The ramblings of a new homeschool mom as I attempt to teach not only the three R's but also godliness and holiness to my boys http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:36:00 -0600 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:36:00 -0600 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. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/746608/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:36:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/746608/ 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. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/745252/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:53:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/745252/ 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. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/745039/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:51:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/745039/ 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. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/744957/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:00:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/744957/ 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.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/743303/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 11:03:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/743303/ 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. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/742742/ Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:21:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/742742/ 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! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/740120/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:07:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/740120/ 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! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/738466/ Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/738466/ 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! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/734528/ Thu, 8 Oct 2009 18:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/734528/ 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! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/732754/ Fri, 2 Oct 2009 19:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ezekielsgarden/732754/