoes.  I don't mind keeping the shoes in baskets by the door, I hate the mess taking them off makes just inside.  I can sweep 10 times a day, and it doesn't seem to make a difference.  For the homeschool materials, we'll put them in cabinets in the corner by the door.  That's where they are now, but they're on a shelf that isn't very easy to get to.

Looking forward to tomorrow, the Lord's day.  I've got some soup that will be easy to finish when we get home from church.  I'm going to put it in the crockpot on warm in the morning, and then when we get home, it's a simple white sauce and cheese to go into it.  It's a family favorite, Cheeseburger soup.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

3/4 c each chopped onion, shredded carrot, diced celery

1 tsp each dried basil and parsley flakes

4 Tbsp margarine, divided

3 c chicken broth

4 c diced peeled potatoes

1/4 c all-purpose flour

8 oz cheese (American or cheddar), cubed

1 1/2 c milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/4-1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c sour cream

In a 3-qt saucepan, brown meat; drain and reserve.  In same pot, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 1 Tbsp margarine until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add broth, potatoes, and meat; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining 3 Tbsp margarine.  Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to soup; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add in cheese, milk, salt, and pepper.  Cook until cheese melts.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.  Makes 8 servings.

I found this on a fellow homesteader's blog; it was written by her grandmother.  The blogger's family recently had a fire on their property that was quite devastating, especially for her husband.  Brother Timothy was very generous to us earlier this year with some seeds.  It was a true blessing.  I wish there was more we could do to help him besides pray, and I mean really help, not just to assuage a conscience, but it is a good thing that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  This poem points out an essential truth that we forget all too often.  God is good all the time.  God works all things for our good, even when we don't understand.  This includes my recent chicken troubles or our loss of our sweet baby boy when he was a day old, Brother Tim's losses, and any other troubles that have come or are lurking around the corner.  God uses these times of trial, both great and small, to chisel us and refine us into His image.  Each depth leads us to a higher height, a more profound relationship with our Creator and Loving Father.  Discipline is painful for a time, but brings with it the fruit of godliness (and trust, and patience, and gentleness, and compassion, and so on).

All Things Work Out for Good
by Viola Pearl Nordquist

All things work out for good we know,
such is God's great design;
He orders all our steps below
for purposes devine.

This is the faith that keeps me still
no matter what the test,
and lets me glory in His will,
for well I know 'tis best.

So now the future holds no fear,
God guards the work begun.
And mortals are immortal here
until their work is done.

Someday the path he chose for me
will all be understood.
In Heaven's clearer light I'll see
All things work out for good.

FOR TODAY
November 16, 2009...
Outside my window... A rainy drizzly day, also very chilly.  The brilliance of fall has left and the landscape is settling into its winter browns.  There is another goat in the pasture because we have a buck visiting the ladies.  The chickens are not out of their house yet.  I need to go grain the goats and let the chickens out so I can see small bedraggled spots of reddish brown around the landscape.
I am thinking... that I really need to go start the eggs so we can have a nice chef's salad for lunch.  Also that I hope I have everything down on my grocery list for today's grocery trip.
I am thankful for... God's provision.  We lost half of our chicken flock on Thursday night/Friday to a vicious mink.  We have had several people e-mail or call us with free or cheap chicks & chickens.  We have gotten nearly all the breeds we lost replaced, plus some - new breeds are Light Brahma, Australorp, Rhode Island Red.  I am only missing my Buff Orpingtons, and I know that God will provide them, even if I need to buy them in the spring.  He's already provided the Cochins, and in varying colors, which is very awesome since we only had one color in the first place.
From the learning rooms... The boys are at the table cutting and glueing.  I'm not sure what they're making.  Every once in a while they need to get crafty.  I try to remind myself that they are now old enough to clean up their mess and take the consequences if they do not.
From the kitchen... Not too much today.  Today is our big "every-two-weeks" grocery trip.  We're going to do a simple supper of fried eggs, scrapple, and homemade biscuits with homemade apple butter.
I am wearing... my new converted jeans skirt, black tights, angora knee socks, purple long-sleeved T, dark gray fleece, and pink boots.  I'm sure I'm a sight, but I'm warm!
I am creating... still knitting on two sweaters.  I also have some cherry red corduroy cut out and ready to sew into a skirt.  I need to do that soon, too.
I am going... to the grocery stores today.  I have 3 stores plus the post office today.
I am reading... still working my way through Ted Dekker's Green.  I need to make that a priority, as I'm doing it for their "Book Review Blogger" program.  I need to post my review of it here and on a retail site soon.
I am hoping... that the boys behave today at the stores.  Sometimes they forget and don't listen very well.
I am hearing... little boys talking about pumpkins.  They were fascinated with the fact that our "goat lady" had a pickup bed full of them for her goats.  She also told us where she got them for free.
Around the house... the smell of peppermint is very strong.  We had a very stinky dead mouse and we finally found it.  I put a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil where I found him.  I hope it takes care of the dead smell!  It was in our favorite ancient La-Z-Boy recliner.  The one that has nursed 4 babies, rocked a dying one (though we didn't know he was at the time), and before that rocked my dh and his brothers.
One of my favorite things... Warm soup on a chilly fall day.  I wish I could make soup for supper, but I've already promised the scrapple.  I'm looking forward to that too, though.
A few plans for the rest of the week: shopping today, school the rest of the week, Bible study/small group on Saturday night, hopefully going to get the Cochin chickens from about 90-120 minutes away.

Oh, and I don't mean that in a good way...  But, God is good, and He has been providing an abundance over what we lost...

The boys have been having a rough week, as far as discipline, self-control, respect for me, and loving their neighbor.  Wednesday was a decent day for it, though, for which I was grateful.  Thursday wasn't terrible, and I got to go to a lovely ladies' Bible study at church.  Then, Friday the 13th happened.  I'm so grateful we aren't superstitious!  We woke up okay, but by mid-morning, our six year old child came in screaming, "They're all dead!!  All but one of the chicks is dead!"  Dh was off work, thankfully, and we both went running out to the chicken house.  We weren't prepared for the site, and we just started screaming.  All but one of our beautiful 12-week old chicks had been viciously slaughtered - 31 out of 32.  Later that day, we found out it was a mink.  The kids said, "We saw what killed the chicks.  It was a chipmunk."  Of course we laughed it off, but they insisted, "No!  It was a big brown chipmunk about the size of our cat!"  Turns out, it was an apt description of a mink if you hadn't ever seen one before.  When we put the surviving chickens up (28 laying hens, 2 roosters, and 1 lonely chick), we kept running out and checking on them.  DH went when I was putting all the kids to bed and noticed that one of our hens wasn't acting right.  She was laying on the floor of the chicken house with her head at a funny angle.  He had his handgun with him, so he went into the milking parlor to check things out.  That is where the human door to the chicken house is.  He heard a funny noise and saw the guilty party coming out of a very tiny crack.  He was able to shoot it, but we didn't know that he had until the next day.  I lost 2 laying hens Friday evening.  We mink-proofed it as best we could and went to bed. 

Saturday morning, we woke up and checked the barn again to see if the mink had been killed.  DH found it near an empty egg shell under the pallet that holds our hay.  Then, we went to Louisville to see some friends' children show sheep at NAILE.  I got a chore coat, some socks for my boots, and a pair of boots for my 3rd child at the country store.  I got good deals on all.  We're going to save up money for next year.

Now, onto more blessings from the Lord.  Although none of my cochins have been replaced, He blessed me with someone offering a straight run of 25-35 mixed breed chicks that will be sent sometime in the first or second week of December, free of charge.  This is a huge blessing because the loss of those chicks represented $200 or more of my dh's hard-earned money, plus the loss of income from their eggs in the spring.  Then, a friend brought over 5 light Brahmas who are already laying, free.  She's going to bring over 5 Golden Comets later this week, which we'll be buying, but basically the cost they'd be if we bought them as hatchlings.  I can get a batch of cochins starting in early February, so we'll probably order them shortly after the first of the year.

So, the Lord is good.  He has provided abundantly for us.  Who can know why He blesses us, but I'm certainly grateful.

I stumbled across this the other day, and I thought it was wonderful!!! :)  

FOR TODAY
9 November 2009

Outside my window... Indian summer day, all chickens happily pecking in the fallen leaves, the goats grazing peacefully.  Dandy and JT, the roosters, are crowing back and forth, making a joyful chicken chorus.

I am thinking... about wearing more skirts this winter and what I need to put under them to keep my legs warm.

I am thankful for... God's provision in our lives, especially this little house in the country with our garden and livestock.

From the kitchen... it still smells like Indian in our house from our Indian themed supper we shared with our Bible study group.  I'm not going to do much today, as we have so many leftovers to eat through. 

I am wearing... brown short-sleeved John Deere T-shirt, an unzipped gray hooded sweatshirt, my lighter work jeans, and a pair of new socks.

I am creating... I have two knitting projects on the needles.  I have a simple pieced sweater in a heathered brown and a rosy pink top-down V-neck sweater.  I want to sew some more skirts, but I need to clear the kitchen table.  Maybe after school tomorrow, if other chores are done.

I am going... nowhere else today.  I already went to the post office and the insurance agent's.

I am reading... I am reviewing Ted Dekker's Green right now, but I haven't read in it for a while.  I am also going through a study on 2 Timothy, but haven't done that in a while.

I am hoping... that we are able to get me a good Berne coat at NAILE this weekend.  A friend's daughter has the loveliest pale pink one.  I admit I'm coveting it a little bit.  If we can't, I'll be content with the jacket I have and hope that I can get one next year.

I am hearing... a baby screaming because he refuses to go to sleep, a big boy spouting foolishness in a hick accent, and 2 other boys squabbling.  So much for a peaceful and beautiful first daybook.

Around the house... laundry to be done, floors to be swept, toys to be picked up.  The big boys do a lot, so I'm not complaining.  They'll help with the toys after they get their laundry folded and put away.

One of my favorite things... I have lots of favorite things.  One thing I love is snuggling with cute babies.  I'm hoping the screaming one will come to snuggle and nurse soon.  Then he'll be silent except for the sound of him breathing.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  I need to plant garlic, if I can get out to the garden before it rains again.  I have some green tomatoes that still need to be made into relish.  I need to renew my license and drop off eggs to the food pantry, too.  Of course, there is the daily round of chores - feeding animals, kids, clothing everybody, and tidying.  I'd rather have it this way than any other way.

Mice!  I hate mice!!!  We've been overrun with them, now that the fields behind us are being harvested.  I'm so thankful for our kitty.  We've caught a number inside the house, between her and the mousetraps.  She's caught tons of mice, voles, shrews, etc. outside too.  Good kitty!!! :)

The chickens are doing well.  We had an injured chick, and she's finally re-integrated with the rest of the flock.  All the chickens have been merged, too, and after a day or so of bullying, they now play nicely together.  The little ones stick together, but I've seen the bigger ones joining them without pecking. 

I love my farm life.  It is busy, but so very peaceful here.  The change of seasons is so neat.  I love being tied to the earth.  This weekend is going to be nice and Indian summery again.  I'll get out there and plant the last of the garlic for the season, and maybe burn the garden scraps.  I have to plan where I want the new garden planted.  I just don't see that I'm going to have enough room for next year!  I need to start now so I can spray Roundup on the area and have it rot down nicely over the winter.  The chemicals don't stay in the soil, and it gives the soil a good head start for the season.  I don't think I'd have enough compost to do the more organic way of spreading newsprint over the soil and then piling compost on top.  I think I'll need to also help dh with winterizing the goats' shelter and finding a dry place to put the hay for the girls.

Tomorrow, we're having a Bible study at some friends' house.  It's Indian night, and we're doing a lot of the cooking.  I have that to do tomorrow, too.  We're making chicken tikka masala, chana masala, raita, naan (maybe), idli, rice, and coconut-cilantro chutney.  I wanted to do more, but needed to simplify.  Sunday, we're having lunch with other friends, then possibly going to yet another friend's house while we're in the neighborhood.  Whew!  Busy, busy!!!  It's good, though.  I am looking forward to so much Christian fellowship.  It seems like it comes in waves, so I'll treasure these days for the times when fellowship is lean.

We've been enjoying the Indian summer lately.  It has been so nice.  Even when it rains, usually some part of the day is salvageable for outside work/play.

We've gotten the garlic and shallots in the garden for next summer's crop.  The garden is mostly cleaned up, excepting things that are winter crops, biennials that will go to seed next summer, or stuff that was too green to pull and put in the compost just yet.  I'm already looking forward to next year's garden.  I think DH is going to have to plow me up another garden patch.  I don't know that I have enough space if I get all the seeds I want.  I also need a greenhouse, and that is causing quite a problem...  Do I buy one from ShelterLogic?  The goat shelter we bought from them has stood up to a beating in the 9 months we've had it.  Still going strong, except the elastic ties that hold the door open, and those are easily replaced.  Do I try to make a free-standing one out of conduit or PVC plus 6mil plastic?  Do I make a lean-to on the south side of the house, since the hose bib is right there, too, and it's close to the house?  These things all need to get resolved before January because I'm going to be starting seeds then, and I know that my current setup doesn't work for that.  I have no place for grow lights or propagation mats or even the flats that I want to start my seeds in.

The two big goats are officially bred.  I can't wait to have kids in March!  We also have to get our kidding supply list together and look to get it in March.  The two doelings will be bred probably in 3 weeks, which will be exciting too.  Those kids will come mid-April.  We're in the process of drying off the two big girls.  They are giving so little milk, but each drop is precious right now.  I milk every other day at noon and only get a little over a quart from each doe.  It's just enough to not buy milk, but I will be buying milk when we go to the store next Monday.  I don't think they'll last to our trip after that.

The baby is growing by leaps and bounds.  He hums while nursing or when he's eating something he likes.  It is funny because he's humming his version of the "Good Eats" theme song.  He's cutting a new tooth, too, so he has a very wet face most of the time between the drool and the snot. 

School is going well.  I'm hoping we can get into a good routine and stay there.  It seems like every time we get into one, something happens to mess it up.  I really hate that.  My struggling reader seems to have turned a corner.  I think he just needs more practice to build confidence that he can, indeed, read.  My new reader is immensely pleased with himself because he can read 2 K-level readers now.  We're going to work on the third one tomorrow.  I can't wait to see if he can do it.  I bet he can! :)  The preschooler is also learning phonics, and he can't wait to see which cards I introduce tomorrow, too.  He is learning his letter sounds along with the Kindergartener.  He's also learning to write his name and numbers.  I think he's making a good start, too.

Well, that's enough rambling for this Wednesday!

So, today, I am making a crockpot meal for supper, which is not common for me.  However, I don't really feel like using my oven for that, since I also have to bake bread today.  The meal is from a friend, called French Country Chicken.  I put my own spin on it, merging it with a dish we had brought to us after one of our boys was born.  Recipe to follow.  It called for skinless chicken pieces, but whole chickens are so much more economical to buy, and I can get a 2-pack at Costco that is pretty decent.  So, a whole chicken went into the cart.  After I got the veggies prepped and into the crockpot, I went to work on the chicken.  I cut it up all by myself!!  And, I ended up skinning it, though that wasn't completely planned until it happened. 

Now, I could've gotten my camera out and tried to figure out how to do pictures and get them posted correctly.  Instead, I decided to turn to my good friend, YouTube...   Okay, actually, I remembered a Good Eats episode called Fry Hard 2 that I had watched recently and searched YouTube for it.  It shows an excellent way to cut up a whole chicken in minutes with little effort.  Sounded good, and I was eager to try it out.  The whole clip is excellent, but starting at about 3:30, it goes through how to dissect a chicken properly and with ease, if you want to skip to the good stuff.  After doing that, it was a cinch to skin it, so I did.  It's healthier for my dearest hubby, and I just threw all the scraps into the stew pot to make stock for tomorrow's lunch (homemade chicken and noodles, anyone?).  Without further ado, here's the clip.

Now, here's the recipe for my version of French Country Chicken

3 md potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1" dice

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" (I actually used 4 because we like carrots)

8 oz mushrooms, either sliced or quartered

1 large onion, diced

2 ribs of celery, sliced 1/4"

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence (or poultry seasoning + rosemary if you can't find the herbes)

1/3 c dry white wine or chicken broth

Place all the veggies into the bottom of a roasting pan or a crockpot liner.  Toss with olive oil and salt to taste.  Lay 4-6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken (here's where I used my cut up chicken, but I might've also used leg quarters from the store here too) on top of the veggies.  Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp kosher salt and approx 1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence.  Pour your liquid over top.

If cooking in the oven, cover and place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour, or until chicken is done and veggies are tender.  If cooking in a crockpot, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is done and veggies are tender.

Lastly, and most importantly!  ENJOY!

Today is baby J's first birthday.  He is so sweet and cute!  He has really enjoyed having us sing "Happy Birthday" to him. 

Happy Birthday, Baby J!!!  And many many many more!

I just love fall weather.  It is a welcome break from the heat and humidity of summer.  Don't get me wrong, I like summer when I'm in it - all the great garden produce that grows because of the weather.  However, I'm a fall girl myself.  I love to make soups, and fall is when we eat them a lot.

Just tonight, we had an Italian Vegetable soup, using some of the leftovers of summer's bounty, with homemade breadsticks.  Tomorrow's lunch is going to be miso soup and sushi salad.  Sunday is going to be jambalaya.  As you can tell, we like a variety of soups.

It's been rainy and breezy lately, too.  It really smells like fall outside, that sweet smell of decomposing leaves.  It's very enjoyable when doing the chores.  The baby is very cuddly in his winter clothes.  I think it affects his attitude, as he will sit and snuggle much longer than in the summer.

I harvested the winter squash yesterday during a break in the rain.  I feel some pumpkin muffins coming on soon.

Until next time!

I recently signed up for this.  I just ordered my first book, of hopefully many!  I'm going with a Ted Dekker book, Green.  It sounds really interesting.  I'll post more updates as I get on with things.  :)

I have been making this hot cocoa mix for a year or so now.  It is so tasty, and very economical.  I got the original recipe from a magazine - Good Housekeeping, I think.  I have, however, modified it, because I found it didn't need the chocolate the original called for.  Without further ado, here it is.

Hot Cocoa Mix (makes 18 servings)

1 1/2 c your favorite unsweetened cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark, Ghiradelli, Saco)

1 1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Mix together well.  Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 6 months (I've actually used it far beyond that). 

Variations: Mocha - add 1/3 c instant coffee granules

Mexican Spice - add 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cayenne

Vanilla - add 1/2 vanilla bean (pod and seeds) that you've pulverized in a food processor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make hot cocoa - Mix 3 Tbsp of mix with 1 c milk.  Microwave on high for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.  You may also make stovetop in the traditional style, simply adding 3 Tbsp mix per cup of milk used.

Things got quite busy on the farm there for a while.  Lots of canning going on - green beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red pepper-tomato soup base.  Oh, and also some chicken stock, which means that we butchered 2 of our extra roosters.  That was quite an experience, but not as distasteful as I thought it would be.  I'm grateful that the guys are learning where our food comes from, how to treat our animals properly, and that it requires work to eat.  And, in the middle of August, school started again.  It started out well.  Then, we hit some snags, but are looking forward to getting back on track again next week.  One big snag was that my husband had his gallbladder out this week.  He is doing really well now, and he seems to be feeling better, except for the surgery sites.

An update on the goats with mastitis...  The one goat still has icky tasting milk.  However, the good thing is that the chickens really like her milk, and they make good eggs, so I guess it's not hurting them.  They're about done for the year anyway.  Their production has decreased to half, probably because it is breeding season.  In fact, they should go to get bred next weekend and come back within about 2-3 weeks. 

We're getting 26 eggs per day now.  It's hard using them all up or selling them, but I did give 20 dozen to a local Christian-run food pantry.  If I can't get rid of them all, at least they're going somewhere they are really appreciated.  Did I mention that we also have 32 chicks?  11 Barred Rocks (10 girls, 1 boy), 11 Buff Orpingtons (same breakdown as above), and 10 Splash Cochins (straight run & I can't tell sex on them yet).  In the spring, we'll probably be at farmer's markets selling our eggs and goat milk soap.

Garden is winding down for the season.  I have some garlic coming, some leeks in the ground doing well, and some winter brassicas that would be great if the chickens didn't consider them a delicacy.  I think the recent rain will help the peas, so maybe we'll get some more peas this fall.  I am a little disappointed in the garden, but part of it was that it had no protection from marauding animals like little chickies who love tomatoes, green beans, chard, broccoli, cabbage, corn, squash, etc. 

I am really wanting to blog more, so I keep trying to make it back here periodically in order to update, even if it is just a short one.  Life is full, but right now, it is mostly a happy full.  :)  I am starting a Facebook Bible study, so I may post about it here, too...

Boy, things are really busy around here!  I have so much going on.

Treating both milking does for mastitis, which involves injections twice a day, and up until this morning, intramammary infusion.  I hate it that it hurts the girls, but hopefully it will get them both on the road to healthiness and we'll be able to have sweet milk from both by next Friday.

The garden is very bountiful.  Right now, the peas and turnips just finished up.  I also pulled all the beets.  That allows a little more space for fall plantings, so it's right on time.  :)  I also have lettuce that has continued to bear well, even though it was only one planting.  The spinach is finished, but I let it go to seed, so I should harvest some of that soon for fall planting.  The chard is big and beautiful.  T and I weeded the chard and the lettuce yesterday, and they sure look great.  Today, we need to clear out the pea and turnip patches that I sprayed Round-up on yesterday.  That will get them ready to plant either tomorrow or the next day.  I also have another area that needs planted, and I'm going to put in some Kandy Korn in it.  I know it's a little late, but I'm thinking that some fresh corn on the cob for the baby's birthday would be great. 

The boys need to muck the chickens out (again!), and I'm going to use it to expand my garden, hopefully in a weed-free manner.  I'm going to put down 2-3 layers of newsprint, then put the chicken muck over that.  By next spring, it will be nice and composted down, ready to plant.  I bought some artichoke seeds the other day, and I think I'll keep them for next spring, where I can put them in the expanded bed.  I'm trying to follow John Seymour's idea of 6 beds in your garden.  2 are permanent - one is for rhubarb, artichokes, and asparagus, the other for fruits.  The other 4 are rotated - legumes, roots, brassicas, and miscellaneous.  It seems like a really good idea, especially because it rotates everything out in 4 year cycles, so diseases are not as able to affect your plants.

Well, enough of that.  I need to get out into the garden while the weather is nice!!

A lot has happened in the last year since posting.  We've had another baby boy.  That makes 5, if you're counting.  His name is Judah, and he was born in October.  It was a real lesson in trusting God to have him, but he is definitely a blessing to us.  Such a happy baby.  Very content 95% of the time, and never terribly demanding.

Then, in December, on our anniversary actually, we moved.  We went from 2900 sq ft in the suburbs to 1100 sq ft in the country.  However, we aren't focusing on what we gave up.  We gained so much more than losing the space and a few other niceties that I do miss but not in comparison to what we have.  So, what do we have?  Nearly 2 acres on a minor state road.  A rolling landscape.  Some trees, 2 of which are definitely apple (not sure about some others), several mulberry trees, and a screen of pines along the road for privacy.  We now have 4 Alpine dairy goats; two are milking now and 2 are doelings.  We have 33 Golden Comet chickens.  28 are pullets and 5 are roosters.  When the adolescent hormones kick in, we'll cut the rooster population down to 2.  We got them April 1, so we should see some eggs in August, I think, but September at the latest.  We are considering getting 2 weanling llamas, a gelding and a sweet female.  That should be enough for our 2 acres, because we also have a huge garden and want to have some space for the boys to run.

Being back in the country is very healing for me.  I hope to come back here and post more.  Reading a friend's blog has inspired me.  I love hearing her update about her life on the farm and her sweet little ones.  I also want to share lots of things that Facebook just doesn't cut it for me.  It seems so self-absorbed over there.  Here, I don't care if anyone reads it, but I can chronicle every little detail in minutia if I want to, and I can go back and re-read.  Lots of thoughts floating around in my little head too...  A sermon I heard by MacArthur last night on government (and how glad I am to be working on a land use variance request, instead of disobeying the civil law that doesn't make sense to me).  The delight of finding black raspberries with the boys along the creek.  The wonder of an 8 month old's pincer grasp.  Marvelling at my garden abundance.  My funny goats.  My new love affair with my crockpot.  I can make French toast overnight and yogurt from our goats' milk (overnight too) in addition to my normal standards of refried beans, pork carnitas, and crockpot roasted chicken (the secret is to keep it off the floor of the crockpot with foil balls).  Right now, life is going well.  God has provided so much in the last few months - some healing for my (and my guys') heart(s), financial prosperity in this lean time (we're putting most of it in being able to self-sustain if needed), 3 new hobbies (cheesemaking, spinning, and soapmaking), contentment...  In the words of one of my favorite country songs - "a little bit of chicken fried."

I am incredibly busy, so I need to cut it short today.  I still have to do some school, clean up the kitchen, bake brownies for my MIL's birthday tonight, and maybe try to get in a batch of frozen yogurt (yes, it's homemade yogurt).  Oh, and I need to get a batch of 30-minute mozzarella started too.

Well, it's been a loooong time since I blogged.  Between losing our 4th baby and life and homeschooling, I haven't had time or inclination to blog.  I'm not even sure if I should or not.  I do struggle with having relevant things to say.  I don't want to just yammer on to myself, kwim?

However, an update...

I am pregnant again.  With our 5th child.  If the baby cooperates, we'll be finding out what it is in exactly 1 week.  At this point, I'll just stick with a healthy baby that the Lord lets us raise, although a little pink to offset 4 blues would be nice. ;)  So far, the pregnancy has gone extremely well.  I usually have a lot of energy and relatively few discomforts.  I'm feeling lots of movement, especially during homeschool time.  :D 

For homeschooling, we're getting ready to start the 2nd quarter of Sonlight's Core 1.  DS will be about 1 semester behind his peers, come fall, but we're really not worried - that's why we homeschool, eh?  It's going well, and he is progressing nicely.

All the Garden boys are growing and growing up.  I can't believe that our sweetest little one is 3!!  He is so talkative and imaginative lately.  It is so fun to spy on him when he is playing.

I've been sewing some maternity items, and I've started a couple of blankets for the new baby.  It started out as an act of hope and faith, but now I can't decide which one, and I guess if we find out gender next Thursday, that will determine which one gets finished. ;)  One is out of a superwash wool in peach and terracotta.  The other is a pinwheel blanket out of a variegated cotton - peach, brown, and cream.  I'm trying to stay neutral, but you can tell that the neutrals do have a little more of a "girl" flavor.  If it's a boy, I'll finish the peach/terracotta blanket and crochet a boyish trim in brown.

Can't think of much else, and I must be off to finish supper.  I have to take a meal to a family from our church, so I need to get hopping!

Haven't been here in so long.  I was thinking of letting the blog go, but I just can't do it yet...

I'm 25 weeks pregnant now.  Baby is moving, growing, and all those good things.  We are blessed to have another healthy baby boy growing inside.  I am praying lots for patience and endurance, though.  The discomforts of pregnancy have hit earlier this time, and it takes a lot of patience not to blow up like I used to. 

I can't remember if I posted about having appendicitis at 13 weeks.  It was pretty scary, and really painful.  Fortunately, my appendix was removed before it ruptured, and the recovery wasn't as long as it could've been.  I still have to take care about overdoing it, but I've been back to "near normal" for quite some time, so I'm sure that this is where it's going to stay until after David is born.

If anyone is still reading, please comment and let me know how you're doing!  I don't remember the last time I was back here!!

I have a confession to make.  I really love watching Biggest Loser on NBC.  I don't normally waste my time watching much TV anymore, unless it's to rest on the couch while the boys watch PBS Kids or a movie with the family.  However, the one show that we watch regularly is Biggest Loser.  See, DH needs to lose a little weight and I think seeing the successes of people much bigger than him really helps keep him motivated.  And for me, I love seeing how some of these people come on to change their health for the better, usually for their family's sake.  For example.  Ken from the Red Team was voted off tonight (a decision I think Red Team will come to regret), but to see how much weight he has lost since he was eliminated is nothing short of amazing.  He lost more at home than at the ranch, and even helped his wife lose 50 pounds.  The pictures they showed of them look great!!!  It's stories like these that really warm your heart.

One contestant that we've been watching fondly is Bobby from the Blue Team.  Bobby reminds us so much of DH's childhood friend, Troy.  Their personalities are similar, and they look like they could be cousins at the least.  And Marty looks like a ringer for Troy when he was much younger, and also seems to have a nice personality.  These men have made amazing strides in their weight loss goals, not to mention the other men on the Blue Team, Eric and Brian.  So, our favorite team is the Blue Team where the men are in it to be healthier for their families, and they truly are a team.

So, that was my confession.  I really like to watch Biggest Loser, and my favorite team is the Blue Team because it is full of men who seem to have really sweet personalities and love their families enough to leave them for 3+ months to try to lose weight and get healthy.  I can't wait until next week!

Well, after a long hiatus, I'm back.  We've had company, been sick, and started a remodeling project here, so not a lot of time to get online and blog.  Fortunately, the visit was nice, we're starting to get better, and the remodeling is going pretty well, IMO.  But, tonight, I needed an easy supper.  It doesn't get any easier than breakfast for supper.  Sometimes, it's really easy, but I did feel like cooking, so we made DH's favorite - biscuits and gravy.  Some of you might recall that DH cannot have dairy, but there is a way to make excellent biscuits and gravy with nary a drop of milk.  Here's my method.

Brown a pound of your favorite sausage in a pan.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven.  My biscuit "recipe" (aka, the Bisquick box) recommends 450, which takes a while with my oven.  So, after the sausage browns, I let it hang out while I mix up the Bisquick.  I use unsweetened soymilk or rice milk in place of the milk.  After I get my biscuits ready to go, I turn my attention back to the sausage.  Transfer your sausage to a bowl, and have it ready by your stove.  Then, if you need a little more fat in your pan, add Earth Balance (dairy free margarine) and melt it.  Also add flour and mix well.  I eyeball it, so no real measurements for this gal.  When the flour and margarine are well mixed and have cooked a bit, add unsweetened soymilk.  I think I use about 3 cups for a pound of browned sausage.  Whisk the flour and milk together really well (my secret for no lumps) and bring to boil, stirring constantly.  When it is thick, add your sausage and reheat.  By this time, your biscuits should be close to done, because the oven gets done preheating sometime during your gravy making stage.

When your biscuits are done and your gravy is made, put it together for a fairly quick and very simple breakfast for supper - dairy free, even! :)

I'm not sure what the temp is now, but it was in the 30s this morning, with a wind chill of 21.  It's a blustery fall day that one would normally find in mid-November rather than October.

However, it is a good day for snuggling up with the kiddos and making all sorts of yummy comfort food.  Tonight we're having crockpot BBQ Beef (beef roast seared on all sides, then placed in the crockpot and drowned in BBQ sauce, shredded when cooked through), probably some baked Hubbard squash, broccoli, and homemade rolls.  I can't wait!!!  Tomorrow is supposed to be just as chilly and windy as today, so we're going to have some white chicken chili tomorrow, and my mouth is watering for that, too!

Enjoy your fall day and spend some time snuggling the ones you love!