Collins Country

I Needed More Than a Week

Well, today is Monday, so let's see how well I did on my goals list!

# 1- Get all of the laundry done - all of it!

Okay, not all of it, but A LOT of it.  Thank you Olivia and Heather!!

# 2- Organize all of those clean clothes.

Hmm, well, at least we started organizing them.

# 3- Prepare for the next six weeks of school.

Did I mean part of the six weeks or all of them?

# 4- Do an all around house clean-up.

Okay, I really did an all around house clean-up.

You just can't tell it now.

# 5- Finish reconstructing my website.  http://candyfoote.com/

Yeah, I did a lot on my website.

I am adding more daily!

# 6- Discipline myself to blog daily.  Well, hopefully daily.

Hey, at least I am blogging more than I was.

# 7- Keep working on my next three books!

I forgot how much work it is to write a book.

# 8 - Can tomatoes.

Sorry, tomatoes, I couldn't find time for you.

# 9- Freeze peppers.

I never froze any peppers, but we ate a lot of them.

# 10- Wrap and freeze about 300 pounds of beef from the bull that we just had butchered.

We ended up getting 400 pounds of beef!

I guess you know what the menu will look like all month.

Now add in my grandson getting an infection and being put into the hospital.

Plus, attending an aunt's funeral .

All and all, I think it was a successful week "off".

Thanks For the Prayers

Gabriel is coming home!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the prayers!!

Candy

Been Fishin'

This weekend the signs were good for fishing. Plus our neighbor/friends want their big pond/lake to be fished. They don't fish so us four, Mom who is 82 yr, Sis ,Dh and I went on a fishing trip this weekend and really didn't leave the farm. Its just 3/4 of a mile as the crow flies to the fishing lake. Sis's DH went turkey hunting and didn't get his bird, should have been fishing with us.

Not only did the fish bite but my oh my was the weather perfect both days, Sat and Sunday. Saturday was a better fishing day but fish was caught on both. All total we caught a little over 100 bass and bluegill. I caught the biggest and sis caught the smallest.

My bass weighed in just under 2 lbs. most were 1+ lbs. hand size bluegill.

Plans were to cook outside at the Outpost but we / I , all just got to tuckered out. Well now fishin and skinin does wear a body out, LOL.

But sis and I still camped out at the Outpost. We didn't build a campfire, it was pretty windy so ate sandwiches and chips, colas while we read our camping adventure magazines and books. Sis brought up her Bible to read, I would say the better of all books, But I still like reading my camping trip books and know hows when up at the Outpost and then in those quiet times reading Scripture. I'm reading about wolfs attacking in the Outdoor magazines and sis is reading how the wolfs attack in our lives , pretty much the same kind of reading. Just different weapons to use.

Oh this lake is a beautiful place to just sit and watch the leaves fall and fall they did. The fallen leaves looked like brown sail boats at sea heading into shore. A gust of wind and down they would come. We all had to laugh cuz they were so many and awesome to see. The lake itself would whip up when the wind would blow and it came from many dirrections. And that saying, Wind in the West Fish Bite the Best, is true B/c everytime the wind blew out of the west someone had a fish on the hook or was setting hook. And then we would just sit there when it was blowing from the East. Wind in the East Fish Bite the Least, oh so true.

This lake is surrounded by many hundreds of acres of trees and wildlife. It connects to my Moms homestead.

These were taken before the major leaf fall.

The leaves are turning and we are getting another pretty Autumn this season

I had to buy a new rod and reel for myself, only the thing would not work, blast it. I gave up and let DH mess with it. Found out the people that put things together in the stores had it backwards, some thing of ma-jig. So I took DH old rod and reel and he took the new one that he fixed. Thats ok cuz I caught the biggest fish anyways : ). Next time i'm bringing my fly rod and see if I can catch a bass or two on a fly.

Now we did some Channel Cat fishing to later in the evening using the liver from the butcher roosters from last week. Did not get any Channels. Maybe another day. But while we were sitting there and just light enough to see objects a big crane came swoopy by across the lake. Then we heard a big noice and see him swoop right by us. We figure we are sitting in his spot cuz he just circles the lake. We're not movin cuz we are fishin'.

Didn't get a dang thing done on the homestead but we got a freezer full of fresh fish. And a beautiful weekend just enjoying the outdoors. Watching my Mom fish, drinking hot coffee from thermos. Shaking the bucket of worms to find a nice big juicy one. Washing hands in the just a little cool to swim in water, after you take your fish off the hook and toss it in the basket and hearing the sound of the days catch being plopped in the water. We had three baskets going and no one said anything but I kind of think there was a contest going on the amount of fish in the baskets, but I still caught the biggest one, Hehehe!!!

While the fishing was letting up for a while, Wind in the East. I started to gather hickory nuts, many all over. They were little but tasty. DH brought over a huge Hickory nut, Wow , so I took the basket and went where the big ones were being assured that they would watch my rod.

I picked up only a half basket of nuts cuz I heard them catching fish over yonder, the wind coming from the west now. I was worried about my rod going in the water. But still I gathered a good mess of Hickory Nuts. Oh these are hard to crack but well worth the trouble, esp. the big ones.

So the weekend was foraging, fish and nuts. Its healthy, clean (well sorta) fun. We had a good time.

So get your fishin rod out, grab somebody to go with ya and have a wonderful day. Plus fresh fish is mighty tasty along with fried taters and onions, can of pork and beans and cornbread. We'er talking stick to your ribs food now

Its quite something to sit and watch water how it moves, watching the reflection of the clouds form in the water. Having leaves fall on you and hearing the sounds of tiny to big critters as you watch the sun go down and the moon comes out to make a whole other world before you with different sounds and sights to see. On another forum I read something like "Being outside is Being". I love that.

Thanks for visiting, hope you liked my fishing trip. Winter is coming head on fast and will be here before we know it. I read others who are getting, gathering and preparing for the coming months. Whether its weather or the state of our nation and the world and challenges it is facing that will effect everyone.

I would like my blog to be helpful . So well gear it toward that direction . Theres many sites I would like to share as well that will make our winter bearable and strengthen us along our path. I never ever want to feel I'm stuck, theres always a way out and many options , but we gotta do the homework and work at it. And the thing is every little or big thing we do has an effect. I would like it to be effective on the positive side.

So have some fun when you can, get down and serious on important things and make it work.

Blessings
linda

caramel apple cupcakes

I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago, and they were a BIG hit!  I gave some to a couple of people i work with, and I gave a few to my mom and sent 1 along for my grandmother.  I got the recipe out of a cookbook called Cupcakes and Other Goodies by Publications International.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow or butter cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix

1 cup chopped dried apples

Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)

Chopped nuts

     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 24 standard muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.

     Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Stir in apples.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpicks inserted into centers come out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove cupcakes to racks; cool completely. 

     Prepare Caramel Frosting.  Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with nuts.

     Caramel Frosting:  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 2-quart saucepan.  Stir in 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm.  Add 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar; beat until frosting is of spreading consistency.  Add 3/4 teaspoon vanilla; beat until smooth.  Makes about 5 cups.

Autumn Activities

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. 
So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."
-  Nathaniel Hawthorne

Oh, how I can relate to those words!  I love Autumn and the blessed relief it brings from Summer's often scorching heat.  I find myself slipping out of doors the moment the sun begins to lighten up the sky in the mornings, and having to force myself to go back indoors to attend to the daily duties that need my attention inside: breakfast, homeschool, the inevitable laundry, dishes, and so forth.  As soon as the "must-do's" are done, I pop right back outside to find some other enjoyable tasks outdoors. 

Here are a few things that I enjoy doing during the lovely days of Autumn:

Planting and tending crops for the Fall & Winter gardening season.  We have a nice garden growing right now, a blessed improvement over our sad Spring/Summer garden.

Planting herbs that enjoy the cooler Autumn & Winter weather here in Texas, such as Parsley, Cilantro, Dill and Calendula. 

Planting flower bulbs for Springtime blossoms.  I like to plant Crocus, Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, & Tulips.

Planting Violas (my favorite), Pansies, Ornamental Kale & Cabbage for Winter color in the garden and on the porch.

Repotting my Rose Geraniums before bringing them inside for the winter.

Dividing perennial herbs and flowers and sharing the divisions with a friend.

Harvesting the leaves of Lemon Verbena, and drying them for a wonderful Winter tea.

Collecting seed from the annual herbs, flowers, and veggies to dry for next year's plantings and to share with others.

Making a scarecrow to decorate the garden.  I doubt it is very effective at scaring crows, but he (or she) always makes me smile. 

Putting out seeds and other goodies for the birds and other little creatures that visit our yard. 

Decorating the front porch with a pumpkin, Fall flowers, and perhaps a basket of gourds, corn and other pretty Autumn decorations.

Last but definitely not least, sitting on the porch with a cup of tea, a notebook, a few seed catalogs, and planning and plotting my gardens for the Spring!

Please share your favorite Autumn Gardening activities with us!

Now, I'm off to wander about the yard and see what I can find to do this evening.

Blessings,

Catherine

Musings on being a "frumpy" homeschooler

It has been many years, but I *was* one. So I wanted to try to share my personal angle. I believe there was something going on this weekend in Homesteadblog-dom that had to do with homeschooling, but I have no idea what that was as I wasn't online. A comment I left last week made me think about the past. It's distant enough not to be painful anymore, still fresh enough to be vivid. And it's a part of who I am. So, I'm blogging it, but the timing of this post might be sorta bad, so don't take it personal in light of . . . whatever it was that happened this weekend!

Yes,  I'm pretty confident that if you had known me, you would agree that I was an ugly duckling . . . .

I wasn't so much shy as I recognized at a glace that me and you would have had very, very little in common. I would probably have had an easier time talking to your mom, or your siblings, or even your twin brother, just about anyone besides a girl my own age! But I was probably perceived quite often as shy and backwards.

The few times I opened up to female peers, I was usually stared at, then told "You sound like you were raised like my grandma." AKA, "I can't relate to you." Which is almost teen code for "You're weird."

I could smell pity a mile away. I didn't need or want it from anyone! Let alone for something as superficial as my looks!

I grew up butchering chickens, milking cows, and at 14yo I bought a 2yo, untrained Quarter Horse mare.  I spent two years saving up for half the cost, and two years paying the rest off. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 18yo because I had not interests in the mall or movies (I didn't have the money for the mall after I fed my animals and we rented movies. What was the big deal?) I could drive 4 miles to the town library and that was as far as my interests really went!

The older you get, the more acceptable it is to have an "odd" upbringing. People like to hear about it. They admire your "strength" and that you know how to do these things and wish they had learned. Hahaha! Right. As a teen you were probably grumbling about mowing the lawn instead of watching cartoons, let alone being handed a knife and told to put up fifty fryers. I used to wonder what it would have been like to be born when everyone's grandmas were, so that I could have fit in more. When nobody watched cartoons and hard work was more respected.

At a time when most of the girls I knew could carry on a half hour conversation about nail polish and lip gloss (or so it seemed to me!) and 'cute' guys (I always thought that term insulting to the masucline gender), I was more interested in if a young man was a hard worker and what kind of daddy he would be than how he looked in jeans or if he was a football player or homecoming king. I wanted to be appreciated, but mostly I wanted a husband I could really respect - that was such a high priority for me! It was also very important to me to know if he would hit or throw things when he was very, very angry. I wanted to know how he would react when he had to change a tire in the rain.

Most of the girls I knew would have been so annoyed by brothers 4yo, 8yo, and 10yo younger than they. For me, they were my "clique" and I *wanted* to hang out with them! I was strong, I was inventive, and I was funny - I was the 'perfect girl' to them. My brothers were my peers, and as such I was influenced not to be "too girly".

Yes, I would have looked different, shabby and messy to the standards of highschoolers. And it would smart - but only around peers! At the same time it was deeply ingrained in me that the right man would love me for my heart, not my looks. I used to look into the mirror and pray that someone would take the time to get to know me enough to see past the exterior I didn't know how to frame to be "fashionable". Most of the time, riding my horse on the prairie or hunting with my younger brothers, it just didn't matter what I looked like.

Today, the pictures I have from that era frame some of the happiest, most innocent moments of my life, but I would never, ever ever show them to anyone. Simply because of what I'm wearing in them. Vanity, I know!

The summer before I turned 19yo, I got my first job off the farm and was enrolled at a local, junior college. If I left my peers alone, they left me alone. For the first semester, as I got my footing, that was fine at college. In the shoe department in a retail store, I blossomed. I love to help people! And I got paid to do it!

Besides, at college it was hard to find the kind of guy I had set myself up for. Most didn't seem to be hard-working, epitomes of virtue. It only took a curse word or two to make me lose all interest in a pretty face. And did I mention everyone cursed? Just about?

My Sunday School class gave me more hope. I desperately wanted to fit in there - here were other Christian young people! Perhaps not raised like I was, but fellow followers of Christ. They must have thought I was so weird to take my younger brother to get-togethers and such. The events always sounded like so much fun that I wanted to include one of my best friends!

It was at Sunday School that a young man that I respected asked me to "please repeate that in English". After reading book after book growing up - and I had the vocabulary to prove it. However, after that comment, I spent years rephrasing things in my mind, dumbing it down, forgetting words I decided no one used but me. I picked up slang, and invested in the many ways to entone grunts, sighs, and other non-words.

Working in retail, I finally learned how to dress, how to walk, how to flirt. I went off of comments I recieved and stares. In a way, I had spent most of my life praying for a young man to see past my shabbiness, now I was realizing that I was still going to have to hope for a young man to really get to know me past my attractivness! Instead of fashion dropping the last barrier to my happiness, I found that I was attracting (by the droves) the wrong kind of guy. These seemed to possess even less virtue!

By the time I met Jonathan, I was working my way out the other side of my adventure and searching for balance. I was still dressing mainly to attract attention, but I was longing for something modest and attractive. I still had a very long way to go before I would find again where I was comfortable. I had decided I was different and that I didn't mind that. I was done apologizing for "me".

The only thing I can figure, is that when Jonathan and I met, it was a meeting of our spirits. I think both of us were moving, in tiny steps, towards the same thing. I had gigantic subwoofers in the back of my car, I wore makeup in layers and listened to bands like Demon Hunter. Jonathan was obsessed with sports and at first I thought him ambition-less! There was very little to indicate that this was a man who would appreciate homemade soap or that I would ever make an effort to learn how to cook from scratch.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my own personal story of transformation . . . from ugly duckling into something a bit more attractive! So the next time you see a "poor" homeschooler . . . save your pity. Spare them your judgement based on their looks, and maybe they will do the same!

You never know what you could learn from each other!

~Ashley~

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY,
Monday, October 13th, 2008

 

Outside My Window...a very chilly and clear morning

 

I am thinking...I need to get my taxes done, things are piling up and I am getting anxious!

 

I am thankful for...God providing work for my husband.

 

From the kitchen...Breakfast: cinnamon raisin bread, Lunch: sack-lunch to take with us on a field trip, Dinner: BBQ Chicken Casserole and rolls

 

I am wearing...black capris and a black t-shirt, barefoot

 

I am creating...a healthy food environment in my kitchen so I'm not tempted

 

I am going...to meet with friends and then to the community college's farm for a field trip and get veggies

 

I am reading...Lord of the Rings and The History of the World in Six Glasses

 

I am hoping...to get all my paperwork done

 

I am hearing...the kids eating breakfast

 

Around the house...still deep-cleaning and de-cluttering, getting the chicken coop rebuilt for winter

 

One of my favorite things...a warm house on a freezing day

 

A Few Plans For This Week: Work-outs, school, son testing for his next rank in jujitsu,starting a weightloss contest with friends, getting my hair done 

 

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

 My current computer background

A few things about our weekend and my husbands blog.........

We had a busy but beautiful weekend. On Saturday we had to get our eyes checked and I just can't believe how expensive it is and we have insurance. I just don't know what people that don't have insurance do?

We both had to get new glasses and I am going to order contacts. I usually wear my contacts all the time but I am thinking I will have to wear my glasses more I am hoping it will save us a little money on contact maintance.

We stopped at the mall nearby and bought the girls a few shirts for the cooler monthes. No... we adults didn't get anything new we are going to have to either wear what we have or make a goodwill stop:) I just can't believe how high things have gotten. I looked at a very pretty sweater and they wanted $75.00 Yikes! No new sweater for me:)

We did have a nice meal out which is the first for this month:) Our goal is one nice meal out and two fast food meals out which is usually Subway.  By the way or nice meal out costed us $ 50.00 which isn't too bad :) Although add another  $25.00  and I could have had a new sweater.

We had a wonderful day yesterday we went to church then came home for a rest day.  We got few things done around the house and outside. We need to make our garden beds soon:)  I also need to put plastic on our bedroom windows which seems to help some on our electric bill. There are many other odd jobs we would like to get done and if the weather stays nice hopefully they will get done:)

Our garden is really growing great!  We will be getting brocolli soon and we are still getting lettuce Yum!  We also planted onions and garlic for next year. If you don't do this you should try it. It is great having something growing all through the winter monthes and the onions and garlic are wonderful!!  We haven't built the beds yet for the greenhouse. Don't worry we will:)

I almost forgot my husband is now a feature writer on another blog. I know you will enjoy it!  You can learn about it on his blog www.gardendesk.com  I know Marc would love for you to add a comment if you have time.

I hope you have a blessed day,

Ma  (aka Renee)

10 Tips for Saving on Your Heating Bills

This was in my inbox this morning and I thought it was worth sharing these good tips for saving money....Kitty

Saving on Your Heating Bill
by Justin Ripley
You don't have much choice. You must heat your home.

With gas, heating fuel, and electric prices rising more and
more every day, many people are finding that the cost of
heating their homes is reaching astronomical proportions.
Unlike other monthly expenses that can be cut out of a
person's budget, home heating expenses are not an area where
we have much choice. We have to heat our homes during the cold
winter months just in order to survive. It's a simple as that.

Despite the fact that this is an expense we can not remove
from our budgets, there are a number of things that can be
done to trim those heating costs throughout the winter. Many
articles point to expensive remedies, such as installing
energy efficient windows or installing new insulation. While
these solutions work, it can take years to realize the savings
in lower heating costs. Conversely, most of these ten tips are
cheap, easy, and quick to implement. I hope they will save you
some money while keeping you warm throughout those cold winter
months!

1. Install a "smart" thermostat. While it may cost you
somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to purchase a
programmable thermostat, it should pay for itself within a
year. Personally, I bought a 7-day programmable thermostat as
soon as I moved into my new house and I love it. It was
relatively easy to install myself and now the temperature in
my home fluctuates throughout the day per my plan. The heat
drops down to 62 during the day when I'm not home (why keep
the place warm when nobody is home!) then charges back up to
70 degrees shortly before I get back from work. At bedtime, it
drops down to 62 again, and then it heads back up to 70
shortly before I need to get out of bed in the morning. It's
great!

2. Throw some extra blankets on the bed. Following the thought
from above, I sleep in a relatively cold environment. I find
it to be better for my lungs, and frankly, once you're nestled
under a bunch of warm blankets, it's quite enjoyable. Not
heating the house to 70 degrees throughout the night will save
a bunch of money on those heating bills.

3. Consider buying a humidifier. Moist air feels warmer than
dry air, and it's better for your skin and lungs, too.

4. Wear wool socks in the house. The floors in your house get
cold in the winter as heat rises and colder air moves down.
Cold feet make cold people. Wool socks are cheap, comfortable,
and will keep you and your feet warm.

5. Wear a sweater. Like the socks, this is a cheap and easy
way to stay warm throughout the winter and allows you to set
the thermostat at a lower temperature. I've noticed that in
today's modern world people seem to think they should be able
to wear shorts and t-shirts in their homes throughout the
winter. This is fine if you want to pay for it. I'll take a
lesson from my ancestors and just bundle up a little bit.

6. Let the light in. Be sure to open the window shades and
blinds during the day. Sunlight coming in will act as passive
solar heat and can make a significant difference in the
temperature of your home.

7. Turn the ceiling fans on. This one may sound a little
crazy, but it works. Most ceiling fans have a switch on them
that allows them to run in reverse. By running the fan in
reverse at a low speed, it will actually help circulate warm
air throughout the house.

8. Seal the leaks. At the beginning of winter, go around your
home and seal up any potential air leaks with caulk or weather
stripping. Most of the heat that leaves your home escapes
through cracks around the windows and doors. To the extent
possible, seal these up!

9. Service your furnace and/or heaters. A dirty furnace or heater is not efficient and
will cost more money to run than one  that receives
annual cleaning from a professional. In addition to periodic
servicing, be sure to replace those air filters if needed.

10. Cook a big Sunday roast.  Mom
always cooked a Sunday roast. Pork or beef with carrots,
potatoes, gravy, and all the other good stuff. It was a great
tradition to bring the family together at least one day a
week, and of course, the food was great, too. Cooking a
roast meant having the oven on for a few hours, and all that
heat definitely escapes into the house. It doesn't cost much
to run the oven, and it's also a nice way to spend a quiet
Sunday in the winter with family.

I hope these simple tips prove useful and help you save some
of your hard-earned cash this winter!

Meet our new farm animals..We are proud parents

We got two pygmies on fri they were born in the spring. This picture is bringing them home they are in my car. They didn't mind riding at all..

The buff color one is name butterscotch and the tri color one is called pudding.

They are in one side of the horse stall and seem to like it ok. They have been in the barn since they were born so they really didn't know what it was like in the sun light.

They have been alot of company we have been holding them and loving them up. They love to eat leaves so we are going to rake and bag them up for treats this winter.

We are also looking for a good goat company to buy supplies like worming meds and I need another bell I have one.. Our local farm store doesn't carry anything for goats..

Here they are butterscotch and pudding.

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