The other day, while getting showered and ready for the day, I heard some banging noises. This is actually not unusual, because the older gentleman that lives next door, is often hammering at one thing or another daily (he breaks down metal to sell or something). However, as I came out of the bedroom and into my kitchen, I noticed that the noises sounded a little closer than usual. I had the windows open on the backside of the house (where the chicken coop is) and it sounded as if the banging and screeching (at this point) sounds were coming from right outside of the window! Concerned, I went over to the window, while at the same time calling AJ's name to see if he was anywhere out there and could check on the girls for me, and investigate the source of the racket. Then he answered, and told me that HE was the source of the racket ...
All of those "motherly" thoughts began to run through my head of "oh my goodness, what is that child breaking now?" and "ugh! let me go out here and see what the damage is this time", etc... So, I throw on my outside adornments, gave myself a pep talk of how I'd try not to yell, and even grabbed the camera (mainly to have proof of what happens when an only child is left to his own devices for only a few moments, but saying out loud, that I may as well take some pics of the fall crops coming in). So I take a deep breath, round the corner (slowly, like a stealth ninja), and I see this...
He took it upon himself to build a latch for the chicken pen, "because Daddy hadn't gotten around to it", and he was "concerned about their safety".
Here's a pic of it before (yes, that tiny little yellow thing at the foot of the gate is what we've used for the last 3 mos to "secure" the gate, lol - it only gave us security, NOT the chickens!) (and yes, that's a chicken on the OUTSIDE of the pen ):
And after:
I must say he did a darn good job too, but man I felt lousy for all the thoughts that ran through my head! I was however, one proud momma!
Soooooooooo, one of our biggest fears became a reality this past Friday, and put a damper on our weekend. My suspicions were confirmed after many weeks of wondering and waiting (for eggs!), when we found out that my hubby's beloved little "hen", Nugget, is a rooster!!! So the clock is ticking as we scramble to find a place for that little guy, that is as FAR away from our home as possible. If there is any steadfast rules we Suburban Homesteaders agree on its NO ROOSTERS!! He has not gotten his manly voice completely, yet, so they are just half-hearted "wannabe" crows (hey, maybe he does belong here w/the wannabe, lol), but believe me it is just a matter of days before it becomes the real thing. An anyone that really knows about chickens know that roosters do not just crow at the break of day, and that's it. Oh no! They crow ALL DAY LONG!!! And that's what he spends all day doing now, practicing for his big crowing debut.
Oh, man. I don't think the State Trooper next door, will be too happy on that day.....
I got a comment on my last post from 2boysmom about limiting my son's time w/that particular cousin. And I gotta tell you, I couldn't agree more!. His time has been limited for quite a while now.
We began limiting his time w/this particular cousin with the very first signs of growing pains, that's why I noted the little comments my SIL was saying back in 5th grade. She thought some of it was cute, and other things she just thought was part of being a boy. Well, I beg to differ. I will not just sit by idly while my son just does whatever, and dismiss it as "oh its just part of growing up" or "man, I can't believe it's time for this already". Those are the types of comments she makes about his behavior, as if she has to adjust her life according to his whims and fancy's because it's just *time* for that particular behavior to start. From the very beginning, I saw her take on that mentality, and I knew that there would be major changes in her son because of it. That's when I began to warn my son, with the old mother's cry, "you just watch the changes that you'll see in that boy when he hits middle school", and now he admittedly sees them. It's very sad, but we are glad that we made the decision when we did to lessen the time that those two spent together (only a few times/year for the last couple of years).
I hate that we have to be that way with family, but I do believe that's why Jesus was so clear on *who* exactly the word "family" included. So that we wouldn't feel so obligated to be around certain people, simply because we share the same blood. Sometimes, it seems that we can get so wrapped up in, "but they're family", instead of truly realizing the effects that being around them may have on our/our child(ren)'s spirituality, that we end up cuttting off our nose to spite our face, know what I mean?
While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matt.12:46-50
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
Luke 14:26-27
"Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
Luke 12:49-53
***Of course, we convince ourselves that we are having compassion, or are "witnessing" to them (I mean, how will they ever get saved w/o us ). But fortunately, Jesus was quite clear on how we handle that as well. And it was not from spending unlimited amounts of time w/them. If we don't monitor time spent with non believers, even if they're family, someone will begin to change. And if its not them, then guess who?***
Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them." Mark 6:10
NOTE: all scripture emphasis (bold/underline/italics) added by me
Today we were invited to my sister in law's house for a small BBQ (just our fam and hers). She has 2 boys one, age 8, and the other is the same age as my son (12 - they were born only a month apart). Being so close in age, the two older boys had always been rather close, and enjoyed each other's company. AJ could not wait for family gatherings, so that the two of them could run off, and ride bikes, play hide-and-seek, etc. For quite some time, they even lived right around the corner from us, so they just went back and forth over the two houses, especially in the summer. When my SIL was going through a rough time, with a divorce and other issues, the boys were practically living with us. I would get them dressed, feed them, and take them to school in the morning, and often the school would even call me when problems arose. The boys were very loving, playful, and my son enjoyed spending time with them. Eventually my SIL got back on track and her and the kids moved about an hour away. The boys began seeing each other less, yet still relished in the few rare occasions when the families got together. And then it happened...
Public Middle School
I knew it would, and I tried to prep my son for it but the inevitable split began. It was ever so slight. On the first couple of visits we had we began to notice little things. My son would come back complaining about being teased about homeschool/personal beliefs. My SIL would say things like "I don't know his [her son's?!] email address", and "he's got a little crush", "he doesn't want to be seen w/me" during his 5th/6th grade years... Then as time progressed (7th grade) she'd say "he's talking to some girl on his MySpace", "he heard that he could get mono from kissing, so he asked me to have him vaccinated", and "he wants to go to the movies with his little girlfriend, and asked if I could drop them off/pick them up".... All the while she is talking in a rather everyday tone, as if this is just the way it is at that age (12- remember?) and my mouth is on the floor.
Fast forward to today. While catching up on the past couple months w/my SIL, and my hubby chatting and watching the game with her boyfriend. I would often notice her 12 yo come in and out of the kitchen by himself, and I'd often ponder, "that's weird, where's AJ"? Then whenever I'd see AJ, I'd notice something that piqued my interest further, he'd be running around playing and having a good time...with the 8 year old! I only saw the two twelve year olds' in the same vicinity maybe once or twice. I finally asked someone where the kids were, and they said the my son had been playing legos in the 8yo's room, and the 12yo was in his room alone.
So on the way home I asked AJ the magic question. "Are you beginning to notice a difference in his behavior?" And he spilled the beans, he said that all the older boy did the entire time was text on his cell phone, and play video games. Every once in a while he would attempt to muscle his little bro and AJ into playing some sort of game of his choosing, which usually involved him pounding his little brother. When AJ would refuse, or suggest a more fair way of playing, he would result to name calling, hitting, or just leaving. In AJ's own words, "I don't understand Mama, he just seems so 'cocky', he's not any fun anymore, I'd rather play with [his little cousin] instead". He told us that he was called the "f" word (3 letter, meaning gay), and the "p" word (then he clarified, the "p-e" word, mom--5 letters, indicating the male pelvic region) over and over throughout the day. When my son threatened to tell his parents, he told him to go ahead, he wouldn't get in trouble. How sad that these words that my son still feels are as bad as any 4 letter word, are tossed around so freely.
So, once my son came to the conclusion that he would get along better with the younger son, we commended him for his assessment. Then we once again reminded him of the conversation we'd had just a couple years ago. As his friends progress through the "grade levels" of the public school system (not that it couldn't happen among HSers, but all the more, we feel, w/PSers), he will undoubtedly see greater and greater changes in the way that they live, vs. the way that he/we have chosen to live. When those times come, we pray that the Lord will continue to provide him with the strength to act as he did today. Standing up for those that are being wronged, and staying true to who he is in Christ.
Forced maturity, just another sad reality of the public school system....
I've been making tons of tomato sauce and canning it up for winter and planned on showing you all my pics of how I did. But Crystal has posted such an awesome tutorial on her blog that I decided to just refer you to the expert! LOL She always does such an awesome job of step by step methods of things that many of us want to do, but never really learned how. I wish I saw her post before I did mine, because she doesn't even peel her tomatoes! With the exception of my frozen ones I blanched and peeled EVERY single tomato for my sauces, talk about time consuming, lol. Ya learn something new every day though, I guess.
One of the things that I love doing w/my homemade tomato sauce is to make pizza sauce for homemade pizza. Every Thursday is Family Movie Night for us, and we have homemade pizza and watch Little House on the Prairie (or similar, family oriented wholesome show). Since we do not have TV, this is actually a big deal for us and is looked forward to all week long, lol. I thought I'd share some of my favorite whole wheat pizza crusts. We have two that we really enjoy, and are most often in the rotation (although I may try other recipes on occasion just for a change of pace) so I consider them to be "tried & true."
Today I'll share our most favorite. This is a pan pizza recipe ( similar to the old Pizza Hut pan pizza - they reformulated their recipe in the last few years and it's just not the same) Pizza Hut's "pan pizza" literally meant "pizza fried in pan", so although it is whole wheat, that does not mean that it's the the ultimate picture of health, though it will still have far more health benefits than ANYTHING you would get from Pizza Hut, lol. A big portion of the "health factor" is also in what you decide to put ON the pizza. I have served pizza's on this crust to many friends and family and have never had complaints (actually more like requests for more!) I've even gone over to friends/family's home and made it for their family before (including out of town family, & sometimes the same house many times!). So I hope that your family will enjoy it as well.
Whole Wheat Pizza Hut "Original Pan" Pizza
Dough:
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour (you can start with 1/2 all-purpose or bread flour, if you're worried about texture, however I use all White Whole Wheat, and have for several years now)
1 Tblspn sugar or honey
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 pkg (2 1/4tsp) instant yeast (if you don't have instant be sure to activate yeast first in a little of the water)
2 Tblspn Olive oil
*If using all whole wheat flour, for best results soak your flour with 1-2Tblspns lemon juice or yogurt, and the honey from the recipe overnight, if desired for better digestion and a softer dough. If not, you may skip this optional step.
1. Combine in bread machine (or mixer) and knead for 10-20 minutes or until kneading cycle (not entire dough cycle, just until machine stops kneading) is finished.
2. Remove the dough, on a floured surface, and divide into 3 balls.
3. In three 9-inch cake pans, put 2-4 Tblspns oil in each, and spread evenly on bottom of pan (the bottom of the pan should be covered with the oil)
4. Roll each dough ball into a 9 in circle and place in prepared pan. Spray outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate and allow to rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Sauce:
1 (8oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp each marjoram, dried basil, and garlic salt
*combine and let sit 1 hour
Toppings: 1 lb mozzerella cheese, meat/veggies, of choice
For each 9-inch pizza: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. (I prefer to precook the dough for about 5-8 minutes at this point, but this is up to you) Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1 inch of edge. Distribute about 1/3cup mozzarella cheese on sauce. Place toppings on cheese (meats, veggies, etc), then top with another 3/4c cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is browned, 15-20 minutes (maybe another 8-10 if you prebaked crust before topping). Cover with foil sprayed with Pam if the top is cooking faster than the bottom.
So those are the basic instructions, and here's how I do it...
(ignore the herbs in the first 2 pics, this was actually for an herb crust I made another day, I'll share that recipe later)
actual dough, w/o herbs, lol
**Here's where white flour gets the most mileage in our home, for dusting countertops, and rolling out dough! LOL
**I only divide it into 2 (unequal) parts because I use one 12-inch pan for mom/dad and a 8-inch for AJ
**Now that I know about how much oil we like, I just pour enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
**Can you tell which one is AJ's? LOL (Hint: the one w/the least color!) Since Family Movie/Pizza Night is special, we let him have the toppings of choice
**for my guys, pizza is just not complete w/o wings, and some homemade ranch dressing!
Enjoy!
My big confession: OK, so I've been "using" homemade laundry soap for the last 2 years, but I can't honestly say that I've been "making" it,... my mom has. I've never actually made it myself. My mom recently moved out, but not before making me gallons of laundry detergent. So, to say the least, I've been spoiled. A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of detergent, and being accustomed to not buying any I had to figure something out. So I did a quick search and found some highly rated powdered laundry detergent recipes and have been making that ever since. After having to make my 3rd batch of detergent in a 2 week period, I realized that the powder is not quite as cost effective as the liquid/gel even thought it is definitely easier, lol. So I finally decided to stop being lazy, and begin my experiments of making my family's laundry gel. Sooooo, 20 youtube videos later (I have to be completely sure I've seen the process done, and fully understand it, lol) I've made my first attempt. I only made half a batch (5 gal recipe) because I only had a half bar of soap, and I was scared to mess up more than that. This way if I failed, I was just using what was on hand....
The recipe/video used Fels Naptha, Washing Soda, Borax, and water. I used Colgate's "Octagon"
(because it's what I had, what my mom always used, and I can't find Fels Naptha anywhere), but all other ingredients were the same. I just halved the recipe.
The video I watched (and paused at each step, lol) is from christianhomekeeper
And here's the end result (after sitting the recommended 24 hours in order to gel):
You can't really tell from the pic, but it had gelled completely! I was so excited!
And here's AJ pouring it into an old gallon vinegar container for me. (After I whisked it as she said in second video showing the finished product). This made me 2.5 gal, and after sitting in the bucket 24 hours and whisking, I poured it into 2 old laundry detergent containers (1 gal and 1 half gal) and the rest in the vinegar container (1 gal).
I know that making homemade laundry detergent is not new to most of you virtuous frugal ladies out there, but for me it was a first! Today is laundry day, so the proof is in the pudding, I'll let you know if it actually cleans, LOL!
In the meantime, for more frugal tips, head on over to the Home of Tightwad Tuesday hosted by Canadagirl!
I'm a wannabe in every sense of the word. I wanna be good enough to make it to heaven, but Jesus died because I will never be. I wanna be a mom of ten living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, training my girls to honor God & their husbands, by being content, happy homemakers...yet God has seen fit to bless us with the opportunity to help rear for Him two boys (22 and 12), in the middle of suburbia ;) I wanna be a helpmate to my husband in every way possible, yet more often than not, I'm in his way, lol. I wanna be the perfect parent, that raises perfect children, yet I am constantly humbled by the fact that only He is perfect, and I must allow him to lead. I wanna be the ultimate caretaker of my temple, and the pinnacle of health to all around me, yet no amount of healthy eating/exercise keeps me from dropping to my knees often, in need of healing from the Great Physician. I could go on and on about the the things that I am trying to be, but I invite you instead to come and join me as I travel on my path toward virtue... ~Proverbs 31:10-31~
... 
let me go out here and see what the damage is this time", etc... So, I throw on my outside adornments, gave myself a pep talk of how I'd try not to yell, and even grabbed the camera (mainly to have proof of what happens when an only child is left to his own devices for only a few moments, but saying out loud, that I may as well take some pics of the fall crops coming in). So I take a deep breath, round the corner (slowly, like a stealth ninja), and I see this...
):
I was however, one proud momma! 
So the clock is ticking as we scramble to find a place for that little guy, that is as FAR away from our home as possible. If there is any steadfast rules we Suburban Homesteaders agree on its NO ROOSTERS!! He has not gotten his manly voice completely, yet, so they are just half-hearted "wannabe" crows (hey, maybe he does belong here w/the wannabe, lol), but believe me it is just a matter of days before it becomes the real thing. An anyone that really knows about chickens know that roosters do not just crow at the break of day, and that's it. Oh no! They crow ALL DAY LONG!!! And that's what he spends all day doing now, practicing for his big crowing debut. 
). But fortunately, Jesus was quite clear on how we handle that as well. And it was not from spending unlimited amounts of time w/them. If we don't monitor time spent with non believers, even if they're family, someone will begin to change. And if its not them, then guess who?*** 
) Pizza Hut's "pan pizza" literally meant "pizza fried in pan", so although it is whole wheat, that does not mean that it's the the ultimate picture of health, though it will still have far more health benefits than ANYTHING you would get from Pizza Hut, lol. A big portion of the "health factor" is also in what you decide to put ON the pizza. I have served pizza's on this crust to many friends and family and have never had complaints (actually more like requests for more!) I've even gone over to friends/family's home and made it for their family before (including out of town family, & sometimes the same house many times!
actual dough, w/o herbs, lol
**Here's where white flour gets the most mileage in our home, for dusting countertops, and rolling out dough! LOL
**I only divide it into 2 (unequal) parts because I use one 12-inch pan for mom/dad and a 8-inch for AJ 
**Now that I know about how much oil we like, I just pour enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
**Can you tell which one is AJ's? LOL (Hint: the one w/the least color!) Since Family Movie/Pizza Night is special, we let him have the toppings of choice 
**for my guys, pizza is just not complete w/o wings, and some homemade ranch dressing!
