Far North Farmgirls

Thrifting

2012-03-06T14:23:00.002-08:00

After last week's snow you would be amazed to know that the temperature here today reached 65 degrees. In the window my orchid is blooming and it feels like spring is in the air. I love the way this orchid comes back every year at this time and blooms for a few months before it quiets down again until next year. It is something I look forward to every year. Amazingly I got lazy last year and did not cut down the dead flower stalk and low and behold the tip of that stalk bloomed this year along with the new one.

In other news. I found this pair of binoculars in the local thrift store recently and picked them up. Perfect for spring time bird watching. With my daughter homeschooling this year we are considering adding Project FeederWatch to our list this spring. They have been getting a lot of use in the last few days with the warm and sunny days.

I also found these beautiful hot pads. I was drawn to the design and had to pick them up. Does anyone know what this pattern is? I would love to replicate these but I'm not sure how these were even created. In any case, these will be getting a lot of love and use around here.

Time for a Break

2012-03-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

It started about an hour ago. They are calling for about 8 inches by 9pm. The kids are off to friends for the night. Now at only 4:30 in the afternoon I sit alone. Total silence. I am not sure what to do with myself. Oh sure, I have plenty I could be doing. But there is something about the silence and the snow falling outside that makes me want to toss the to do list out the window. So with several hours of freedom I am thinking it might be time to curl up with a good book.

These two are new to my shelves. One came in from Paper Back Swap and the other was an amazing find from the local thrift store. Yes, I think it's a good night for reading.

My Little Farmgirl

2012-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

We are slowly finding our groove in our homeschooling day, and things are going amazingly well. One thing I felt was missing in our day was hands on work. As a farmgirl sister over at Mary Janes Farm, we have been slowly working on the young cultivators certificates. So why not make it an official part of our homeschool day. So today I put together a simple folder.

The eight tabs break down the 7 sections of certificates that she can choose from, and the 8th tab displays the certificates she has already earned. This will give her a visual aid on what she would like to work on that day. As we work our way through we date our completed work. I feel good that she is learning good old-fashioned "farmgirl" skills.

Natural Skin Care Development

2012-02-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am one of those people always on the search for a better way to take care of my family. Usually, I come across a tidbit here and there that I can incorporate into our own system, but recently I found this company, and something about them just hit home. I decided as a Christmas present to myself to sign-up for one of their courses. Have you every had that moment where you read something and said, "That's exactly how I feel?". That is why I would like to share with you that now through Valentine's Day they are giving away one copy of their brand new Natural Skin Care Development course. Just head over to this site and leave a comment for your chance to win. If you have ever been interested in creating all your own natural skin care products, I would encourage you to check them out. Good Luck.

Some Days You Just Have to Laugh

2012-02-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

Life is never dull, that is for sure. I spent this evening sitting at our local middle school, getting my oldest daughter prepared to start 7th grade in the fall. A year filled with switching rooms for classes. Extra activities that you have to try out for, gym uniforms and on it goes. She is so excited, and I am excited for her. My social butterfly will be coming into her own. At the same time we withdrew our youngest daughter from elementary school yesterday to bring her home to homeschool. Two different children with two different lives. It's on days like this that I just have to laugh at how interesting life can be. So the journey begins for both of them, each on their own path. I wonder what the coming days will bring.

Cat or Dog?

2012-01-31T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this quick picture of the dog sleeping in the kitten's bed. Does he really think he can fit?

Meet the Family

2012-01-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be time to introduce you to my four legged crew. We are a family of animal lovers, and we have had many come and go through our doors over the years. All though we cannot have "farm" animals where we live it is still nice to have company.

This is Heidi our Doberman and Blazer our Rotwieler/Shepard mix. They are both 5 years old. We have raised Heidi from a baby, but Blazer just came to us in the fall when our old dog passed away and we were worried about Heidi being along. The following week we found that Blazer was looking for a new home. It's been a perfect fit. They are both the biggest babies.

This is Kee-Kee. He is about 15 now. We found him roaming our neighborhood as a baby with no mom. He was named from the children who spent days chasing him. I finally was able to catch him and the name stuck. He is pretty skittish around people but loves most dogs.

Next in line is Oreo. This cutie came to us from my neice. She needed to find a home for her when she got some new pets.

And last but not least, this is Moses. Our newest little baby. My littlest has been with this one since he was two days old. He was the only survivor of his litter. I just couldn't let grandma give him to anybody else. He is now the responsibility of my 8 year old. I think it will be good for her. Most of our original pets were grown when my babies came along. I am a firm believer that all children who can have pets, should have pets. It was nice for them to have the opportunity to have one puppy and now one kitten to raise as there own. Not to mention the joy having animals around brings to everyone.

Time for Tea

2012-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

I must say that things are still in full swing around here. I have not had much time for posting, but I did want to stop and share this picture of the wonderful package I received last week. I recently participated in a tea cup swap. This package came in the mail last week and the timing could not have been better. With the whirlwind of activity going on at home, what I nice way to be able to relax and enjoy a break with a cup of tea.

What a Week

2012-01-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I've been here. What a week it has been. The little one spent the first part of the week sick and when I finally got her back to school the older one decide to fall on her elbow. X-rays showed that everything is okay, but she is in so much pain. In other news, I have spent time this week starting a new semester at the local college while finishing up a year long online program. Needless to say it has been absolutely crazy hear.

In between all the activity, I made these. Have you every started out with an idea in your head and come up with something completely off track that you were tempted to just toss it all. Well that was almost happened to these. In an attempt to recreate my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to sourdough, I ended up with something I wasn't expecting. I debated on tossing it but then decided to wing it and see what would happen. In the end we did a taste test, was it a cookie or a biscuit? It is a hybrid. 6 dozen were gone in two day. Huge success, but probably not worth the hassle of making. It was fun to play around in the kitchen though.

As if there was not enough excitement this week, a also received this package in the mail. My plate is pretty full but this course was just to good to pass up. I am taking the Family Herbalist Course from Vintage Remedies. It has always been an interest of mine to learn more about herbal and natural remedies. I have been working my granny a day through it all and hope to post some more pictures soon. I also received my tea cup from the tea cup exchange today.

This also came today. I have wonderful neighbors. They no longer needed this desk and I was in need of one to build my home office. It will be a perfect fit. All in all, it's been an exhausting but wonderful week.

A Very Productive Day

2012-01-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

It 's been a very busy weekend here. My oldest turned 12 this week and so this weekend was filled with 14 girls do what girls that age do and celebrating the last birthday before the teen years set in. I hid myself away to work on connecting my granny-a-day squares. Here is how it is progressing so far...

Originally I was going to wait and get a good stack of assorted colors going before I started connecting, but I decided to connect as I go instead. I really would like this project to take on a life of it's own and see what the outcome will be.

In other news, I decided it was about time to try out the buttermilk sourdough this morning with some chocolate chip cookies. Again, huge success.

SOURDOUGH OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup sourdough

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup oatmeal

1 1/4 cup white spelt flour

1 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by tablespoonful on to parchment paper covered cookie trays. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. These make a nice soft cookie. Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

Now my cookie jar is full. Something that has been missing from my kitchen for a while.

I also made up a huge batch of laundry detergent. Something I have been wanting to experiment with for a while. It felt good to be working my arms grating the soap. It reminded me how much we rely on convenience items that not so long ago were not available.

All in all I felt it was a very productive day. I hope your day was just as satisfying.

Finding a new home

2012-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I whipped up these very quick and easy friendship sourdough biscuits for breakfast. My sourdough jar has taken to overflowing lately and I was trying to use up some of the starter. These were a huge success. As much as I have tried to contain my very happy starter, it is still in overflow mode in my half gallon canning jar and so today...

It has moved into it's new home. I had picked up the bean crock at a yard sale for a few dollars a while back with the intent to use it for my sourdough starter. I think this will make a perfect roomy new home. As you can see from the picture it is very active. I have been so busy with this guy that I have been neglecting my other starters, so today I took them out and gave them a good feeding. I see major baking projects in my near future.

Surviving Off Off-Grid

2012-01-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a good read for the weekend, Surviving Off Off-Grid is currently available at Amazon for $0.99 on kindle. I'm not sure how long this will last so if you are interested in this I'd head over soon. I have heard so many wonderful things about this book. I can't wait to start reading it.

Settling In

2012-01-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well I have spent the last week doing some self check to make sure that all of the things on my plate are serving me. It been a refreshing week of weeding out some old items and ideas and planning some new projects. I have a lot to look forward to in the next few months but for now I am settling in to my days. The friendship starter is really going strong. I feed it every fifth day with 1 cup of milk, sugar and spelt flour. It is bubbling like crazy these days and is getting a lot of use. Today we made a batch of friendship cornbread....

It smells absolutely amazing. What I like about the friendship starter is that the recipes require no additional sugar. In other news I will be shipping out this special package tomorrow...

I joined a tea cup exchange this month and have spent the last few weeks searching through thrift shops for the perfect combination. I fell in love with this design and I hope the recipient will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed searching for it.

Granny a Day Update

2012-01-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

So after much research and several failed attempts, I think I finally have this granny square thing down. Nothing like a you tube video to get you up and going. I spent the rest of the afternoon whipping up these 6 squares so that I would be caught up from the first of the year. I decided to use yarn that I had in stock. I love the colors of this yarn. Not sure I love them in a granny square. With 360 days left to go, I am going to let this one flow and see what comes of it. You never know what unexpected beauty might be on the horizon. To get in on the fun just click on the Granny a Day button in the sidebar.

Granny-a-day!

2012-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Now that my prayer shawl is done, I have been thinking about my next project. Today I found it. I am joining Granny Square a Day. Each day for 2012 I will crochet one granny square. This is such a great project. Not to demanding, but just enough to force me to get in some relaxing crochet time each day. I encourage you to head on over and join the project. Stay tuned for updates on how things are going.

A Simple New Year

2012-01-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to have grandparents who believed in the "summer home". In his later years, my grandfather had a house built in his home town. On weekends they would head there to get away from it all. My father bought the house from them right before my grandfather died. I have many memories of time spent up there with family. So when I am looking to get away from it all, I head north. And so we brought in the new year on a quiet, relaxing note.

We built a fire and sat quietly reading, doing puzzles, and finishing up that crochet project I had been working on. Which is now complete. Yeah!

We baked up a pan of sourdough friendship bread, that was devoured with requests for more, and toasted in the new year with sparkling grape juice. We also listened to the wonderful sounds of the old player piano, peddled by my youngest daughter.

All in all, it was a wonderful and peaceful way to bring in the new year, and I feel very blessed to have this legacy to share with my children.

Thrifty Thursday and Soup's On

2011-12-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to search for at thrift stores is books, and so this week I would like to share two of my current favorite book finds.

I picked up Alaska Sourdough over the summer for a few dollars. It was to good to pass up. The down to earth format of this book makes you feel right at home in the tradition of sourdough. It is easily available through Amazon. I did have to laugh the other day when an older version of this book was pictured in an article on old cookbooks in the new issue of Grit magazine. An absolute read. The Bakery Lane Soup Bowl I picked up for 89 cents at our local Goodwill. It is full of recipes for soups, salads and breads from the Bakery Lane Soup Bowl. With the weather turning cold outside these two books make a perfect combination of comfort suppers. Simple, frugal and heartwarming meals of soup and bread are just what's in store for winter.

With that in mind this soup has been on the menu this week. I am great at throw together soup, and the children just love to dig in. This week's soup was a combination of:
1 can tomato juice
1 bottle carrot juice
2 bags of frozen peas
1 bag good quality pasta
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
I find making homemade soups with things I have on hand the easiest and healthiest way to feed my family. On those nights when I'm not feeling well, I can through together a whole food meal in minutes. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy a pot of homemade soup in the near future. Use what you have on hand and I assure you, your family will love you. You can also view this post over on Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS.

Crochet

2011-12-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

I use to be an avid crafter. In the last few years I had set it aside for other things. I missed that part of my life. For those of you who are crafters you know that when your not working on a project it feels like something is missing. Well it is time to integrate that part of me back in, and so I have a new project. This is a prayer shawl in the making. An opportunity for me to sit and think of others while a practice a skill that is such a part of me. If you have set aside your crafts, I encourage you to pick them back up in the new year. Even if only for a few minutes a day. The benefits of that time of relaxation is worth it in itself, but you will also have something beautiful to pass on to others. An early start on next years Christmas presents.

In the Kitchen

2011-12-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a few days and so much has been going on. This is all that is left of the chocolate sourdough cake. It was a huge sucess. I adapted the recipe from the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook to use 2 1/2 cups white spelt flour and buttermilk instead of milk. It actually made 2 9" cakes. One is unfrosted in the freezer for New Years. The icing is grandma's standby. Powdered sugar mixed with leftover coffee. Yum!!

This is a picture of the cinnamon rolls a made for breakfast with the friendship starter. The recipe was from Friendship Breads by Jackie Gannaway. The icing for this was pure luck. I did not have powdered sugar in the house when I made these. I decided to take 1 cup of turbinado sugar and 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder to the blender until it was a fine powder and then mixed just enough milk to make a icing. Success!!

In other news, I was very excited to find my great grandmother's buttons. They were not in a jar but in a box. My daughter will get to add her great-great grandmother's buttons to her new button jar. For Christmas she also recieved a box of Whitman's chocolates so that she will be able to have a sewing box just like grandma. Things are quieting down here from the holidays and I hope to start a few home projects soon, but for now, it's time to relax.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

The presents have been opened and everyone is happy. While everyone is playing with all the new items, I have been playing in the kitchen. My first batch of water kefir was ready this morning, so I made water kefir lemonade and moved the grains over to a new batch of sugar water. I also whipped up a quick batch of peanut butter cookies that I found over at Heather's Prairie. I did use an all natural peanut butter and organic pure cane sugar. I also added 1 cup of allergen free chocolate chips to the mix. The family is loving them and they were so easy to make. In the oven sits the starter for a chocolate sourdough cake, which I will make later this evening. The starter has been fed and a new batch of buttermilk is up and going. Now off to get ready for the day. Wishing you all a very happy holiday.

A Sourdough Update

2011-12-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you following my adventure back to sourdough I thought I'd bring you up to date on what's been going on this week. On Wednesday both the buttermilk and traditional sourdough were ready to go. The buttermilk sourdough was perfect, the traditional needed a little work. I had forgotten that when using spelt flour a cup is not really a cup, it's 1 1/4 cups, do to it's ability to absorb water. So my traditional sourdough looked a little thin. I decided to add 1 cup extra cup of flour, 1/2 cup of water and 2 teaspoon of sugar, to thicken it up and get it active again. After another day of sitting it was looking up. I give each of these a good stir everyday and have left them out to make some holiday treats with. After that they will head to the fridge. The friendship sourdough got a stirring on Thursday (Day 6) and this morning I fed it with an additional 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar (all organic of course). Now that batch will get a stirring everyday with the others until Monday when I will feed it one more time and it will be ready to use. Hmm, I'm thinking of an after holiday batch of Friendship Cinnamon Rolls. Today I also started a batch of water kefir. You can read more on that over at Marquardt Health Coaching.

On another note, thanks to the wonderful man in my life, all the presents are officially wrapped and under the tree. Well, all but the box of chocolates that my dog decided to unwrap and attempted to snack on. It's is wonderful that he loves to take the kids out and spend time with them. I wish you all a wonderful holiday filled with joy and happiness, and maybe a little sourdough.

Thrifty Thursday and a Surprise for Dinner

2011-12-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

I have to admit it, I love thrift stores. I am a fan of all things old. Sometimes I am on the hunt for something specific that I would rather not buy new, and sometimes I just browse for something that "speaks to me" as my daughter would say. Thankfully, I have several stores in my area that fit my need.
I've decided to dedicate Thursdays to all those wonderful finds that make there way to my house.

This first one is my favorite. After years of bedding that did not seem to fit my personality or my room, I cam across this beauty for $10. The right size, the right feel, and it suits the room perfectly. Everyday it brings me joy.

Another great find was this yogurt maker. I already own a 2-quart yogurt maker, but I had always wondered about these. $4 was not to be passed up and I have to say that I prefer this individual yogurt maker to the larger size. The yogurt seems to firm up better, and it's grab and go serving sizes.

And last but not least for today, my glass pyrex dish. I use this for everything. I am a huge fan of glass over plastic for many reasons. These are usually used as seperate pieces in my fridge for holding fresh fruit or hard boiled eggs, but today they hold the surprise. My daughter has been requesting pancakes for months. With fresh sourdough on hand ready to be used and fresh buttermilk she is getting pancakes for dinner. What you see here is the starter for tonight's pancakes. It will sit and bubble all day getting ready for me tonight. If all goes well I will post the recipe later.
This post is also in Simple Lives Thursday over at GNOWFGLINS.

Reminders

2011-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

My baby (now 8) takes after her momma. She loves sitting quietly and reading, crafting, being in the kitchen...all those homey things. So I decided it was time for her to start building a sewing kit of her own. Project #1: the button jar. Both of my girls were fortunate enough to have met their great, great grandmothers. Both traditional depression era grandparents. I was fortunate to receive their crafting supplies. So in a hunt for great great grandma's button jar I pulled out the old Whitman's candy box loaded with goodies. Baby food jars filled with beads. Old medicine bottles filled with pins. Mint tins filled with odds and ends. While I did not find the button jar a was looking for, I loved the reminder it gave me of a simpler time. When we reused everything we had. In the end, my daughter was able to start her button jar from mine, not great great grandma's, but a spark has been ignited. To slow down and take a lesson from these women who have gone before us. To pass on both the memories of these people and what they stood for.

Word of the Day

2011-12-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

Actuate: To impel, to set in motion; to cause to act.

My hope for this blog.

Sunday Quote

2011-12-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

"Sourdough is a magical food!" - Ruth Allman