Around the Homestead

This Blog Has Moved!

2015-04-13T18:52:00.001-07:00

This blog can now be found here: http://www.mrsdshomestead.com

Mrs. D's Not Off Grid Adventure

2015-03-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our big off-grid adventure turned out to be mostly plugged in. Winter weather stalked us through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas so we never did get the bugs worked out of our inverter/battery set-up because of the need to run the heater every night and most days. We got most of our leaks sealed up in the tiny trailer, but came to realize that no matter what we did with the inside, we still needed a few more feet of living space. We did not get our mobile winter garden planted for the same reason: freezing outdoor temps and no room to put the pots inside.

Fortunately opportunity smiled upon us and we were able to pass the tiny trailer on to someone who hopes to restore it for camping with his family and we acquired a new Minnie Winnie with almost all the bells and whistles. The battery is actually properly wired to charge while the truck is driving. The bathroom is spacious, with a nice shower and all the plumbing works. And we have a slide-out - score! It feels like a mansion.

We tested out Minnie's off-grid capabilities in a couple of RV-friendly store parking lots, with very satisfactory results. After considering the pros and cons of continuing off-grid, with dump and refill rates of $10-$20 every few days, we opted to give our Passport America membership a real workout. Except for a few nights outside Dallas, Tx where we stayed in a very nice campground for $34.50 a night, we averaged about $15 a night in various rv parks in Texas and New Mexico.

Our biggest difficulty with living and working on the road has been reliable internet connectivity. The Verizon phone hotspot has been great in most areas, but we have spent a good amount of time in areas where AT&T is the prevalent carrier, and spend much of our Colorado time in a Verizon black hole. So I have had to cave in and get an AT&T hotspot, which is working quite well. Both the Verizon and AT&T plans are prepaid/no contract plans, so I can tweak and adjust data packages to suit our coverage needs.

That should bring us up-to-date with what has been going on with the mobile homestead for the last month. The next few weeks' posts should be a bit more interesting. Praying for warmer weather!

Homesteading Texas State Parks

2015-02-10T14:03:00.001-07:00

We started down the road on our big off-grid adventure and boy, is it a learning experience. Have you ever heard the saying, "a bad day fishing is better than a good day working"? Well, even though everything is not going according to our plans, we are still having a great time!

We hooked a battery up to an inverter in the tiny trailer homestead, for power on the road, but we are still working the bugs out of the system. That is to say, it was working as planned, until a repair necessitated my plugging the multi-tool into the inverter to cut a steel bar, thus draining the battery with no way to recharge. I had contemplated using the truck to recharge said battery, but am still looking into the feasibility of that. Something about alternators giving out and batteries blowing up, anyway, beyond my current diy comprehension.

We did make it to Balmorhea State Park in Texas, after an unplugged night at a rest area, where we parked at a lovely site with water and electric, for only $14 a night. I plugged in the trickle charger and charged up the battery. I had it on the wrong setting, though, so the following night, we had about 1 hour of battery power before it died. After consulting the instructions for the charger, I put it on the correct setting and when we reached our water and electric site in Goose Island State Park, Texas, I charged it up all the way. Still have not tested to see how long it will last, as we have been running the heater every night with the cooler than normal temps in Texas. We have also been spending a lot of time on this slow travel adventure, visiting friends in the area and I have not wanted to leave the tiny vintage trailer unattended while on battery power just yet.

The Texas State Park system is wonderful. For $70 a year (less for seniors and disabled) you can get a pass which will grant you free entry to all the parks and a few discount nights on camping. Most of the campgrounds have a number of sites with water and electric and the settings we have been in have been spectacular. Of course, right now the campgrounds are not crowded, except on the weekends. The 2 campgrounds we have been in have also had free showers and very clean bathrooms...cleaner than an RV park we stayed in. We had very bad wifi reception at the campsites but not too far away we could park and get good wifi with the hotspot. The ups and downs of including the internet in your simple living plan.

Susie is turning out to be quite the camper. She enjoys the tie-out, loves hiking with us on the leash and is very well behaved. Mr. Cuddles kept slipping out of his harness. I discussed this with one of our neighbors at Goose Island and she described a harness style her mother had gotten for her cat, which was nearly impossible for the cat to slip out of. We found one at the next PetCo we stopped at and it has been a sanity saver. Sadly for Mr. Cuddles, he will no longer get to enjoy his leisurely jaunts through the brambles, while laughing at us humans getting cut up, trying to catch him.

The Avocado Harvest

2015-01-16T14:32:00.002-07:00

When I bought my first home, it had an avocado tree in the back yard. As young adults, newly married, my husband and I were excited that we had this source of "free" food. We ate avocados for breakfast, avocados for lunch, avocados for dinner. Avocado sandwiches. Avocado salad. Avocado smoothies. A neighbor lady taught me how to make guacamole. We gave away avocados. After one season, I was sick of avocados. Then we moved to the mountains. Soon I forgot my aversion to the green fruit and longed for the tree in the back yard.

At today's prices, avocados are a fantastic commodity. My oldest son has three avocado trees in his yard. I think he should get a stall at the farmer's market. We spent a sunny, Southern California Sunday harvesting avocados from one of his trees. We gave avocados to the neighbors. We brought avocados to church. And we still have several bushels of avocados in the garage. The boys practiced their pitching skills with grandpa. The dogs ate some and got gas. I think they are all going to ripen at once (the avocados, not the dogs).

This time I am ready. Sharp knife and spoon in hand. Avocados make great road food. I do not like the texture of avocados after they have been frozen and I suspect they do not can well, so it will mean a lot of creativity once they are ready to eat. Avocado will replace my breakfast banana. It will go into smoothies. We will add them to our daily salad. Stuff them with chopped meats and other veggies. Mash them into guacamole and eat it with chips and carrots. Put them in sandwiches and along side everything. Use them for facial masks and moisturizer. They are packed with vitamins and good oils. We will give more away and when we can't eat any more, we will trim the trees way down so that they don't produce in such over abundance for a few more years.

Avocados anyone?

Socializing on the Road

2015-01-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

"Socialization" always seems to be the last ditch argument about why all children should attend stix and brix schools. Smart homeschoolers know that's exactly why they shouldn't. As homeschool families, we choose who our children socialize with. As a full-time RVing family, this can get pretty interesting. We spend much of our time taking care of parents and visiting children and grandchildren in 2 different states. We also make regular visits to the Homestead, so we have communities of friends, family and activities in each of these areas. Because we stay for a month or so at a time, we jump right into our regular church activities and whatever groups and sports are going on at the time. It might be hockey, tae kwon do, watercolor painting or music lessons. Also because we may not be back for a while, we try harder to get together with old friends when we are in town.

In between our "regular" stops, what happens? It really depends on a variety of factors. We normally don't stay in RV parks, so we don't have the advantage of meeting other families in the park and using the facilities. We might be working a craft show or festival for a few days, and get acquainted with other vendors and their families. We strike up conversations on the train, at the store, with other remote campers. One luncheon companion on the train gave Yak tips on game building software. Another paid a little too much attention to him, which resulted in a “creeped out” feeling that made him want to stay a little bit away from that person.

I think the key in socializing our children, whether on the road, in the homeschool or in regular school, is the same as our own socialization in our lives. Being open to it. At the same time that we’re being cautious of the dangers in meeting new people, we are also open to making new friends. Most of us have a sense of when something is not right and of who we want to spend more time with. Sometimes we need to follow our instincts in walking away. Other times we just take it as it comes and make a new, lasting friendship. We need to use our better judgement to supervise our childrens’ relationships and guide them in choosing their friends. We may not always be popular because of that, but hopefully we will not have regrets that we did not supervise them more closely, either.

Keeping Up With Record Keeping

2014-12-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes record keeping can be the hardest part of homeschooling. Just when you think you have a system down, you find yourself pulled in 20 different directions and the work piles up to unmanageable levels. This is when having a system is handy. It could be as simple as piling everything in a box for the year, or as detailed as daily entries in a teacher's record book. You can grade individual papers only, or cross post the grades in a yearly record.

Checking your state's homeschooling law is critical on this issue. Some states require detailed records and samples of work, some require nothing. Some states have mandatory testing, others don't. Even if your state does not require any record keeping, it is still a good idea to have some kind of system in place, just in case of overzealous school officials, nosy neighbors, or persons with "the best interests of the children" "at heart".

Some online curriculum programs even keep records for you. I am sure there are computer programs that can do this as well. If you are clever enough you could probably design your own computerized record keeping system. I am still doing mine by hand, with pencil and paper. I know several parents who use specially designed worksheets they have printed out.

Here is my simple system to give you ideas:

1 - grade each paper turned in;

2 - in a weekly calendar book, post each grade, as well as non-graded work completed;

3 - place all completed work for the year in an 18 gallon plastic box, place the weekly calendar book in the box at the end of the year.

4 - Place any projects, books not being resold, pictures, copies of videos and miscellaneous items in box. Tape and label box and store away.

We rely heavily on pictures and videos to document projects and work, so it is critical that I copy all school related media to a usb or sd card or make a hard copy of pictures to store in the box. This takes a little extra time, but I feel it is worth it for the permanent record. It is okay to revise your system from time to time, as your needs change and your abilities evolve. Our system has changed over the years but the important thing is that we do maintain a permanent record of work accomplished.

Start with whatever you think will work for you and tweak your system as you go along. You will be glad to have records if you should ever find yourself in a situation where your child's learning or your qualifications as a teacher are ever questioned. It will also prove helpful when it comes time to make up high school transcripts.

If you enjoyed this post, there is lots more information on homeschooling in my new book:

The Working Parent's Guide To Homeschooling

A System to Deal With Waste

2014-11-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Decreasing waste is wonderful in theory, but if you don’t have a system in place to deal with waste, it becomes very complicated. So what is waste? Waste is stuff you can’t reuse, isn’t good enough to donate somewhere for someone else to use and is likely to end up in the landfill. When I made my most recent stop at the Homestead, I was enthused about recycling, composting and minimizing what would go to the landfill. To my dismay, my systems were no longer in place.

My compost heap was fully composted and ready to relocate to the garden. I also wanted to set up a new system of 2 compost bins, one to fill and one to age. So began the deconstruction of the compost heap. The old log sides were removed, but before we could haul the composted soil to the garden, the waist high weeds had to be raked down and moved to a spot where they could be added to the new compost bin. We did not have enough time to complete this project while we were there, so it will be completed on our next visit. Sadly, our compostables went into the trash.

My burn barrel was buried and broken by an overenthusiastic tractor which seemed to think it was no longer of any use. Trash was carted to a shared dumpster, to be taken to the landfill. I do have another burn barrel, but I need the lid cut off, so I can use it. It is an old, empty industrial 55 gallon steel drum.

In our area we have no full service (all metals, glass and plastics) recycling center, so other than aluminum cans, these items go to the landfill. I did repurpose quite a few plastic items, and cleaned out my cabinets to find a couple bags of containers I could take to the local thrift store.

Junk mail, strangely, is not a problem at the Homestead. As we heat with wood, we need something to start the fire with. The envelopes and paper from the junk mail work just as well as newspapers. I also stuff toilet paper rolls and small cardboard boxes with dryer lint (yes, I do sometimes use the dryer instead of the clothesline) for this purpose. Most of the glossy papers get thrown in the trash, though, because they don’t burn as well.

It doesn’t sound like much to clean out the compost bin and rebuild it, and to cut the top off a steel drum, but for us it is a bit of a project. The compost has sat for so long it has become an ideal garden spot. Since I prefer this spot for the compost bin, we have to dig the compost out and relocate it. With shovels. Safety concerns demand that we have the proper tool and coordination to cut the top off the steel drum. This will entail enlisting help. Hopefully next time we stop home, we’ll get our systems back in place and keep the Homestead “green”.

Until then, we’ll work on improving our waste generation and disposal in the tiny trailer.

Also see:

Decreasing Waste

Recycling 2 - Plastic Milk Jugs

Simplifying The Homestead

Recycling - Sorting and Storing

Decreasing Waste

2014-11-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading "The Humanure Handbook". I know, eewww, right? It got me back to thinking about decreasing the amount of total waste I generate. Living in a trailer with limited water capacity and living on the homestead, where we have to haul all our water in, has made me very conscientious about my water usage.

Humanure Handbook

This isn't just about water, though. I also stumbled upon a site about living without plastic. Now that's drastic! On the homestead, we recycle or burn almost all our trash. In the trailer, we have not been consistent with this. There is also the issue of how much we bring in that ends up going out as waste. Not just packaging, but also all the plastic shopping bags - ugh! I am getting better at remembering my reusable bags, but not all the way there, yet.

I use a lot of plastic ziploc bags. We frequently brown bag our lunch on errands and day trips and I do a lot of cooking from scratch, so prepwork also gets bagged. I also stumbled upon How to Store Produce Without Plastic. I had just bought some veggies, so I decided to put some of these tips to use right away. We had a whole bunch (bunches, actually) of carrots, so I washed them and put them in the veggie bin, with the broccoli and covered it all with a damp towel. The lettuce, celery and green onions I washed and wrapped in damp towels. After sitting overnight, I went to make my lunch and everything was still fresh and crisp. I cut up some of the veggies for our bento boxes and put the rest in a bowl, covered with a damp towel, in the fridge for tomorrow. At lunch time, everything was crisp and delicious. I have already eliminated the lunchtime ziplox with the bentos and sandwich boxes (um, plastic ones...) and now I can eliminate the refrigerator storage ziplox. I like. Not that I don't have other uses for ziploc bags, but this cuts down a great deal.

Now that I have my sewing machine set up for a few days, I can whip up some more cloth veggie bags and towels and some cloth sandwich bags. Yes, I know, bacteria. That is why we wash things and let them dry thoroughly. We wash plastic and we wash cloth. And believe it or not, bacteria does grow in plastic...

There are things that I do prefer to use plastic for, however. The sawdust toilet would be one. (See the Humanure Handbook.) Also for water jugs that I have to be able to lift and maneuver. Not to mention that it cuts down on the weight in the tiny trailer/mobile homestead. But I am, once again, conciously trying to reduce my own waste and use more enduring containers.

I had a few more pictures to post, but my systems are working against me, so I am going to go ahead and post this as it is.

What are you inspired to do to reduce your waste?

How To Cure Soap

2014-10-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

That's easy, don't let it get sick! Aaarrgh! Bad soapmaker joke. Seriously, though, it's one thing to pull out the folding table and make a batch of soap, but once the soap sets up and gets cut, it needs to sit around for about 5 weeks to completely neutralize the action of the lye and oils and evaporate some of the water so that the bars get nice and hard.

So maybe I'm giving away trade secrets, here. But really, anybody can look this up in about 5 seconds, anyway. My aim is to figure out how I'm going to store several batches of soap (I'm on a soapmaking spree), with adequate air flow, to properly cure into nice, hard, suds-making, creamy, soothing, gentle, cleansing cakes of goodness.

Keeping in mind that I am now living in a 14 foot trailer with an 11 year old boy and our dog, matters get even more complicated. Last winter, we stayed in the RV and let the soap cure on the kitchen counters in the trailer. Now it needs to be out of the way, yet protected from dirt and damage, with plenty of air circulation. Hmm. We have a nice, big space on top of the fridge, which works for the first week or so, until I get the next batch made. Then I have to get creative.

Under the beds we have plenty of storage room. We keep working at getting rid of stuff we're not using, so the area is becoming fairly organized and clutter free. At least on my end. On top of my tool box is just enough room for some flattish shoe box size containers of soap. Bars go in boxes, lids off, sit in storage as long as necessary to cure. Protected from elements, dirt, damage and in a climate controlled environment.

I love using my gentle, handmade, whole milk soaps and I would love to have you give them a try, too, and tell me what you think. Check out my website Mrs. D's Homestead - Soaps 'n' More and Etsy shop today.

If you enjoyed this post, check these out, too:

Soap On The Road

Teaching My Son To Sew

What Is A Lotion Bar?

Dry Skin Relief - Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Goat's Milk

It's A Book!!

2014-10-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

The Working Parent's Guide To Homeschooling

It's finally in print and boy am I anxious to get this book out to anyone who might benefit from it. Think you're too busy working to homeschool your children? Think again! "The Working Parent's Guide To Homeschooling" is packed with tips, tricks, suggestions and resources to help working parents take charge of their children's education.

Get your free excerpt at the link above and get ready to explore a whole new world of opportunities and freedom for yourselves and your children. "The Working Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling" will inform and empower you with tools and resources to homeschool. You'll explore time management, child care arrangements while working, how to teach and more, with real life working parents’ solutions to each of these issues.

Written specifically for working parents, my own experience peppers every chapter and I also share several other families’ experiences to illustrate solutions to succeed in working and homeschooling.

This dream has been a long time coming, so I hope you will celebrate with me. Now that I've give birth to my first book, I plan on doing it again. Get your copy today and tell me what you think!

Ebook formats coming soon.

Check out these posts, too:

Yak Shows Off His Science Projects

Working and Homeschooling

If You Give A Homeschooled Boy A Tire...

Back To School - Blogging As Language Arts

Mesothelioma Awareness Day

2014-09-26T15:41:00.002-07:00

And now for a little something different:

Today is Mesothelioma Awareness Day. I was contacted by a fellow blogger who is a Mesothelioma survivor and asked to spread the word about this deadly disease. Since I also have another friend who is a Mesothelioma survivor, I agreed.

In looking for a few background facts to share, I was astounded to find that the ban on asbestos-containing products was overturned just a few years after it was put in effect. Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining.

I was also amazed that it can lay dormant for 20-50 years after a person’s first exposure, and that family and friends can be exposed to it second-hand. I am not an expert on this, so I will refer you to http://www.mesothelioma.com/ for further info; you can also read Heather’s story there (pictured above, with Lily).

And here are some interesting facts about asbestos and mesothelioma:

"Asbestos can be found in many homes, schools, commercial and industrial buildings.

China, Russia and Canada use asbestos in consumer products.

Mesothelioma is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70.

Many women received second-hand exposure from parents or spouses who worked closely with asbestos."

Info taken from MAD Asbestos Facts, courtesy www.mesothelioma.com.

Yak Shows Off His Science Projects

2014-09-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about roadschooling is visiting family and friends. Another is the ability to have an impromptu science camp when you're visiting the home of an engineering grad. Here, Yak shows off some of his creations, built from an "Eco Toys" kit, with the supervision of his brother-in-law. (Following commentary is Yak's.)

Eco Science Toys by Green Science on Amazon

Gravity Robot

You have to have some small nuts, stick on eyes, string, can and legs that will move that you can see in the clip. Robot needs: can,stick on eyes and the legs in the clip for feet. Attach the eyes on the can and take off the tabs on the can, attach the legs on the bottom. The mover: string and small nuts. Attach the string to the hole on the legs that you can see on the clip and on the other end put on the nuts (about 20 or 25) and then tie a big enough knot so that the nuts won't fall off no matter what and there you have the gravity robot put all the nuts on the string off a end of like a table and make sure you use a flat surface. Enjoy!

Disc Racer

This is a balloon and a disc and something else. You blow up the balloon and then put it on the thing that you will put in the middle of the disc and then it will float! Not in mid air but on a flat surface. Enjoy! This is not the one that has the 2 discs and the toilet roll.

Hover Disc

Cartesian Diver

Check out these posts, too:

Back To School - Blogging as Language Arts

Working and Homeschooling

My Budding Photographer

If You Give a Homeschooled Boy a Tire

Off-Grid in Yellowstone for a Fairytale Wedding

2014-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful week in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. My daughter married her Prince Charming and we all did a whirlwind tour of the park and the adjacent Grand Teton National Park. We topped it off with an awesome trail ride and when we stopped at my daughter's house on the way back to California to take my dad home, I had a renewed enthusiasm for my horses, who are now enjoying life, grazing on real pasture there.

Camping in the RV in Yellowstone was an interesting experience in being off-grid. We got to test the limitations of our coach batteries, our solar panels and our refrigerator. Also, since my dad and my oldest son and his family stayed in the RV with us, we got to test our endurance! All kidding aside, it was great fun to camp out for a week with old, new and extended family.

I am excited to be able to report, in upcoming posts, on our successes with our system, as well as the bugs we need to continue working out. This was also our first attempt at towing another vehicle with the RV. We gained a new perspective by actually being the big, dumb motor home slowing everybody else down! We tried to use as many turnouts as possible, but getting going again, from a complete stop, uphill, with a tow car, is really an exercise in frustration.

For more on our adventures in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, also see upcoming posts on our sister blog, A Simple Catholic.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

Soap on the Road

Keeping the Water Flowing

A New Direction

Mobilizing the Homestead

Truth Be Told - Book Review

2014-06-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Now that I’m finally back online, having weathered bad internet connections, crashed computers (plural!), a funeral and a wedding, I have to tell about a fantastic new historical fiction novel by a favorite author and friend, Carol Cox. Hot off the press, just in time for summer reading:

Truth Be Told, by Carol Cox

Amelia Wagner steps off the train for her yearly visit with her father, investigative reporter and editor of the Granite Springs, Arizona “Gazette”, A.J. Wagner. What she finds is a series of seemingly unsubstantiated articles in her father’s newspaper, suggesting corruption in the Great Western Investment Company, the developers buying up much of the land around the town. Great Western sends handsome Ben Stone to spy on Amelia, but what happens next turns the tables on their land-grabbing scheme. As Ben and Amelia seek out the truth – Ben to clear Great Western and Amelia to clear her father’s name – they discover much more than lies and intrigue. Will they survive to bring the truth to light?

Once again, Carol Cox brings 1890’s Arizona to life. Set within a day’s ride of Prescott, Arizona, locals with a general knowledge of the old Peavine railway route can almost pinpoint the fictitious town of Granite Springs. Budding journalist Amelia Wagner may have some traits of Carol herself, in the way she researches her subjects. Carol loves Arizona history and has traveled all over the state researching life in the 1890’s for her various writings. For Truth be Told, she met with Sky Shipley, owner of Skyline Type Foundry in Prescott, one of only 3 type foundries left in the United States. Sky tutored Carol in the printing and operation of a newspaper in the late 19^th century, so that she could write with authenticity about the day to day work that went into gathering news and publishing it during that time period. I enjoyed recognizing the Hotel Burke as the present-day Hotel St. Michael in Prescott and suspected that the Eleventh Infantry Band, from nearby Fort Whipple, was the real deal. I thought the most delightful plot twist was how Amelia helped Ben to resolve his own secret crisis, without even knowing it.

Carol Cox specializes in romantic Christian historical fiction, set in our beloved Arizona. In addition to traveling to areas of the state where she places her settings and delving into local history and characters, Carol also draws on her own experience, as an Arizona native and wife of an ordained Southern Baptist minister.

Truth Be Told is available in paperback or ebook format from Baker Publishing, $14.99. Also available from Amazon and other distributors.

Many thanks to Carol Cox and Bethany House Publishers (parent company of Baker Publishing) for providing me with a free review copy of this book. As always, looking forward to your next one!

If you enjoyed this review, you might like these:

Gladius the Show - Review

Love in Disguise - Review

Jungle Doctor and the Whirlwind - Review

Trouble in Store - Book Review

Around the Homestead: Soap On The Road

2014-04-14T16:53:00.001-07:00

Homestead Barn Hop #155

Around the Homestead: Soap On The Road

Soap On The Road

2014-04-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Cut bars in front of the MeToo

My first batch of soap on the road did not go entirely smoothly. I opted for castille soap, made with distilled water, as I had left my stores of goat and jersey cow milk back at home base, in the freezer. Soap is traditionally made in the fall, when the weather is cooler, but not yet freezing. This being January in Colorado, even with the sun out at mid-day, the highs were only in the 30's. At least there wasn't any wind.

Yak inspecting the soap

I set up my table outside and laid out my supplies. After melting my oils on the RV stove, I brought them outside while I mixed the lye and water. Lots of fumes in that process - don't want that in the RV! Next I poured the lye-water solution into the oils to saponify - or neutralize - the lye, while changing the composition of the oils into the familiar creaminess of soap. I stirred and stirred and stirred some more. When the soap started to trace, or thicken, I poured it into my prepared soap mold. All was well, until...dinner was ready. The grandparents eat early. This is where the trouble began. I didn't want to move the soap before it set, but I didn't want to move it in the dark, even more. So I quickly set up a place for it in the trailer. The tricky part was to move the 4 ft. long soap mold while the soap was still liquidy. It spilled...I thought it was lost. I scooped up what I could off the clean vinyl tablecloth and gave up on the rest.

You can see some of the crumbles here

Upon inspecting the mess the next day, I discovered that I hadn't lost as much soap as I thought and I did get a good 15 bars out of this batch. A few more were lost due to the crumbly texture when I unmolded and cut it. That was thanks to Jack Frost. The soap set, or hardened, too quickly in the cold temperatures, resulting in a more crumbly texture.

These bars cracked when I cut them

Now this is NOT great-great-grandma's lye soap! It does need to cure for 3-5 weeks to finish neutralizing the lye and hardening the oils, but after fully curing it will NOT take the paint off the barn! This pure, unscented castille soap will gently cleanse a baby's bottom, better than that big-name brand named after an elephant's tusk. After curing, my 15 good bars seemed to shape up quite nicely and my testing with the ones that didn't cut properly went perfectly well.

Curing on racks in the MeToo

Mrs. D's Pure, Unscented Castillle Soap is available in the Homestead Store or on Etsy. Right now I'm repouring lip butters. I added too much coconut oil to my last batch and they're too soft. Looking forward to a nice day to make some Jasmine Rose Goat Milk Soap. Can't wait!

If you enjoyed this post, you might like:

Rose Petal Jam

What IS a Lotion Bar?


Dry Skin Relief - Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Goat's Milk

Keeping The Water Flowing

Gladius The Show - Review

2014-03-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Two enormous Belgian horses. One large gladiator, with a sandaled foot planted firmly on the back of each. Delicate beings, gracefully performing handstands and other acrobatics on the backs of horses. Chariot races. An elegant goddess, dancing flawlessly with a handsome white Andalusian stallion. "Gladius - The Show" is a breathtaking ballet on horseback.

Yak admiring Director Erik Martonovich and one of the Belgian beauties

Written, produced and performed by Big Horse Productions, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, the most inspiring part of "Gladius" is not just the show, but the fact that the performers have financed the entire production themselves, along with crowd-funding from Kick Starter and some generous private donors. No big corporations with bottom lines, here. Just grass-roots performers, giving audiences their hearts, depending on grass-roots funding.

Speaking of bottom lines, "Gladius" performers will host a 'Hoofprints' clinic in each city they play. Children from boys and girls clubs will be invited to participate in outreach sessions including warm-ups, stretching, group games, equestrian vaulting (acrobatics on horseback) and aerial circus arts. I don't have details at the moment, but for further info, the email contact is monk_e_monnya@yahoo.com.

Head Horse Trainer and "goddess" Laura Amandis

I don't normally go to shows with scantily clad actors. My daughter purchased the tickets because we were going to the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver and she assured me that the horses would be fantastic. They were. The thing that stole my heart, was watching how willingly they responded to suggestions from their handlers. Not commands, not demands. One could clearly see that these horses and their people were a team. The most stunning and beautiful example of this is Laura Amandis' dance with her white Andalusian. At the mere movement of her hand, or the softest suggestion from the lunge whip (which never, by the way, touched the horse), the stallion moved precisely into position, his elegant, curling tail sweeping nearly to the ground, his long mane flowing with his every movement. Even his final bow was executed on the slightest cue from his trainer.

Did I mention the fire? Juggling, spinning and spouting, there is even fire being swallowed. I am not familiar with the art of fire manipulation, so I was dutifully awestruck, watching. I also noticed that the horses weren't the least bit concerned about it. Now that's some trust, which only comes from long hours of devoted training.

The show did not end when the lights came up. Afterwards, we were invited to the barn to meet the horses and acrobats. It was exciting to see the 18 hand, 2,000 pound belgians close up. Toddlers in arms reached out to touch their soft noses, while the horses stood patiently, apparently enjoying the attention.

My horse-crazy family loved Gladius - The Show. We give it all thumbs up. For more info on locations, dates and tickets see their Facebook page, or website.

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Keeping the Water Flowing

2014-02-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

This happy, homey scene is our bathroom sink in the RV. Featured are my homemade Lavender Tea Tree Goat Milk Soap and Lavender Tea Tree Lotion Bar made with all natural coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax. The bottles in the background contain homemade mouthwash, toner and nasal spray. But enough product promotion. This post is all about how we make the above picture possible. RVing in sub-zero temps is not what we had in mind for starting our full-time RV lifestyle. We have adapted.

After a few minor freeze-ups in December, earnest efforts to keep the flow of water steady were undertaken. Both fresh and gray/black water systems had to be addressed. The sewage pipes were wrapped with R30 insulation and further protected by surrounding them with old hay bales. We discovered that, when parked for more than a few days, the gray and black water need to be kept moving. Normal driving of the RV usually takes care of this. If you are traveling slow, as we are, and are parked for a few weeks or months in one spot, you need to run more water through your black tank, especially, to flush out all the solids. This is fine, because we are also hooked to pressurized water and can afford to use a bit more for flushing.

As for the fresh water, the hose was heat taped and covered with foam insulation, which has kept the water flowing into the RV. I leave the faucets open to drip slowly overnight and the Colorado sunshine keeps the hose thawed (along with the heat tapes) during the day.

The addition of plywood flashing or some more of those old hay bales around the bottom of the rig would undoubtedly help, as well.

As for my little trailer, well, spring is on the way...here you can see my latest batch of soap - Pure Castille, cut and waiting to be put on the curing racks inside the trailer. It should be ready to ship in March. Look for details on my first adventure in soapmaking on the road, in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Dry Skin Relief - Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Goat's Milk

2014-01-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

It's well into winter and relief from the dry air seems far away. Heaters, fireplaces and air cleaners don't help with the dry skin issue. Even normal, everyday activities like washing clothes, dishes and produce, even just handwashing seems to leave my skin ready to dissolve into powder. That might actually be less painful that the cracking, splitting and peeling that is taking place.

Wait, I'm a soap maker! I should have soft, smooth, healthy skin, right? Regular use of my goat and cow's milk soaps certainly helps. They are gentle and nourishing. My reformulated lotion bars, with extra coconut oil and shea butter, are easier to spread in winter's colder temps. The thing is, in the drier climates, I find I need to reapply frequently. My homemade lip butters are handy for this. The coconut oil and shea butter are soothing, and heal up our chapped lips quickly. If we would remember to keep using it, the chapping would also be prevented.

My favorite lotion bar in the winter is the Jasmine Rose. Rose oil is reputed to be soothing for dry skin. I like to recycle a 2 ounce size tin or snack container with a tight-fitting lid, smoosh a lotion bar inside, and carry it in my purse for easy application after handwashing on the go, or any time. I also keep a lotion bar next to the soap on each sink in my house, RV, trailer and in my travel bag. Okay, that seems obsessive, but I really am the biggest fan of my homemade soaps and lotions. Of course, that's why I make them. They're all natural and if I'm not happy with them, I know you won't be, so I make sure they're just right.

Want some help with your dry skin? Check out my Etsy shop, or my website, Mrs. D's Homestead.

Thanks for stopping by.

Back To School - Blogging As Language Arts

2014-01-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

One great thing about homeschooling is the flexibility in the schedule. After nearly 2 months off to help with fixing up the RV and trailer, closing up the Homestead and packing for the road, not to mention celebrating the holidays, 10 year old Yak is back to school. He is still working at the conventional "6th" grade level. He is taking more control over his schedule, often completing his work late at night so he can have the daylight hours free for his fort-building work and other projects. I check his work first thing in the morning , write his assignments in his record book and make sure he reads for his minimum 2 hours. Also, during the day sometime, I will sit him down and go over any particular difficulties he may be having in math, spelling, grammar, etc.

This past week he has started blogging. I supervise each post just to make sure everything looks good. I am also his final spelling/grammar check. It's really all his. Sometimes we discuss why using certain phrases may not be appropriate and we discuss online safety issues as we go along. I think he is learning a lot as he works on his blog and he enjoys having people other than just mom see his work.

We would like to invite everyone to check out his blog: http://horsecrazyjacob.blogspot.com and please comment. In fact, I would love it if you would leave a comment here, as well.

Stop by again, soon!

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Vintage Trailer Rehab

2013-12-28T17:51:00.002-07:00

We've finally arrived at our first stop on the road - the grandparents' in Colorado. As we spend some time enjoying the holidays, here's a little bit of what we've been doing to make my 1975, 14ft. MeToo travel trailer more suitable for full time living:

Tearing out the bunks and dinette resulted in an large open space. Now, what to do with it? The bunks from the house would have fit, but too heavy. A lightweight futon was a consideration. Yak wanted a hammock to sleep in. The man of the place came up with the idea of removing the bunk from the old RV and making it a fold-up bed. That sounded good, so he went ahead with it.

Here you can see the bed folded down, with a little bit of a shelf next to the wall. The bottom picture is the bed folded up. You can see the mattress sticking out the top and the hinged leg supports folded against the bed. I still have to add a center support and straps to hold the bed in the up position. There is now quite a bit of easily accessible storage space under the bed, and when folded up, storage boxes can be moved outside, to give me a large workspace for sewing, writing, whatever.

Another modification we made was to remove the smaller, non-working fridge and replace it with the larger fridge from our old RV. This involved removing the entire door frame and building out the cabinet to accommodate the bigger fridge. A few more cubic inches doesn't seem like much, but it really makes a difference.

A former owner upgraded the electrical system, including putting in an independent battery system, which I have yet to figure out. I still have some work to do on the heater and oven, though the stove works. The hot water system is a battery operated pump at this time, until I get the hot water pipes replaced and can check the water heater. The cold water works fine. When it's not frozen solid. I fiberglassed a crack in the gray/black water tank and have a minor repair to do on the toilet, but then I think the plumbing will be ready to use.

Right now, everything's thawing out, as I had no electricity the first few days we were here. Now I'm plugged in and have the electric heater going. Luckily, we've been warm and dry in the grands' guest room while we work out the bugs.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

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A New Direction

2013-12-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sunset at Wild Horse Ranch

I have been a bit slower to post this past month, as we have been working hard on the new direction our life is taking. Preparing for full-time living in an RV and travel trailer has meant major renovation to the travel trailer, which I will post about in the weeks to come, and getting animals to the vet, to update shots and such.

The horses are now safely ensconced in their new home in Northern Colorado, under the watchful care of my daughter, the horse lover. We are taking a little break, to enjoy a late Thanksgiving and early Christmas together, and then will head back to the homestead to put the finishing touches on the travel trailer before heading up to the grandparents' in Southern Colorado, where we will spend the holidays. Both of these towns are wonderful, and I am excited to explore them and write about them in the coming year. There are lots of farms and dairies, local beekeepers and other homesteaders. As well as all kinds of activities and points of interest for travelers.

Moonrise over Wild Horse Ranch

For now, here are a couple of pictures of the horses enjoying Wild Horse Ranch. I hope to post a couple more times in the coming weeks, and then more often again after New Year's. Looking forward to sharing about our Homestead on the road.

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Teaching My Son To Sew

2013-10-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

If you sew a button on his shirt, he can wear it another day. If you teach him how to sew a button on his shirt...you don't have to do it anymore. All 3 of my sons can sew buttons on their shirts and sew a straight seam in order to mend a tear. The older ones prefer to leave these things to their wives. Except for hockey gear. They can mend their own hockey gear. Possibly because the girls won't go near the smell.

Yak is taking it a step further. Having spent so much of his life with me in my workshop, he has pestered me for years to let him sew on the machine. Yak started out with a needle and thread when he was about 5 years old. He had his own sewing kit, in a matchbox, with several colors of thread wrapped around old bobbins, a paper with a couple needles stuck in it, and a safety scissors. He would sew meandering seams on scraps of fabric and call it done. Later, I showed him how to sew on a button and mend a small tear. Finally, this year I set him up with my grandma's old factory model Pfaff. This is the machine I use for sewing leather, heavy canvas and anything that might damage the Janome.

Historically men were the sewists anyway. Tentmakers, tailors, dressmakers, most were men. Yak has developed an enthusiasm for designing his own patterns and I want to nurture that enthusiasm quickly before it goes away. First he watched studiously as I sewed the drapes for his dad's RV. He noted the working of the foot pedal, the hand wheel and how to guide the heavy fabric under the needle. Next, I let him take a turn. First he sewed on some cotton scraps to get the feel for the machine and foot pedal. He sewed up a number of bean bags, which he sold out of at the Farmer's Market where we worked for several weekends. His next project was hand bags. I think the simple design, along with the sturdy upholstery fabric looks great. He ran into difficulty attaching the straps, so the project is on hold for now. Maybe this is a good time to encourage use of the seam ripper...

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2013-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our 1989 28 foot Georgie Boy Cruise Air II came to us in top notch condition. All that needed fixing was some worn out plumbing. The microwave burned out after the first use, so we replaced it. The kitchen is easy to cook in, and the sitting area is very comfortable. All that was needed here were 2 twin mattresses for the bedroom bunks and drapes for the bedroom windows.

We happened to have an old full-size futon mattress laying around so we recycled it. We cut it in half, I pieced fabric strips onto the covers so they would fit again, and sewed them closed. I also had a bolt of upholstery material in the workshop, so I measured, cut, ironed and sewed drapes for the bedroom and a long panel for a bedroom "door".

Mr. D is now happily ensconced in his new digs, enjoying the use of his electrical gadgets, powered by the solar panels he installed, along with several heavy duty deep cell batteries. He has already started on the first leg of our road trip, to snow country, where he will be wintering, taking care of his parents.

We will be joining him soon. Now to get my trailer ready - that's a project! Thanks for stopping by.

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End of the Garden

2013-10-16T06:56:00.002-07:00

Our bountiful harvest

We didn't have much of a garden this year, but what we did have did pretty good once it started raining.Those pumpkins were enormous! I think one was somewhere around 70 pounds! The other 3 about 20-40 pounds. We got about a dozen watermelons, about the same on cantaloupes. There was only one row of beets and one of onions, but that was enough to keep us well fed for a couple months, as well as several cans of beets for the pantry. A neighbor supplied us with zucchini and chard, another with cucumbers, so in addition to eating fresh and fried squash and greens, I was able to put up a couple dozen quarts of pickles. I am not really a pickle person as far as store-bought goes, but I love my homemade pickles. I love to open a jar of pickled cucumbers or other veggies midwinter, to add some variety to our staples of rice, potatoes, carrots, onions and beans.

Zucchini, cucumbers and onions ready for the pickling brine

As for the pumpkin, well, the largest went to our local library so they could use it for a fund raiser. If you're near Ash Fork, stop in and guess the weight for 25 cents a guess - the winner gets to keep the pumpkin and the library gets a boost to its budget. This little fellow grew right into the fence. We had to pick him before he got any more attached, but he seems to have ripened just fine.

A creepy halloween mutant

After giving away several more pumpkins, the last few will be eaten for the next few weeks and canned for later pies, breads and cookies. Sadly, we didn't plant any tomatoes. I can always use lots of jars of tomato sauce. Maybe next year...speaking of which, we will be on the road next year, looking for fresh, local produce and experimenting with our homesteading practices in a 28 foot RV and a 14 foot trailer. Should be very interesting.

Thanks for stopping by.

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