ten things farm

Journal - 1/27/11

2012-01-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

This day started cold and windy. Chores were 'a chore', but all the birds and pets were happy to see me and have their breakfasts. Our tom turkey (I still haven't named them) showed me his plumage again this morning, but tucked his feathers down when the feed hit the feed pan...he was happy for some milled corn and feed.

Today was town day. We met a friend early in the morning so she could get eggs from us. She lives far from us, so we always find a day and time to meet when we'll both be in town. She is happy to have the eggs and I am happy to have the top shelf of my refrigerator empty.

There were some bargains to be had around town. One item we planned to purchase was out, but we were told they will be fully stocked tomorrow. (If not, I'll get a rain check.) We got 3.5 oz packages of pepperoni for .50, a quart of chocolate soy milk for .09 along with some gum that was free after coupons. We liked the soy milk, and I have more coupons, so I'll get some more tomorrow and it will be our milk for the coming week or so.

We always check the markdown corner because you just never know what you might find. This time, there were 15oz. cans of black eyed peas seasoned with bacon for .29 each and 5oz. cans of StarKist tuna for .29 as well. I asked a clerk (who was adding bakery items to the shelf) why the tuna was there, because the date on it was late 2014, none of the cans were dented or anything, and I was curious. He told me that the shelf in the aisle was full, and these did not fit. There weren't enough for an end display, so the manager had them marked down. The black eyed peas were the last from a New Year promotion, and the date on those is also 2014. So now we are well-stocked on both. At the bread outlet we stocked bagels, thin-slice bread and English muffin at bargains prices - .50 a loaf for bread, .66 a pack for bagels and 1.00 for the English muffins.

The main event of the day was a bowling get-together with friends from the virtual school that DD attends. It was a lot of fun. Since DD was the only girl, she wanted me to bowl too. She bowled a 78, and I bowled a 79, lol. I was trying hard, too! We had a lot of fun and decided that we probably won't go professional just yet, hee hee.

We dropped of donations at Goodwill, and I found 9 more pint canning jars while we were there. We dropped off recycling too, and stopped at the downtown library to pick up some supplies for this weekend's chicken programs. We did a few other errands too, including mailing a package and picking up some chocolate. It was a busy, but very good day.

I've got a new little project started, just to see what happens. I saved the little base from a couple of stalks of celery. I soaked them in water for a few days and they began to sprout, so now I have them set into some very wet potting soil. I want to see if they will take root the way the end of an onion will. If they do, I will plant them out in the garden when the weather warms. Our growing season is not long enough for celery, but started bunches might make it just fine.

Tomorrow we have two libraries to visit with our chickens. The car is loaded (except for the chickens, of course!) and I have the cleaned cages all ready to go. I'm sure it will be another busy, fun day.

Enjoy your weekend!
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

What are you up to?

2012-01-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

We have had a fairly easygoing day today. I fed all the critters this morning, and for the third morning in a row, our new tom turkey has shown off his plumage while I was feeding. I'm glad he's feeling more comfortable here and like this is his home. I'm introducing my dark brahma chicks to pellet feed so that I can move them out of the brooder soon. They are fully feathered and decent size, but I need to get them transitioned a bit with the feed. They are too big to house in the brooder with the silkie chicks...and the silkies are getting too big and messy for DD's bathtub, where they currently live in a box.

DD requested pancakes for breakfast, so I made half a batch - just enough for the two of us. It worked out well - I had some whole wheat flour milled that I was wanting to use, and now it's mostly gone. We were expecting company so I tidied the house, hung a load of laundry and cleaned up the kitchen. DD completed most of her school work before our friend stopped by and then finished the rest of her school work after visiting a while. We are learning a little about space, the moon and stars and constellations, so right now we have the lite brite out - last night we used it to make Little Dipper. Now we are doing one of the pictures, but we will use it for more constellations in the coming days.

My friend who came to visit is the third person of late to ask me for specifics about being more self-sufficient. I am happy that more people are taking interest in developing skills that will help in good times and bad, and I'm glad that I have ideas and information to help them start that journey. I've even been toying with the idea of offering some sort of class or club or study group or something, but with the chicken programs, I'm busy enough these days. Perhaps that will happen in springtime.

It's a warm-ish day here, so we may go next door to visit the appaloosa, Sonata. She is a friendly, gentle horse, and we have permission to walk over and spend a bit of time with her when we like. DD has developed and interest in horses and this is a real treat for her. If it's warm enough for a visit, I'll let the turkeys out to roam a bit too. I let them out yesterday for the first time, and they cautiously explored near their pen. Royal Palms are reputed in some cases to be good fliers, so I clipped one wing on each bird, just to be safe.

Before we go horse-visiting, I have some books to list for sale on amazon. We have been weeding our our library and putting some things for sale to recoup a little of the money spent for all those books. Getting to a more manageable number of books is nice, and makes everything easier to find.

Supper tonight is pigs in blankets, carrot raisin salad and...something else. I was going to make baked apples, but we are down to two fresh apples (we had a good many more than that when I was planning the menu). I have canned apples and dried apples, but we also have some peach cobbler left, so we'll probably just have that at suppertime.

I've been working on a felted purse, and hope to finish it this evening. I've also got to gather some things for tomorrow - we have a school activity in town tomorrow and we'll do our errands while we're out. I have eggs to deliver, sales to take advantage of and I've learned that gathering all I can the night before makes the morning run much more smoothly.

That's my plan - what are you up to today?

Empty Jars

2012-01-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

We have a sofa table behind our sofa. It is very near the staircase to the basement, and most days, there is a clean, empty canning jar (or two, or three) sitting on that table, waiting to be taken downstairs. Every one of them makes me smile.

Toward the end of harvest 2011 I was down to a very few canning jars. We're talking 3 or 4 pints and a handful of small mouth quarts. It was a great year and I put up a lot of food. The whole purpose of putting food by is to use it in the coming year, and this year I've done my menu planning with that in mind. My goal is to empty those jars that we so lovingly filled, in order to start the cycle again with the coming year's garden.

It is going really, really well. We are enjoying sauces, pickles and relishes of all sorts, syrups, jams and fruit butters, canned vegetables and fruits, soups and stews. I even canned some turkey cubes this past year that have helped me put a quick supper on the table quite a few times. I love the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting and preserving food for my family. I know where it came from (much of our food is very, very local this way), I know what is in it, and I am able to season things to our preference. The initial work of canning saves me time the rest of the year, not to mention a great deal of money.

So when I see those boxes of empty jars under the stairs, each one represents a meal or snack that nourished my family, right here at home. It's a lovely thing.

Vittles for the Week

2012-01-23T14:09:00.001-07:00

I'm late getting this posted, but trust me, we're still eating on time!

Breakfasts (some will repeat)
cereal, milk, fresh fruit
peanut butter toast, tangelos
oatmeal with apples and brown sugar, milk
eggs, toast, tangelos

Lunches
leftovers from supper when available
pbj, apple wedges
big salad with cheese and crackers
big salad with tuna and crackers

Suppers
Italian beef on rolls, garden salad, oven fries, tangelos
roast turkey, stuffing, green beans, peach cobbler
hamburger curry over rice, peach cobbler
pigs in blankets, carrot raisin salad, baked apples
chili over rice or baked potato, tangelos
tuna croquettes, rice, glazed carrots, pear crisp

We grew or raised the eggs, potatoes, green beans, peaches, potatoes, carrots, onions and pears. The rest was on hand with the exception of the hoagie rolls for the Italian beef. Yay for gardens, yay for pantries!

EFT Works For Me

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I want to begin by apologizing for posting about something when I'm such a newbie. I tried this out to help with anxiety and panic attacks, and it worked so well that I just want to share, even though I don't have a lot of experience or expertise of my own to share just yet. With that in mind.....

As I mentioned in my goals, I have been learning a little about something called EFT. It's also called 'tapping'. I honestly don't remember where I heard about it or what chain of events caused me to learn about it, but I am really glad that I did. It's a technique that does indeed involve tapping on various parts of the body.

You don't need any tools - you tap with your fingertips. I like that it is drug free and non-invasive (I do not like invasive!). It doesn't hurt. It's easy to do. I was able to find books and a video at my library. I've also since learned that there are videos on youtube, websites and free newsletters you can subscribe to, but I haven't had time to explore any of those yet.

The places on the body that get tapped (at least the ones I've learned about) are related to some points used in accupressure or accupuncture. There are several books out that explain how it all works, and I've read 1 1/2 of them, plus watched a video. Based on what I learned from those sources, I gave it a try.

I am not going to try and teach you how to do it here, because frankly, I know I'm not doing it right. There are statements you make during the first part of it, and I think you're supposed to say them out loud. I usually don't (and it still works!), because often, I will be sound asleep and wake at the onset of anxiety/panic. I don't want to wake anyone, so I've just said the statements 'in my head', and it has still worked just fine.

From what I've read it is more effective if you tap regularly, rather than waiting until there's a problem. I haven't worked it into my daily routine, but I think that I will. According to the (very little) research that I have done, it has proven beneficial for various problems, including anxiety and panic, chronic pain (some of the people showcased in the video had amazing stories), emotional issues, addiction, insomnia, weight loss, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and more.

Another thing I appreciated about the video was that the were open and honest about the people who it didn't work for. One man wanted to stop smoking - that was his reasong for trying it. After several days, he decided that he liked to smoke, and that he was not going to continue with EFT. So it's not magic, and it doesn't work for everyone in every situation.

I'm not putting up any sort of referran links here - I'm not profiting from this financially in any way whatsoever. I just know that this has helped me. I have a form of anxiety/panic where my fight/flight reaction is over the top. If I'm sound asleep and a cat jumps up on the bed, or a little girl comes in and says 'Mama, I had a bad dream' an inch from my ear, it sends me into a full-blown panic attack. Sometimes I shake and tremble so badly that it wakes my husband from a deep sleep. But one cycle of tapping, which takes about a minute shuts it off like a switch was flipped. It just...goes away.

If you have something in your life that you want to be different, you may want to do some research and give it a try. So far I've used tapping to help with the panic stuff and the pain associated with 'Aunt Flo' and her visits, and it has helped with both. Perhaps it will work for you too. I hope it is a blessing.

I read: Try it on Everything - Discover the Power of EFT by Patricia Carrington, Ph.D. and I'm about halfway through Energy Tapping (2nd edition) by Gallo and Vincenzi. The video is called The Tapping Solution, and is a compantion to the book Try it on Everything.

Wishing you the best,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

January Goals - Progress (so far)

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I said I'd update through the month on goals, so here is an update. I've made progress in some places, others, not so much, but the month's not over yet!

Relationship.

-Make a list of fun, frugal date night ideas. So far, I've come up with 'firing range'...so I think it's time for a little help from Google.

-Talk to a friend that I trust about a babysitting trade once a month. She said she is interested - hooray!!

Parenting/Schooling.

-"Cute up" our homeschool classroom. Some progress here, but I'd like to get more done.

-De-clutter library/homeschool classroom. Definite progress, but I'm not done yet! Looks much better, though. I should have taken 'before' pics!

-Weed out library books (round 2). Done with children's books, still have to do adult fiction and nonfiction.

-Do special 'extra' activities once a week. We've been having lots of fun with clay - more on that soon!

Health.

-Get enough sleep. (This is one of my favorites!) I'm sleeping more than I used to...most nights.

-Drink at least 48 oz. water each day, shooting for 64oz. Um...er...oops.

-Read up on stress-reducing technique called EFT and try it out. Oh my gosh - I have to do a post about how this has helped!

-Reduce carbs, no snacking after supper. Um...er...oops...again.

-Get back into a healthy routine, since Christmas was pretty much a treat-fest. I've been eating lots more vegetables and fruits, portions are better, and I've lost a little weight! The Bountiful Baskets order put tons of fresh stuff in our fridge and has been a good motivator too.

House and Home.

-Decluttering in library/classroom, play room, master bath and master bedroom. Progress in the library and classroom, major progress in the play room, and some progress in the master bath and bedroom.

-Make a 3-ring binder with my menu rotation and the recipes for it. Oh yeah, I should totally do this! (oops!)

-Same binder, add a general cleaning plan/routine. This too! (oops...again)

Farm and Garden.

-Clean out the hen house. I did it!

-Spread compost on the garden. Did this too! Yay me!

-Till compost into garden soil, weather permitting. Well, the weather has not been permitting, but I'm watching!

Income.

-Read How to Write a Book Proposal. I'm about halfway through this very informative book.

-List weeded out books from our library on Amazon (those that will sell for enough to make it worthwhile). I did this with the first batch. Listed those that were worthwhile and took the rest to the used bookstore. They kept some for trade credit, and the rest were donated to the library for the friends sale. I have since weeded out 2 more boxes of books, which I will check via amazon before Thursday.

-Write and submit 1 article as a Yahoo Contributor. This is mostly written - I need to fact check and get it submitted.

-List 10 'declutter' items on craigslist. Done! One has sold...the others...well...

-Sub/work at the library as scheduled, based on availability. I've done three chicken programs and some other sub work as well.

That's my progress so far. How are you doing with your personal goals?

This Week's Menu - 1/16 to 1/22

2012-01-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

I've planned this menu from the fridge, pantry and freezer. My grocery list was: 1 mushroom, for my saimin on the weekend. Don't get me wrong, we also picked up some fig bars and graham crackers, but all I needed to make the meals this week was that 1 mushroom. Yay! I'm linking up to Menu Plan Monday too.

Breakfasts (some will repeat)
peanut butter toast, bananas (the bananas from Bountiful Baskets are ripe and tasty)
cold cereal, milk, fruit
eggs, toast, tangelos
oatmeal with applesauce and raisins, milk

Lunches
leftovers from previous suppers when available
garden salad, cheese and crackers, tangelos
tuna salad sandwich, side salad, apples
PBJ, carrot sticks, fresh fruit

Suppers
smoked sausage, roasted winter vegetables, green beans, cucumbers, fruit salad
hamburger helper lasagna, garden salad, peach cobbler
kahlua pig, rice, potato salad, kimchee, dilly beans, peach cobbler
taco salad, chips and salsa, tangelo wedges
bean w/bacon soup, BLT sandwiches, sliced cucumbers, apple pie
saimin w/vegetables and ham, apple pie
leftovers/go out

We still have plenty from Bountiful Baskets, so I'll continue to eat salad every day at lunch, even if I'm having leftovers. We are not ordering a new basket for Saturday pickup, because I'm not sure we'll be able to handle that much more produce so soon. We have been eating plenty of fresh foods, but there are only three of us, so it takes a while. So far nothing has spoiled, so that's great news. We'll see if we can get those foods eaten in time - I'll let you know.

Whoa, Nice Pair!

2012-01-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Pretty, no?

We just got them today - a hen an a tom - Royal Palm turkeys. I am very, very happy to have a breeding pair. Royal Palms are described online as good foragers, 'thrifty' (so I guess they clip coupons?) and good for the small homestead. They are a heritage breed, and as soon as the tom (we have not named them yet) gets comfy and shows off his plumage, I'll share some more pics!

I am still thinking about what to name them. DD and I were talking about it today. I think Laura and Almanzo would be cool names, but since my name is Laura, that would get kinda weird when I'm telling y'all 'Laura laid her first egg!' or 'Laura is broody!' So we're still thinking on that.

Got any name ideas for them? DD already told me that their childrens' names will be Nugget, Deliciousness, Thanksgiving, Dinner and Soup. That's my little farm girl!

Linked to Homestead Barn Hop - thanks for visiting!

HOT Deal on Tattler Lids!

2012-01-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

They expected this deal to run at least the day - it sold out by about 10:30 am Mountain time! Then they got some more to sell, so the deal is back on!

Do you know about tattler lids? They are two piece (ring and top) lids that you can use over and over for canning - year after year after year!

Today they are running a 40% off special at Markdown.com - you can get 100 standard and 100 wide mouth lids, bulk packed and shipped for $85.75. With the cost of lids going up all the time, this looks like a great deal. It's my first time ordering them, but I have lots of canning friends who have tried them and recommend them. If you do much canning, check out this deal!

Markdown.com is a site that offers discounted package deals, much like groupon and similar sites. It's free to join, so if you use it only once, that's okay too!

Meowy Catmas!

2012-01-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, the Sunday before this most recent Christmas, DD had crawled into our bed along with Tallulah, and we were talking about cats. DD knows stories about cats she never knew - the time Hobbes ate a banana, how Winnie loved to sit on the edge of the tub and play with the water while I took a shower, that Sam was quite possibly the friendliest cat, ever. Tallulah, spoiled completely rotten, was soaking up all the attention and love that the three of us were giving her while we reminisced about cats we have known.

That morning at breakfast, Hubby was reading the humane society feature in the paper and said, 'It's Meowy Catmas. All cat adoptions are free today.' DD zipped out of the room, and returned mere moments later, fully dressed and with her teeth brushed. 'Let's go! Let's go before all the kitties are taken!' Oh, but she is her mama's daughter.

It can't hurt to just go look, right? And besides, last week when I went to stock up on cat litter, they were out of the super cheap scoopable stuff, and so I spent a little more and stocked up on the 'multiple cats' variety. (It's only 45 cents more for the 28 pound box). And what about all that cat food I got such a great deal on with coupons at PetSmart? We'll just look...no guarantees.

And if we're going to get a 'free' cat, we should try to get one that is already spayed and declawed. We'll limit it that way too. Deal? Deal.

This is Holly. (please imagine little hearts fluttering about all around her name - thank you)

We named her that because she's a Christmas Kitty. And yes, she's spayed...and front declawed.

And microchipped! She purrs almost all the time, and she likes to cuddle...and sleep.

Between sleeps, she enjoys napping...cuddling...and bossing Tallulah around. As you can see by her paw pads, she is descended from royalty. (Any cat that has any spot of black on its paw pads is descended from royalty. It's true, because I read it in a book when I was a kid!)

Oh, wait - is she getting up? Maybe she wants to play!

Playing is a lot of fun, after all.

Maybe after her nap....

Meowy Catmas, everyone!
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

This Week's Menu

2012-01-09T20:01:00.001-07:00

My goal for this menu is to utilize as many things as I can from the Bountiful Baskets produce that I got on Saturday and to also use food we have on hand - be it home grown and put up from our garden or purchased on sale. Happily, I have zero grocery list to make these meals.

Breakfasts (some will repeat)
pumpkin muffins and blackberries
ham and vegetable omelets, toast and tangelos
cereal with fruit and milk
peanut butter toast and tangelos
oatmeal with cinnamon and applesauce

Lunches
leftovers from suppers if available
big salads with crackers or toasted bread
PBJ, sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks and fresh fruit
cheese and crackers, fresh vegetables with dip

Suppers
ham fried rice w/vegetables, cucumber slices, sesame spinach, pumpkin muffins, grapes
homemade pizza, garden salad, orange wedges
baked herb chicken, roasted potatoes/onions, marinated cucumbers, pumpkin custard
burritos with meat, rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc., chips and salsa, pumpkin custard
beef broccoli, crisped noodles, peach cobbler
batter fried or broiled fish, tartar sauce, rice, carrot raisin salad, kimchee, fruit salad

Snacks
peanut butter crackers
popcorn
fresh fruit
fresh vegetables

What's on the menu at your house?

Chickens in the Library!

2012-01-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've just started a series of children's programs for our library district. The first one was yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. Lo and behold, this morning, my little chicklets are on the front page of the 'Local' section of our Sunday paper! Now that they are famous I'll have to get them little sunglasses, I suppose. They already have a personal assistant (that would be me). Here's a link to the article, and inside the article there is a photo gallery. Go have a peek!

Chickens in the Library!

Cheep cheep,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Bountiful Baskets Co-operative

2012-01-07T09:22:00.003-07:00

A couple of my friends have been talking about Bountiful Baskets for a while now. It's a co-operative in the west that give us opportunity to puchase fresh fruits and vegetables and a few other items (breads, granola, sometimes tortillas). It has just started in my area, and there is a pickup every other week. Organic is an option as well.

I tried it for the first time. This week we 'ate down' the produce on hand in preparation. We were down to part of a pomegranate, a roma tomato and a head of leaf lettuce....OK, and a couple hundred pounds of potatoes, heaps of onions, some beets, turnips and a cooler full of carrots...all of which grew in our garden...but those are stored in the root cellar and keep long-term.

I paid a one-time $3 membership fee, so now I'm 'in', hee hee. I purchased a conventional (not organic) basket for $15. There is also a $1.50 'handling fee', so let's just call it $16.50. This is what I got:

Fruit. 2 Asian pears, 5 'cutie' tangerines, 7 bananas (2lb.2oz.), 6oz. fresh blackberries, 2lb.3oz. red seedless grapes, 8 fuji apples (2lb.6oz.)
Vegetables. 2 English cucumbers, 2 bunches radishes, 1 bunch spinach, 2 large heads romaine lettuce, 3 tomatoes (1lb.5oz.), 1 bunch broccoli (1lb.2oz.)
Here is my 'basket' all spread out on the kitchen table:

Extra. There are also opportunities to buy some fruits or vegetables by the box. My friends Leia, MaryBeth and I went in together and bought one box of Minneola Tangelos (my personal favorite!) for $15. Split 3 ways, it was $5 each for 33 Tangelos each, which look like this:

Also, Leia gave me two of her English cucumbers. She has a larger family and bought multiple baskets. She said, 'Take these - I don't even know what they are...and I have plenty here to use!' Thanks, Leia! Maybe I'll make some cucumber kimchee.

Once I got all that packed up and stuffed into the fridge, I ate a tangelo. YUM. Then I rounded up the grapes that had fallen from the stem (a handful) and had those with peanut butter toast...followed by a tangelo. Hubby reminded me of the time we were at my in-laws' for a visit and I ate so many oranges from their tree that I got a rash. I will stop the tangelos...for now.

After that I did the math. Is this really a good deal? Can I do better with sales and bargains? The answer is 'sorta'. For one, I've never even had an English cucumber because the other kind costs less...so when I did my math, I used my rock bottom sale pricing, and subbed out the things I actually buy, like slicing cucumbers or navel oranges (which are 3lb. for $1 this week at a local supermarket). In the end, the pricing came out the same...except that with Bountiful Baskets, I get things I would never get with the same money - English cucumbers, blackberries, Minneola tangelos...so it's like getting a free upgrade..at least that's how I'm thinking of it.

I save some time and fuel by showing up at one spot and picking up everything. It's about 4 miles from my house, and there is no running around, no price matching, and everything looks ultra fresh. (I have heard that from others who have used it long-term too.) If things keep long enough for us to get them eaten, this will be a good thing. We'll eat the 'short keepers' (grapes, berries, spinach, cukes, etc.) first to reduce potential spoilage.

The 7am pickup time is early - I am not a morning person. You never know what you are getting, but that can be good - the blackberries are really tasty (yes, I tried one of them too!) but it's not a good deal unless we actually use everything (those two bunches of radishes are all on me because no one else here cares for them). I will plan our menus based on what we got, and we have plenty of fruit for snacking. I'll keep you posted!

Overall, at this moment, I'm happy with Bountiful Baskets. It helps me with my goals related to saving money and good stewardship of our funds, and with all the fresh fruits and vegetables on hand, it should be easy for us to make healthy food choices. Bountiful Baskets is in parts of the western United States and expanding, so check back now and then if it is not offered in your area.

I'll be eating salads for lunch,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Goals for 2012

2012-01-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

I didn't make resolutions for the new year - I've never kept them all that long, and wanted to try something new. Instead, I spent some time thinking about priorities, changes that align with my priorities, and I set some goals. Once I got all that done, I broke them down into more managable bits - I'll share some of January's with you here.

First though, these are my goals for 2012:

Relationship. Start dating again, specifically, dating my wonderful husband. Just the two of us. We haven't done that in a very long time.

Parenting/Schooling. Continue to learn, continue to teach, continue to enjoy my daughter for who she is and what she is all about.

Health. Improve it. Mainly, continue shrinking.

House and Home. Mostly maintenance and some tweaking. And decluttering. Oh, the decluttering.

Farm and Garden. Continue with what we have, make some improvements, and add on, just a little. And decluttering.

Income. Increase it. Continue to use what we have as good stewards.

* * *

"The Bits" of these for January:

Relationship.
-Make a list of fun, frugal date night ideas.
-Talk to a friend that I trust about a babysitting trade once a month.

Parenting/Schooling.
-"Cute up" our homeschool classroom.
-De-clutter library/homeschool classroom.
-Weed out library books (round 2).
-Do special 'extra' activities once a week.

Health.
-Get enough sleep. (This is one of my favorites!)
-Drink at least 48 oz. water each day, shooting for 64oz.
-Read up on stress-reducing technique called EFT and try it out.
-Reduce carbs, no snacking after supper.
-Get back into a healthy routine, since Christmas was pretty much a treat-fest.

House and Home.
-Decluttering in library/classroom, play room, master bath and master bedroom.
-Make a 3-ring binder with my menu rotation and the recipes for it.
-Same binder, add a general cleaning plan/routine.

Farm and Garden.
-Clean out the hen house.
-Spread compost on the garden.
-Till compost into garden soil, weather permitting.

Income.
-Read How to Write a Book Proposal.
-List weeded out books from our library on Amazon (those that will sell for enough to make it worthwhile).
-Write and submit 1 article as a Yahoo Contributor.
-List 10 'declutter' items on craigslist.
-Sub/work at the library as scheduled, based on availability.

I'll report back next week with my January progress, so far. What about you? Did you set goals for the year? What do you hope to change or accomplish in 2012?

Thinking about blogging...again.

2012-01-01T13:34:00.002-07:00

I didn't mean to take a nine month break from blogging - really, I didn't. A few times I've thought I should get back to it, but I wasn't sure what to post. There has been plenty going on (it would take me 9 months to catch you up!), and maybe that was part of the problem - so much to do, so little time.

That said, I think I miss it, and I KNOW I miss y'all. There are some kind souls who have checked back regularly to see if I was here, even after months and months. Thank you - it means a lot to me that you took a moment to pop in and see!

I guess this is my 'toe in the water' post, to see if this is something I want to add back to my routine. And a post to just say Hi - I missed you!

Hi - I missed you!

More soon,
-Laura

Jury Duty

2011-04-25T22:29:00.000-06:00

I reported for jury duty today. There is a system here where 'most of you will be dismissed, or serve today, and that will meet the requirements of your service.' It's called One Day, One Trial.

Out of 500-some people who were required to report today, guess who was in group one?

Out of 18 people in group one, guess who was chosen as a juror?

And guess who gets to go back tomorrow, because we did not finish today?

It really is an interesting process, and my geeky self is enjoying learning about the judical system in a participatory way. And that is all I can say about any of that.

Seriously. I'd tell ya, but they'd have to kill me. Or something like that.

Under oath and sleepy,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Lunchroom Cookies

2011-04-21T07:00:00.004-06:00

I've heard these called chocolate oatmeal cookies, no bake cookies, Suzy No-Bakes, and stove-top oatmeal cookies. To me, they will always be Lunchroom Cookies, because we always had them at school when I was growing up.

They are ridiculously easy to make, and you don't have a lot of dishes to wash when you're finished, which is a nice bonus. If you're out of eggs, no problem - you don't need any for Lunchroom Cookies.

This is the recipe I use. I hope you like it! It is, technically, a 'half recipe', but we are a small family. Feel free to double it if you have many people to share them with. :)

Lunchroom Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons, 1/4 cup) butter or margarine
1/4 cup peanut butter (we prefer chunky for this recipe)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick or minute oats (if you use old fashioned, you will need about 1/4 cup additional oats)

Instructions:

Combine sugar, cocoa powder, milk and butter or margarine in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla extract; stir to combine. Add oats, stir until combined. Drop by the spoonful (or use a cookie scoop) on waxed paper or a silicone mat and let cool. Remove when cooled for eating; store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Bird Watching

2011-04-18T07:00:00.006-06:00

One warm, sunny day in the not-too-distant past, we went to the nature center to do some bird-watching.

Due to budget cuts, the visitor center was closed, but we were still free to roam the trails and observe the songbirds.

Bird watching requires a level of patience, stillness and quiet that Little Bit is still working at. However, since this is a well-used nature center, I think the birds are a bit more forgiving of talkative, wiggly children. We saw many different birds, and heard even more in the distance.

We hiked some trails and walked along the creek. It is early in the season. Nevertheless, we spotted butterflies, saw lots of budding trees and enjoyed the wonderfully honey-like scent of the cottonwood buds that are just about to open. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

From the Craft Fair

2011-04-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

My, but you are a patient bunch of people! I am happy to share some photos from last weekend's craft fair with you. I remembered to take photos just before the whole thing ended, so my table is not as full as it was when I started. (yay!) I wasn't sure about being allowed to photograph what other vendors had, so here are the things from our table:

I still have some jewelry, keychains, and rainbow crystals...

...someone sweet...

...something sticky-sweet...

...washcloths and soaps to get clean...

...and aprons to stay clean!

I had a nice time and met some truly delightful people. The traffic in and out of this craft fair has lots of room for growth, but many of the people who came did make purchases. I sold a good bit of soap, honey and jewelry, along with a few things that sold out completely. Little Bit is a fantastic assistant, and earned herself a tidy commission as well. I know we won't do 'the circuit', but we may try for 3 to 4 craft fairs per year, just for fun.

Do you shop at craft fairs? Do you sell at them? Share your experiences in the comments - I'd love to hear them!

-Laura at TenThingsFarm

As the Days Fly By....

2011-04-11T22:41:00.001-06:00

Hey, Y'all! I have taken a zillion (give or take) photos the past week or so, and I'm in the process of sorting, uploading, etc. so I can share a few things with you. Meanwhile, I got through the weekend craft fair just fine, and we have a few things sprouting in the greenhouse! There are duck eggs in the incubator, three of my hens think they are broody (one of them is always in a nest, but she never has eggs under her, bless her heart.) and the other day I saw a honeybee! We have daffodils in a vase on the kitchen table, and the forsythia is budding. Spring is here - so we'll probably get a blizzard! (hee hee)

I will do my best to sort my photos (and my thoughts) and share them with you soon! I bet you're as busy as we are - maybe busier - but let's stay in touch!

Always,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Today's the day!

2011-04-08T05:47:00.000-06:00

We are participating in a craft fair in town, starting today! I was up late last night putting the finishing touches on aprons. I have those, quite a few soaps, some jewelry and crocheted washcloths, along with some jars of honey and baked goods to donate to the bake sale.

Hopefully, it will be a busy day! I'll report back whenever I can. :)

No Place Like Home!

2011-04-06T19:45:00.000-06:00

I love stay-at-home days. We had a productive one today (and it's not over yet!)

Before I forget, the old freezer is finally empty, unplugged, and off the grid! I hope that shows up as savings on our electric bill.

Today was a baking day. I made two loaves of whole grain bread and a little pan of low fat brownies. I also made a pot of soup for Friday. It's so pretty, like a vegetable soup rainbow. Little Bit and I worked on sorting out all her toys today, but right now, we're in the 'it gets worse before it gets better' stage. We're making progress, though.

We're seeing some wee seedlings in the greenhouse - endive is up, and maybe some other lettuces (or maybe some weeds). Bo, our neighbor dog came to visit today, and so did a good friend of mine. It's nice to have company, even though the house was a mess. Good friends understand that sort of thing.

I made quite a few phone calls today, and got to talk for a while with my mama (who called me). I learned a few things about the local building code as far as garages are concerned, and I found out that the price of chicken/duck feed is about the same as last time I went. It's not quite time to go for more, but it will be soon.

I cut my hair, and it looks much better than it has of late. I got the house cleaned too, and we got 11 eggs from the chickens and 2 from the ducks. All in all, it was a good, busy day.

How was your day? What did you do?

Town Day, and an early Birthday Present!

2011-04-05T20:50:00.000-06:00

Today was just an all-around nice day, y'all. I got up and did animal chores, and collected 3 duck eggs. I put them downstairs with the 3 from yesterday. I'm saving them to incubate, in hopes of getting some ducklings.

We had a run-around day today. Took things to the library, mailed off some books that we sold (one went to Australia!), and went to the LDS cannery for the first time. We are not LDS (Mormon) but were welcomed all the same. I didn't need much, just some hard white wheat for my bread recipe and some navy beans, but now I know where it is the next time we run low on something they offer. We made a quick stop at the Asian market too. They have great produce at super great prices!

We went to the nature center today too. Due to budget cuts, the building was closed, but we hiked the songbird trail and one of the other trails near the creek. Little Bit is interested in bird watching, but her need to talk, move, play and pretend are still keeping many of the birds at a distance. Still, we saw some pretty ones and heard some amazing birdsong.

After that, we went to our most favorite (and fairly far from home) used bookstore. They give good credit on quite a few books that we bring in, so as usual, we took in a few books (half of which they kept) and then chose some we wanted, used store credit and brought home some new treasures. I can't remember the last time I spent actual cash in there - we always have enough trade-in credit to cover the things we like.

Lunch was next, then a quick stop at Goodwill. We took in some donations and looked around the store. Not much today, but we did find a new, very nice knife block, and a big box of puzzles for faraway family. The puzzles are all of primitive style paintings, and there are 10 in the box. MIL and FIL will enjoy them, I'm sure!

Now, about that birthday present. Please remember, I'm not a diamonds and perfume sort of girl. I treasure different things.

When we let the hens out to 'forage', they can be really destructive. Come summer, we spend a lot of time chasing them out of the strawberries, shooing them away from the blueberries, fussing at them for digging up the herb garden. Fencing all that would cost quite a lot, plus it would make it difficult for us to get in and out of those garden beds.

Hubby and I were talking just a couple days ago, and I was telling him that I wanted to get a push lawnmower with a bagging attachment. That way, I can mow enough of our...'lawn' each day to fill the bag and then take it to the chickens and ducks. It will keep them out of trouble and it should cut down on feed costs as well. Because I want the mower to pay for itself in feed rather quickly, I specifically asked for a used one. I figured we should be able to find one for about $50.

Well, dear friends, there is a man about 4 miles from here that cleans up and repairs lawn mowers and sells them. He had bagger mowers for $50 and up. We went today, started about 9 of them, and narrowed it down to two. Since we'd need the truck to pick it up, I went after we got home from town. Even better, I took him two ancient mowers - a motorized one and a reel mower, neither of which actually work (at all) - and traded them in for partial payment. Two less pieces of "We'll take that to the scrap yard one day," in our yard, and I am the proud owner/birthday girl of a new-to-me chicken feed collector. And now, all five acres of Ten Things Farm are practially hay field!

More tomorrow,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Journal.

2011-04-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

My, but we are busy these days. I just don't have the spare time for taking, uploading, adjusting, and downloading photos these days. Thinking of fascinating topics (no, I'm not saying the stuff I've posted in the past is all that fascinating either) is more than I can handle too...so I'm going to try a different approach for a bit, where I will do a journal entry to sum up the day.

This one, however, will be to sum up the last while! Here goes...

We have had a bit of snow here and there, and we welcome the moisture. We could use a lot more moisture in just about any form. The soil is really dry. Not the best news when we're getting close to planting time.

The greenhouse is about half planted, and a few things are beginning to peek out of the soil. The endive is sprouting, as is the mache/corn salad. I'm hoping the other lettuces will make their appearance soon, as well as the kale, spinach and sugar snap peas. We put up six 'wall o water' setups in there, and I've planted tomatoes in four of them (roma, oregon spring and marybeth) and ground cherries in the other two. I've planted 5 little spots with peppers as well - peter pepper, early jalapeno, sheepnose pimento, medium hot hungarian wax, and chinese giant. When I read that long list, I'm amazed that we still have some space in there!

The hens and ducks are laying fairly well. I have two broody hens - one who is brooding every day on a different empty nest, bless her heart. I think she missed a chapter in the 'how to be a broody hen' brochure. I gave the henhouse a thorough cleaning the other day. You'll think I'm crazy (and you may be right) but the shop vac was involved. However, now it's nice and clean, with the brooder set up in the corner, lots of fresh bedding - everything bright and clean - for a henhouse, at least!

I've gotten some things ready for the craft fair, but I still need to do a little sewing and label soaps. It's this Friday, so I best get a move on with that! I hope it's a good fair - proceeds are to help a food pantry, which is a good cause.

We are in the process of going down to just one freezer. We have a really, really old one that runs a lot, and we figure our electric bill will thank us for emptying it and shutting it off. I canned up 16 pints of turkey, just to make some room. I have the chest freezer just about as full as it can get, and I've brought as much as we thought prudent to the fridge freezer, but I still have some peaches in the old Kelvinator. So until I can find those peaches space in a freezer, every day is fruit smoothie day. If you're in the neighborhood, come on by - I'll make you one too!

Fruit is good for you,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm

Because it's the right thing to do.

2011-03-29T16:07:00.000-06:00

My sweet friend, Farmer J. is giving away some really, really cool stuff! You can go to her blog and enter the giveaway here.

I've entered, and I want to win...so why even tell you? Because I love her so, and I think you will too! So get on over there, read around a bit, enter the drawing, and have some fun! (Lookie there - two links!)

XO,
-Laura at TenThingsFarm