The Return to the north

The Return to the north

Monday January 17, 2011

The return to the north where there is lots

of snow.  We are here in New Jersey for

a couple of days.  I have to say it was wierd

coming back to my house. 

All different kinds of emotions ran through

my brain.  We seem to be at a spot that we

have not moved ahead.  God is good though

he has a plan.  My faith is in Him.  He will carry

us through this season.

I will be moving my blog to new address. 

So come on over as I begin my new adventure 

in Kentucky.

http://thekentuckyhomesteader.blogspot.com/

There has been lots going on since October.

Moving to Kentucky and living with my Mom

has been an adjustment.  God is good he has

placed in a great church in Kentucky.

We are truly blessed.

Our new home will be called Faith Lane Farm

You can follow our journey.

.http://woodlandirises.blogspot.com/

The Creek

The Creek
Wednesday December 7, 2010

The last warm day we had I took
a walk down by the creek. Follow as we
walk through the gate.

Looking at all the little things down by the creek.
Its always interesting to see how crazy the
roots of trees will grow by the water.
For this creek its been awhile since it had
water in its bed. It also seems they grow
rocks here.

Snow

Snow
December 5, 2010

Joy! Joy!
Light snow here in Kentucky.

Raw Milk
Thursday December 2, 2010

Raw milk is something I love to drink.
Now, that I am surrounded by milk farms
I am hoping to get milk.



Well, we visited a small Amish farm
today.
I got a gallon of fresh milk.
Joy! Joy!

Living in Kentucky

Living in Kentucky
Wednesday November 25, 2010

We are done with the move.
We have been in Kentucky for about
a week. Its been a very busy time for us.
Putting our belongings into storage.
Finding places for things at my mom's
home.
Our new adventure has begun.
We will start new relationships and
rebuild old ones. It is delightful to be
surrounded by siblings once again.
I love the feeling of a large family.

Our church family has been enlarged,
now it will include two churches.
The one we have in New Jersey and the
new one Mill Creek Baptist Church in
Kentucky.

Getting Ready For the move

Getting Ready For the Move
Friday October 22, 2010

Moving from New Jersey to Kentucky
will be quite a change.
I am going from living in the woods, to the
rolling hills of Kentucky.

I have to say this week I am is liking the
open prairie feeling.

Saving the children

Saving the Children
Friday October 15, 2010

Saving the children is something that lays
on my heart everyday.
I am not talking about my biological
children. I am talking about the children who
are not eating today.
There are people in Nicaragua who are scraping
the garbage for food.
This just bring tears to my eyes.

If you think you live on a tight budget.
There are people who are worse off than you.

There some things that God will lay on your
heart to do. I believe I will go to Nicaragua
to help the starving children.

My church has been involved with Beyond Partnership
in working with some pastors over there.

Please pray for my vision to help the people of
Nicaragua. My husband and want to teach people
how to grow their own food. Then there will not
be any more starving people.

Frugal Tip

Frugal Tip
Tuesday October 12

If you had to grow what you ate, could you?
Well, I do try. Everyday I can learn something
new to improve my life as a homesteader.




Growing herbs for the winter is a fairly easy task.
Just cut, tie and hang.
I hang them right in my kitchen. When they dry
just take a large bowl and strip the leaves from the
stem and place in a glass jar. Label and you have
tea.

Growing mint is fairly easy as if you get one plant
it will turn into a large patch. Just remember
mint likes to spread. Putting them in pots first can
be one way to control their spreading. If you want
them in your garden put the whole pot right in the
soil. If your space is limited put on your deck.

Frugal tip is what did you pay for that one plant
probably will give an abundance of tea.
More than you could drink yourself.
So invite a friend over and share a cup of tea.

Frugal Tip

Frugal Tip
Tuesday October 5, 2010

How not to go to the grocery store!
I avoid going to the grocery store on purpose.
You may ask Why?
It is a money trap!


Can you not go to the grocery store for
the whole month.
I know for some this may seem upsurd.
It may help you become a better planner.
I am all about planning as it helps me
with my daily life.

In the month of October it should be easy.
Lots of baking of items for the family.

Yesterday my daughter and I made
apple muffins for breakfast.
We got oh what did you make?
It is a great treat for my family. As we
don't buy cereal from the store.
What we eat for breakfast I am usually
coming up with by making something.
Whether it be pancakes, waffles,
muffins, eggs, yogurt to name a few.

Let me inspire you to see what you
can make this month!

Frugal Tip

Frugal Tip
Tuesday September 21, 2010

In the fall I try to visit farms.
I buy fruit in bulk. Then I come home
and preserve the food.

Peaches probably are one of my favorite
items to get. This year I was able to buy
them for about 20 cents a peach. I buy
the seconds which aren't perfect, but
tasty. So far I have canned about 16
jars and froze about 16 jars.
I almost forgot last week I produced
one of my favorites,
Peach Butter. That will be all the
peach items for this year.

Saturday Sewing

Saturday Sewing
Saturday September 19, 2010


Saturday sewing is always pleasant.
In the fall I always seem to start doing
a lot more sewing. Isn't it great to think
about different things you would like to make?
I love to do that. So today I am starting new
sewing project.

A nightgown!
I am attempting to do pleating on this
garment. Today I spent the afternoon
cutting the pattern out.

I was pondering again on how much
would a woman in pioneer days spend
sewing?

I am sure its a lot more than what I spend
doing? Once or twice a week. She probably
spent every evening sewing. Since her days
were spent preparing meals.

Just some thoughts !

Geraniums in the Window

Friday September 17

It is the simple things of life that make
living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental
things such as love and duty, work
and rest, and living close to nature.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

What flowers are blooming in your garden?

What Flowers are Blooming in your Garden?
Wednesday September 8, 2010


These are pink cosmos that we continue
to plant year after year. These guys got
really tall this year in the middle of the garden!

Four O' Clock Marbles, you got to love these
little flowers. The flowers open in the morning
and the evening. They are closed all day though.
The seeds are large and black when they are ready
to be collected. I have these with my lavender plants.
This group is multi colored. We purchased these
seeds from Select Seeds and they are heirloom
flowers.

Here is a flower I planted at the beginning
of July, Benary Zinnias.

Flowers on the Table
That is one good reason to grow
cut flowers.

Enjoy the flowers!
See Gods Glorious Work!

Raising A Son

Raising A Son


I was thinking today about a few things.
The years have gone by when my boy was
young.


We would spend the afternoon at the beach.
Making sand castles and he was dreaming of
being a warrior.


He will always be my little warrior!

Tomato still coming in !

Tomatoes Still Coming In!
Wednesday September 1, 2010






This tomato was just a lonely volunteer plant.
I pulled it up and stuck it right in the garden.
Look what it produced!
It weighed in at 12.2 oz
Nice!

Frugal Tip

Frugal Tip
Tuesday
Tuesday August 31, 2010

Buying homeschool books can be
expensive. It definitly is an investment
into your childrens lives. I have learned
to buy these items on used curriculum sites.
Yahoo has many different types of message
boards you can be part of. There is also ebay
of course and craigs list.
Today I have been going through over 10 years
of education material. I am hoping to make my
load to Kentucky a lot lighter.

Why I homeschool?

Why I homeschool?
Friday August 26, 2010

You wake up one morning and ask
Why do I homeschool? Well, I have
pondered this question many times.

I need to teach my children about Jesus.
Because this is what is important to my
husband and I. We don't care for the things
the world teaches our children.

I love teaching to my children in a family
environment. Where Jesus comes first.
Everyone learns how to live with each other.
It is important to teach children that family
comes first. When my first son was home with
us he was involved in the daily activities. He
helped make dinner and do other activites that
needed to be done. The best part is we did
it together. We learned many things about
each other both good and bad.

My son struggled with ADHD and we
learned how to help him through his diet.
Ritalin was never a consideration.
Through our trials we learned the
way God wanted us to be a family.

Becoming a christian while homeschooling
was how God became the center of our life.

Eggplant

Eggplant
Thursday August 19, 2010

Eggplant got a slow start this year. To be
truthful, it always gets the backseat to
everything else. This year I have 15 plants.
They are all about the size of the eggplant in the
picture.


Below I planted a few late bloomers on the deck.
The deck gets a huge amount of sun. Why not
grow late season plants that still need the heat
to keep them producing. We will see which ones
do better, the ones in the garden or on the deck.

Happy growing!

Barley

Barley
Tuesday August 10, 2010

What can you do with it?
Its very sensible to put it in your diet.
The cost is very small.
I bought barley for 1.79 lb, the
beans were 1.45 lb and the tomatoes
are from my garden.
Especially, when you come into
the kitchen and you want something
to eat. Here's a great cold salad.


Barley and White Bean Salad
with Parsley-Caper Dressing

Barley Salad

1 1/2 cups barley cooked in broth
15 oz of cooked navy beans
chopped parsley or basil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 medium garlic chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped

Cook your barley in chicken
broth for 25 minutes, then
add navy beans, chopped garlic
and onion to pot and let
them warm in the pan. Then,
place in bowl and add your dressing
and toss. Adding your dressing while
the barley and beans are warm is extremly
important. The flavors will soak in much better
when they are warm than cold. Then,
add the rest of the ingredients and chill.


Dressing for salad
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of capers
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley

Recipe taken from
A year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
by Jack Bishop

Planning

Planning
Thursday August 5, 2010

Many, many years ago my husband and
I began thinking how we were going
live a more frugal lifestyle. I began
reading a book called The Tight Wad Gazette.
This is a great book showing how one family
starting saving money for their future home.
This idea to me seemed like a great plan.
Since, my dream was to one day leave NJ.
I must figure out a way to live more frugally
than I was already living. That is when I decided
every dollar counts. That means if I could save
a dollar on one thing whether in groceries. or
some other way. That dollar I saved would go
to pay extra on my mortgage. Month by month
I would track where I was saving. I began
investing a certain amount of time each week
devoted to working on my budget. If you don't
plan for something how will your dreams ever
become reality. The first step was to plan what
I was going to do and how was I going to get there.
Being a stay at home mom, I had the means to plan
for our future. Learning to plan many things in our
lives has helped us make these plans work.


The biggest way I know how to plan for is the food
budget. When you make all your own food you will
begin seeing how the savings will add up. This will
not just happen for you if you don't plan for it.

This will take some time so make sure you set time
aside for meal planning. Meal planning I also feel
helps you understand what you have in your cabinets.
You will know what is in your pantry. This is an area
to stop overspending.

Making clothes I feel is another way in savings. This
has been something I learn to plan into my week.
This works quite well in the winter. This is an
area I struggle with in the summer months.
I have only made a few items this summer for
my daughter. But I am on a role now.

I can start new everyday and strive to
do better. With the Lords help I can do
many things in His strength.