Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Pulled pork sandwiches

1 pork roast
1 can root beer
1 bottle bbq sauce

Place all in crockpot. Cook on high for about 6 hours. Remove roast to a platter. Shred or pull meat with a fork, removing fat & bone. Place meat back into the crockpot & set on warm or low until ready to serve on some homemade rolls.
Delicious!

~Then go treat your favorite dog with the fat & bone!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

This little piggie went to market...

(actually not this particular one but 2 others like it)

We are now down 2 pigs. Good because we've decided 5 is too many for us to deal with. In a couple of weeks the freezer will be buldging again!

Now, get out & enjoy the beautiful day.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Temps in the 80's


This morning...garage sales with my daughter & sister.

This afternoon...a trip to the feed store & to buy a shelf for daughter's room.

This evening...a fish fry on the front porch with just the 4 of us.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Friday, September 24, 2010


It is now officially fall...
It still is in the 90's here but there is a slight breeze here & there. So what does fall mean around here?
Clothes on the line. There is just something about hanging out the clothes that I enjoy. I usually do this in the early morning where I'm usually the only other person around. I here the chickens stirring & the dogs greet me but it's just usually a really calm and peaceful time. A short time to think & reflect on the day to come.
What else does this fall bring besides the better weather? Rain, I hope. We really need some. Also not as many homestead chores as the fall garden will tend to itself.
Another thing this fall brings is a change in our family. My son is driving now & working 3 days per week. It's quite different when he is gone during the days. Fall will also bring what will probably be our last halloween party where my daughter will want to dress up. Changing seasons, children getting older, mom getting older too!
I cautiously look forward to this fall & plan on taking many pictures...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Finances



We've done some really neat things around our little homestead this past year. Really neat & really expensive for our budget. So we're tightening up around here. Since we have high-speed internet now I've been browsing over at you tube. ~I know some are against it and you do have to be careful with the kiddos due to content but there's alot of great information on there too.
I've found several videos with tips for saving money. You may like to check them out if you have time. Just type in frugal families, frugal living, etc.
Also today I need to restock my freezer with a meal or two for busy nights. We ate the chili last night so that was the last of my freezer meals.
One little tip I'll share is if you like to grill meats, always make extra & freeze some or refrigerate to use later in the week. You'll use the same charcoal & time so why not? Hamburgers, sausages, & pork chops already grilled freeze well. I will be honest though, I'm not a big fan of re-heated burgers...oh my! I will eat them, but I just think they are much better fresh. My family doesn't seem to mind at all though.

The second verse...

This is just beautiful!
If you have a minute today I encourage you to go to www.youtube.com and type in: Tea party member stuns crowd!ORIGIONAL!!!
I tried to copy & paste the link on here but I must be doing something wrong because it wasn't working.
May God bless you today!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Monday

Do you ever have one of those days, weeks, or possibly months where you wish you could just wrap your own little world up & sail away? I'm having one of those...
Since I cannot pick up my family and move to a deserted island or high up in the mountains I'll have to settle for a day of laundry & other home chores.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Freezer Meals


I enjoy cooking most of the time, but we all have days where we're gone or just really don't want to go to the trouble of making, mixing, & cleaning up lots of things. So that's why I LOVE to have a freezer meal or two on hand for a night like tonight!


So, tonight we're having a really delicious meal with very little effort from me. We're having:


Beef enchilada casserole and a hearty green salad.


Casserole was in the freezer, now in the oven. Salad is some left-over lettuce and sliced cucumbers from yesterday and to that I'm sprinkling on a little bit of left-over chopped chicken breast and a boiled egg. (All already cooked & in the fridge)


The enchilada casserole is the same recipe as my rolled beef enchiladas that I already posted but I just layered the ingredients.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Fall Garden

We had decided to not do a fall garden, but we've changed our minds. So this week we'll be planting english peas, turnips, mustard greens, irish potatoes, & onions. I actually enjoy the fall garden much more because it's not so hot to get out there & tend to.

Pancakes


Yesterday for breakfast I made up a batch of banana pancakes...yumm-O!
See the little green molds? My mom sent these. Aren't they cute?
Banana Pancakes
2 cups flour (wheat or white)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs
Combine all in a blender or wisk in a big bowl. Fry on hot griddle or skillet.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Hi Honey


Around here I've switched to using honey in most recipes in place of sugar. But honey is too expensive you may say...I say nope. It may be bee's liquid gold, but I've found a person nearby that sells 2 pints for $10. I use honey in bread baking, to sweeten tea, & in some baked goods.


We also use it as a cough supressent & throat soother.

Just brew a cup of tea...green, camomile, or regular. Then add in a good spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon juice. Sip.


If you're looking for some infomation on honey try here: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/

Friday, September 10, 2010

Homesteading updates

Let's see... my son now has a job 3 days per week. 4-h has started but we missed the first meeting because my daughter was sick. Is she better now? Well, she's happily swimming away in the pool with her cousin listening to the radio so I'd say yes! It only lasted a day!!!
I thank the Lord we've been blessed with good health. I really atribute that to our way of eating & living. We try to not take medicines & eat as natural as we can. Now if I could just get my weight down I'd be really happy. It's getting a tad cool in the mornings & evenings so I've been walking & doing more chores around here so I am hoping that will help...can't hurt! lol
If you have time I encourage you to scroll down to the bottom of my page & push play on the beautiful song by Katherine Scott while you read my pages.--Very peaceful.
So take care all and hope you have a blessed weekend.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Buying in Bulk




For a few months now I've been a happy member of a local food co-op. Now I get to order things in bulk. While there is an initial bigger check to write, I've found I'm saving some money in the long run. Most of the products are organic. So I thought I'd share what I've gotten so far:




soft white wheat berries, 25# bags


hard white wheat berries, 25# bags


pinto beans, 25# bags


ground cinnamon, 1#


basil, 1#


sesame seeds, 1#


onion powder, 1#


frozen rhubarb, 12 packages




I think that's all that I've ordered so far. The catalogs have SO much to chose from. We try to eat as natural & organic as we can, but it does get costly sometimes. I'm in the process of budgeting how I can get some more things. So far I've come up with $100 to be my budget. I spend about that at the grocery/discount stores per week so if I just replenish our milk & a couple of necessities to be bought that week I can buy some things in bulk that month.


I've introduced my sister to this too & that way if we want we can split some things. -like the rhubarb. (you can't find it anywhere around here)




I store my bulk in white 5 gallon buckets I bought new at a paint store. Make sure to get some with a good seal for the lid. Also in case you were wondering about the spices as I was...the onion powder filled 1 quart canning jar. The same for the sesame seeds & cinnamon. The basil fit tightly into 3 quart jars. Guess I'm set on basil for quite some time! :)




Sunday, September 5, 2010

Working around the homestead


Yesterday we ended up borrowing my mother-in-laws power washer & went to town! Actually went to washing... We did the back porches, walls & skirting of the trailer, patio furniture, and more! It looks so much nicer now. We were going to do the front today, but the neighbors came over earlier & asked him to come help them with their plumming problems...yuck! Glad he's a good neighbor though.
So Tyler & I got the house cleaned up & Abby painted her big barbie house she's hoping to sell in the yard sale next week.
Did I mention that? We're having a yard sale on Saturday. I really do not enjoy having yard sales but I promised her that we would. I love to go to them, just not put them on. We're making it as easy as possible though. All clothing will be 25cents a piece & except for a few good items the rest will be good prices too. I want to get rid of it all!

Saturday, September 4, 2010


This morning's weather is just wonderful! For around here anyway. Any morning you can walk outside and not be sweating in a few minutes is a good one!
Monday is typical laundry day around here. I did laundry on Monday but by now we've got some towels & hubby's work clothes. Since today seems so nice I'm going to wash up those loads & finally get to hang them out on the line.
As far as the rest of our day it will be the routine feedings & taking care of our homestead. I am hoping to get to cut out some more quilt squares and then we'll grill something for supper. It looks to be an all-around great day spent at home...great!