I find myself changing more and more each day

I am not sure that I am going to finish school, school costs a lot of money.  Also I am not exactly sure that I ever want to go back to "work".  I enjoy being a homemaker and want to explore the more natural ways of living life and using the things that God has provided for us.

Right now I am on a search for the perfect book about foraging in Missouri/the Midwest.  I can't wait until Spring so I can find out what all we have growing around here.  I want to get back to my roots, my deep roots.  I want to be the more hippy type - I want to use natural remedies, essential oils, make my own soap, etc.  I want to grow an economical garden, I want to provide my family with the best.

Yes I still want to teach, but I don't think I would be allowed to teach what I want to teach.  Maybe after I am more versed in the things I want to learn I could teach others about them.  Teach others how to truly fend for themselves.  I like not relying on the government for handouts, it feels so powerful.  I used to be so ashamed because we were on foodstamps, not now anymore since we gave them up.  Still are not making any more money, but I feel more empowered.  I feel like I have a better hold on our lives.

I know things will be hard for awhile, money wise.  I hope though to get all our debt payed off and live off the land.  Quit depending on new material things.  In my dream world we would rely mostly on bartering, not cash.  Barter for things that you can not easily obtain.  Live like our ancestors many moons ago.  Money has become a big issue for me, and it is slowly tearing our world apart.  Everything seems to boil down to money.

On other notes my orange extract that I made turned out quite nicely and the vanilla is coming along great!  Not sure what I am going to do with almost a fifth of vanilla, but I am sure I will find people that will want it, hopefully I can sell it.  Who knows though, right? lol

The egg business hasn't been going so well.  It sucks when the hens are not laying eggs at all.  Haven't got an egg in over a week and half.  Think I may have to buy eggs, which I haven't done in over a year or more.

Rabbit business is not going well considering all of our bucks have died and we have only does.  So no babies on the way.  Wish I could find a buck or two that has been proven.

Day 1 of No 'Poo

So far I like it!  My hair had a bunch of gunk in it really, I gelled it last night and slept in it.  I washed it in the baking soda water mixture and could already tell that it was working.  I had my doubts.  I then rinsed in some ACV and surprisingly my hair doesn't smell like vinegar, like I was afraid it would.  It feels so clean! Cleaner than it has felt in a long time!

This is the method that I am following: http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/ and hope to never have to buy shampoo again!

Withdrawn from the World

I have never been the person that has to have the "in" things.  Even in highschool all the girls were shopping at the mall and I shopped at MFA, Orchlens, or any other farm and home store that carried clothes.  You could usually find me in wranglers, boots, and t-shirts.  Even today I just wear whatever because clothes don't determine your personality, or at least they shouldn't.

I find myself becoming more and more withdrawn from this world.  In the back of my mind I do worry about it, but then I am glad for my decisions.  I am not into a lot of things that my friends are doing, I am very old fashioned I guess.

I thoroughly enjoy preserving foods, going to church, doing fun things with my family.  I want to learn more about foraging and gleaning.  I enjoy our little farm, I know we don't have as much as everyone else and as much as it doesn't bother me it does bother me.  I try not to let it bother me because I want my kids to care for things other than material things, but then everyone around them has the best toys and everything.  It is so hard for them.

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the DeHart side.  First we were late, well actually they changed the time to 1 and didn't let us know.  It was set for 2 and we got there at 1:45.  They all know it takes us 45 minutes to get to Weaubleau from our house plus yesterday was Sunday so we had church.  Our church is 12 miles in the opposite direction, and church got out at 12:30 so I thought we were making good time.  Some of Chris' family has started going to "church" but they are still not understanding.  His cousin said something to me about why we were late and she asked why we didn't just go to the morning service.  I laughed and said there is only 1 service in the morning and I didn't think too kindly about churches that have planned out services - church is not about man's plan, it is letting God take command.  Our services are led by God, not by man.  I know she just doesn't understand that.  I also mentioned that we had to go home and change clothes - she looked at me and said oh- is your church one of those that require you to dress up? We just wear our jeans and t-shirts.  Our church sells t-shirts in their gift shop that are appropriate for church. AHHHH!  One it is not required there is no written law, but I feel you should dress your best for the Lord. Two church and gift shop should not be in the same sentence! Do you not remember Jesus and the money changers?? He threw them out!

Matthew 21:12-13

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

 ¹³And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

I know that not every church is right, but it aches way down in my soul when I think about all the wickedness in our so called "churches".

I guess I am just different.  I am happy though, so that should be the most important thing.  I am happy without the use of and iphone, ipad, ipod, whatever.  I don't have a phone that I can download apps on, I don't have the latest clothes, we don't eat out all the time, we would rather go thrift shopping than anything.  I often get ignored at family functions because my life isn't all that interesting, but oh well.  Their loss I guess.

For Christmas I want a sewing machine.  I probably won't get a new one, but I am on the lookout for a used one.  If I have too I will get my treadle one out of storage!  I am determined to learn how to sew.  I can't find clothes that I like, so I will make them.

I guess I am rambling along so I will stop...

Tis The season

For Thanksgiving that is.

Yesterday I made an awesome Cran-Apple Jam.  I just sorta made the recipe up - most of the recipes I had looked at called for lemon juice for acid.  Well I didn't have any lemon juice, but I had crushed pineapple.  So I used a can of crushed pineapple in it and it turned out awesome!

Here is my recipe:
Cranberry Apple Jam

2 bags Cranberries (approx 6 cups)
8-10 medium apples - I used 4 different varieties
1 20oz can of crushed pineapple
4-5 cups of sugar (taste before adding the fifth)

Mix everything together and cook down.  Bring to a rolling boil and hold 8-10 minutes or until thick and jam like.

Process in HWB pints 15 minutes, 1/2 pints 10 minutes.

Also wanted to share a Cranberry Salad recipe that is our Thanksgiving's Cranberry Staple.  We don't do he canned stuff and Thanksgiving would not be the same without this stuff:

Cranberry salad

1 package raw cranberries ground up in a food processor add 2 cups sugar  set aside for 1 hour

Then take 2 large packages of Jell-o (cherry or Strawberry) – prepare and set until syrupy.

Then add 1 large can crushed pineapple drained add cranberry mixture and add pecans.  Let set up and then serve.

We usually halve the recipe for our Thanksgiving though.  This recipe is from a lady named Tess Dukes.  She was one of the best cooks I know.

Money is the Root of all Evil

I have heard that Money is the Root of all EVIL all of my life.  I never really thought about it until these past few months.  Everything revolves around money it seems.  Life revolves around money.  Life should revolve around happiness but in many families it does not.  Now I know happiness can be defined in many different ways.  Different things make different people happy.  Personally I am happy if everyone in my family is happy and taken care of.

Tonight Chris and I decided to quit using food stamps.  We have been on them for 4 years this month.  I can a lot of things, and we have a lot of meat in the freezers.  We are surrounded by animals.  God is providing for us but we are overlooking Him.  The government wants us to fail.  They don’t want us to make money.  Money IS the root of ALL evil. 

I will continue to go to school if I can if I can’t afford it I will just quit and substitute teach.  After this semester I will have enough credits to do so. 

I have dreams, but they can be put back on the back burner- they are unimportant.  My children come first.  I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that they are doing without, but I want them to know how to be frugal.  I don’t want my kids to be the weird kids, but I want them to set a statement and be different.  I know they already are different, but good different.  It is better for them I know. 

We are not going to eat out anymore.  We went to El Rodeo for my birthday a couple weeks ago and I was disgusted.  Usually El Rodeo is my favorite place to eat.  My food wasn’t cooked very well, proportions were smaller than usual and it was expensive.  Why did I waste money on that? Especially when we could have made it at home?  I just can’t hardly eat out anymore.  I literally get sick every time I do.  Not only do I feel queasy but the prices are just crazy expensive.

Money is the ROOT of ALL EVIL.

Why We Shoot Deer in the WILD

Copied this from a friend's facebook page...

Why we shoot deer in the wild (A letter from someone who wants to remain anonymous, who farms, writes well and actually tried this)

I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold..

The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope .., and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.

That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no Chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined.. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.

A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.

Did you know that deer bite?

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ..... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.

The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.

This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.

Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope......to sort of even the odds!!

All these events are true so help me God... An Educated Farmer.

I haven't done a picture post in awhile...

Home Cookin'

So today I have spent most of the day cooking just because I love to cook.  I started this morning around 10 am with a Pike's Peak Roast.  Our roasts are usually around 3-4 lbs.  I thawed it a bit in the sink.  In a skillet I put a bit of vegetable oil, some Cavender's Greek Seasoning, and a bit of Soy Sauce. Mix together and sear the roast in the pan.  Be sure to get all sides of roast.  I use an 8 quart crock pot.  Add some water - about 3 inches high, onion soup mix, and a large onion quartered. Add roast and season with some more Cavenders. Cover roast with water. Turn on High.

After about 5 hours or so add some carrots and potatoes. (I have added frozen green beans and corn before too...)  You may need to remove some broth to put the carrots and potatoes in.  Be sure to save the broth.

In about 3 hours the potatoes and carrots should be done.  Take roast and veggies out.  Serve with Fresh Homemade Old Fashioned White bread and enjoy!

With the leftovers of the roast (if there are any) you can make a great beef stew.  Add more vegetables if needed or wanted.  Add broth you took out.  If you have ate all the potatoes it is great with homemade noodles.  (I wouldn't do both potatoes and noodles--too much starch).

Cowboy Candy

Yep I said it Cowboy Candy.  I usually am not a trend follower but this seems to be a rising trend on the Canning group on Facebook.  A fellow blogger/ facebook friend posted about this stuff in her blog HERE I deviated away from her recipe a bit to make it fit my available supplies.  Here is my recipe:

3 lbs Jalapeno Peppers, sliced (seeds are your choice)
1 medium Red Onion, diced
1 red Bell pepper, diced (for color)
2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
5 Cups Sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seed
3 Tsp garlic powder
2-3 pinches Chili Powder

Mix everything except peppers and onion in LARGE stockpot.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 5 minutes.  Add peppers and onion, stir well, simmer for 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon pack jars with peppers.  Be sure to pack jars tight.  Return vinegar mixture to the stove and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Ladle syrup over peppers, adjust 2 piece lids, and can in Hot Water Bath canner.  Process half pints for 10 minutes and pints for 15 minutes.

I had 5 half pints and 2 pints when I made this recipe.

Been canning again...

Today I made pear sauce and pears in light syrup.  Have lots more pears to can still though. Not sure what else I am going to make.

Tonight I canned a first for me- Chocolate sauce, but this isn't ordinary sauce.  It tastes like liquid Oreos! OMGoodness it is delicious! I found the recipe HERE and I used Black Cocoa.  OH MY seriously! This is the best stuff ever!

Happy Halloween!

We went trick or treating in the good ol town of Weaubleau last night.  We had a lot of fun.  Cooper loved it this year, he seemed to really get into the trick or treating thing. lol

The only problem today is that Cooper and Sophia wants to eat ALL of their candy now.  Cooper got up this morning super early and ate a bunch.  I hate the fact that I have to hide it from them, but they are like starving dogs after raw meat when it comes to candy.  I don't know why my kids have to be like that.  It drives me insane.