Friday, November 3, 2006 - Come Visit |
Just wanted to pop in and say hello to all my friends here. I started
posting more to my "family" blog and shamefully neglecting this one.
Come on over and say hello if you get a chance. We're having a busy
fall between taking care of our animals and having school each day.
Here's where you can find me: Amey's Blog
Blessings!
Amey
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Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - Cross-stitch Pattern (Free!) and Genetically Modified Foods to Avoid |
I've been wanting to start a creative project for a while now. I don't
usually make time in my schedule for this kind of thing, but I just
decided I'd better jump in and try one. Hopefully my schedule will
allow for me to work on it once in a while. I found a great free
cross-stitch pattern to try. It's a little more difficult than I
thought it would be, but I guess that just means it will take me longer
to do it. If you like to cross-stitch, check out the kits at Scarlet Quince. They are amazing! They have made patterns from art masterpieces. Here's a picture of the free pattern they offer (Rosa centifolia Anglica rubra - Pierre-Joseph Redoute) :
Another helpful link I found today has a
list of what to look for in the grocery store if you are trying to
avoid genetically modified food. It's at a site called "True Food Now!" How appropriately named.
Blessings!
Amey
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Thursday, July 20, 2006 - Book Review: Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian |
I just finished reading my new book, Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian: One Man's Ruminations About Faith, Family, and Livin' The Good Life,
by Herrick Kimball. It's strange for me to think that most of modern
society would skim through this book and say "...huh?" People today
don't understand about "The Good Life". What Mr. Kimball wrote in his
book resonated with me, though.
It was fun reading about everday life for Mr. Kimball and his family,
and why they do things the way they do. I liked the quotes that finish
off each chapter. And I especially enjoyed reading about Marlene (Mrs.
Kimball) ripping off a chicken head with her bare hands while her men
cheered her on. Hey, what can I say, I can relate.
Mr. Kimball's philosophizing in this book made sense, and wasn't so
deep and lengthy that he lost my attention. Not too big, not too small,
but just right (I thought). And even though this is a very manly book, ladies will enjoy reading it too.
I'm thrilled to have this book on my bookshelf. I hope you all get a chance to read it too.
Blessings!
Amey
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Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - Ten on Tuesday on Wednesday |
Ten of my favorite movies:
- Anne of Green Gables
- Anne of Avonlea
- Little Women (Wynona Ryder)
- Batman (the original, with Burt Ward and Adam West)
- The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (Don Knotts)
- The Reluctant Astronaut (also Don Knotts)
- Muppet Treasure Island
- Swiss Family Robinson
- The Blue and the Gray
- Sound of Music
Next question: When was the last time I actually watched one of these? Uhh...it's been a while.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Berries R Us |
Cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, strawberries - they're all
now in my freezer. That's where I've been for the last week - taking
berries from the kitchen to the freezer and then back again to put them
in freezer bags. Besides that, we've had ball games (the season's now
over) and school, as well as the usual outdoor chores. I know everyone
is busy, but I'm saying that I'm REALLY busy. Even busier than busy.
Daisy the Wonder Goat is not giving us as much milk as she was a month
ago. Before you know it, it will be time to be thinking about working
towards more little goat babies. We had to get cow milk this week for
the first time in months.
Speaking of milk, here's something that makes me laugh: my 3-year-old
daughter asking specifically for goat milk or cow milk, depending on
her whims. What a hoot! Most kids her age think milk comes from the
refrigerator at Super Wal-Mart. 
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Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - See if you interpret this as I do, a la (the original) Batman |
OK, Robin, here are the facts. See if you interpret this as I do. Within one afternoon:
- Our drinking water tasted terrible, so we had to dump it all out
(9 gallons), rinse the jugs, take them back and refill them (we get our
water from the reverse osmosis machine at the store).
- One of our children stopped up the sink in the kids' bathroom,
ran the water, and flooded the bathroom floor with about an inch of
water, also soaking the cabinet the sink is in and the carpet in the
adjoining hallway.
- The faucet in the kitchen sink broke, rendering it unusable until my husband was able to install a new faucet last night.
Yes, Robin. God is obviously trying to tell us something about water... the only possible explanation must be: He wants us to get a house on the beach. Yes? 
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Monday, June 12, 2006 - Thank You Carla! |
What a great way to start the week, finding out I won a copy of that
Herrick Kimball book for "blogger of the week"! It's even
autographed?!? Well, I'm speechless. Well, maybe speechless, but not
blogless.
I've read Mr. Kimball's blog a few times over the last month, and the
whole concept of "deliberate Christian agrarianism" is very
interesting. (side note: I also just got my first copy of the Cumberland Books catalog last week, and it is great fun just reading the catalog.) I look forward to reading the book. Thanks again!
On the strawberry front: I froze a little over two gallon-sized ziplock
bags full of individually frozen strawberries. I froze them first on a
pan, then put them in the bags, that way I can just pour out the amount
I need each time I use them rather than having to freeze a bunch of
tiny little bags. I'm hoping to do some strawberry popsicles for the
kids this summer, so maybe I'll try to freeze a few more quarts this
week so I'll have plenty.
Blessings!
Amey
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - Wednesday Whimsical |
You
just moved to Sesame Street where all the great Muppets live. But
space is tight so you have to have a roommate. Which of the characters
on Sesame Street or from the Muppet movies would you pick to be your
roommate and why?
No one is picking characters from the Muppet movies! What's up with
that? I pick Fozzie Bear, due to his peculiar ability to bring levity
to even the most stressful situations.
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - Ten on Tuesday |
1. To relax - do you prefer a bath with candles or a walk by yourself? A walk by myself
2. On a windy day - blow bubbles or fly a kite? Fly a kite. Can't blow bubbles on a windy day. They pop! We live on a hill, and windy days are very windy.
3. Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr.? I love them both!
4. You are going to dinner - Italian, Chinese, or Mexican? Today? Mexican. Tomorrow it might be Italian. Both are my favorites!
5. What is the most stressful job you have ever had? That
would be the homemaker/homeschool teacher/mother/chicken-goat farmer
combo job that I have right now. However, it's also been the most
rewarding job. A close second for most stressful job for me would have
been student teaching, but that was not nearly so rewarding as my
current employment position.
6. During the Civil War would you have sided with the Yankees (north) or the Confederates (south)? That would be a tough decision to make. I would like to be a Yank to free the slaves, but a Reb to fight for states' rights.
7. Do a few laps at 200 mph on a racetrack or fly in a super fast military jet? If I had to pick, I'd take the jet, but neither one really sounds very fun to me.
8. If you go to the shore do you stay where there are people or do you go off on your own to swim? I'd rather not be around other people except for my family. So I would be in a party of five. 
9. Watermelon or honeydew melon? Watermelon!!!!!
10. Italian water ice or ice cream? Ice cream. Don't really even know what "Italian water ice" is.
Blessings!
Amey
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Friday, May 19, 2006 - Friday Feast |
Here's my Friday Feast:
Appetizer
From which country(s) are some (or all) of your ancestors? England, Germany, Iroquois Indian
Soup
On a scale from 1- 10 with ten being the most active- how would you rank yourself. I would say 6 because I'm active doing things all day, yet I don't really exercise like I should, know what I mean?
Salad
You head into the pet store. Which section do you go for first? I
never go into pet stores. Just never have the opportunity, I guess. But
I suppose I'd look at the dogs if they didn't have cows, goats, or
chickens.
Main Course
Name three odd or unusual things about yourself that most people might not know (hidden talents, gifts, dreams, likes, hobbies, etc...)
My great talent is that I can touch my
nose with my tongue. Amazing, isn't it? I know you're impressed. Also,
I enjoy parasailing (don't often do it, though), and I used to give
piano lessons.
Dessert
How would you describe your sneeze? Always blessed afterwards.
I copied this and pasted it from Carla's blog, but the font did
something weird on my "Main Course" answer. But I'm too lazy to fix it.
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Thursday, March 30, 2006 - Attention Homestead People |
Get a life! All you people ever talk about is the weather, your
animals, your gardens, and food. Then you talk about food some more!
It's crazy!
Wow! Was is beautiful this morning! I've been getting up earlier each
day to get ready for the time change this weekend. Normally I'm a late
riser, but this morning I was out to do the animal chores at 6:30 a.m.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing. If I wasn't half asleep, I
would have burst into song. 
SPRING SPRING SPRING! It's my favorite time of the year!
We're hoping to order our chicks and ducklings this week. We'll get
whatever the hatchery's minimum is. We pick ours up rather than
having them shipped (hatchery is only a 1/2-hour drive), so I think the
minimums are lower, aren't they? We're getting Rhode Island Red pullets
and some Muscovy ducklings for mosquito control.
In other
animal news: there's a ruckus going on in the barn this week - it's
time to wean those kids! They're not very happy about that, but I sure
am enjoying that extra quart a day of milk. The neighbors thought it
was my human kids making all that noise at our place this week, but I
had to tell them it was not.
I have not been out in the garden
yet, but I'm still hoping to plant some lettuce and peas (and maybe
spinach) around the second week of April.
My favorite home-cooked food of the week: black bean soup. Boy was it good! Sorry, I didn't save you any.
My kefir grains have taken over the house. I can't believe how fast
that stuff grows. Kefir makes a great strawberry smoothie, but the bad
news is: we just used the last of the strawberries I froze last summer.
Now we have to hold our breath until the strawberries come out again in
June. 
Well, I'm off to do more SPRING stuff. Blessings!
Amey
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Friday, March 24, 2006 - Chilblains and More! |
I had an appointment yesterday with a dermatologist, who told me I had
a problem with pernio and/or Raynaud's syndrome. What a relief! I
thought I had one terrible case of athlete's foot. I was doing
everything I could think of to get rid of it, but here it is just a
case of the "chilblains". Meaning, my hands and feet are
super-sensitive to cold temperatures. I should have known
something was up - normally in the winter I stay pretty warm-blooded,
and don't have much trouble with the cold (going from the car to the
store with no coat, gloves, etc.), but this year has been a struggle. I
just have to keep my feet and hands warm and dry and hang on until the
warmer spring temperatures kick into gear. I thought I was just getting
wimpy in my old age (mid-30's).
Side note: Don't you just love the word 'chilblains'? Even if you
didn't know what it was, you'd know exactly what it was. It's just a
fun word to say. Now I can tell people "I've got the ol' chilblains"
and then wait to catch their reactions.
Actually, it can get very serious. I have read that in really bad
cases, gangrene starts to grow, and the effected digits have to be
amputated.  So now I have an excuse to make my husband go down to the basement to bring up all that frozen beef for dinner.
On an even more serious note, please pray for an Amish family (the
Miller's) in my area who just lost a young son (6 yrs. old, I think) in
a bike/car accident last Sunday evening. They have another son (8 yrs.
old) who was severely injured and is in the hospital. A drunk driver
hit the two boys as they rode their bikes on the road. The son who is
in the hospital has been taken out of intensive care, so apparently he
will likely recover, but I don't know the extent of his injuries.
Today and tomorrow are bread days (today: soak, tomorrow: bake), so I'd
better get busy! I've also got some cream cheese/whey draining on the
counter this morning. I need to find the time to do some more
sauerkraut, too. We're starting to run low. We can't be running out of
sauerkraut, can we? (I can't believe I used to detest the stuff)
Blessings!
Amey
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - Tuesday Ten |
Here are ten things I hope to accomplish this spring:
1. Learn more about recycling and get my recycling stuff organized
(bins for each type of material). We are trying to do a better job of
reducing the amount of stuff that ends up in the garbage truck, but we
are still in the process.
2. Wean the goat kids, and figure out what to do with "Billy".
3. Raise a dozen pullets and a half dozen or so Muscovy ducklings.
4. Visit my in-laws in Arizona (I hear they get a lot of sun there).
5. Spend more time outside in the sunshine (I think there is still such a thing as a sun. Haven't seen it much lately).
6. Plant lettuce, spinach, and peas. Asparagus would be great to get started, but not sure if that will happen.
7. Do our taxes. Can you say p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-e?
8. Read more to my children.
9. Learn some new recipes (there are so many things I want to try, but making the time is the issue).
10. Adjust to the time change (I'm already trying to get up a little earlier each day).
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Friday, March 17, 2006 - Friday Feast |
Appetizer: What job would you definitely not want to have?
Meatpacker or meatpacking plant cleanup crew (I just read Fast Food Nation, that's why that immediately comes to mind.)
Soup: Oprah calls and wants you to appear on her show. What would that day's show be about?
Does this Oprah person have a last name? Never heard of her. Just
kidding! I suppose homeschooling and good health through nutrition.
Salad: Name 3 vegetables that you eat on a regular basis.
Broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and onions (they go together, right?)
Main Course: If you were commissioned to rename your hometown, what would you call it?
Circle Z-ville
Dessert: If you had a personal assisstant, what tasks would you have them do?
Cleaning, dishes, and laundry. That was an easy question.
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Monday, March 13, 2006 - Superwoman: There's No Such Thing! |
I read an article this weekend called “The
Myth of Superwoman”, by Mrs. Jennie Chancey. This article is
pure genius. You should go read it, but just in case you donÂ’t, let me
summarize with a few choice quotes:
For the past generation, our society has tried to
foist upon us the idea of the woman who "has it all" and "does it all."
We stand in awe of women who (we are told) run successful businesses,
volunteer for community service, keep beautifully decorated homes, send
hand-written letters, cook and entertain guests with style, attend
artistic functions, bring up happy children and look like a million
bucks to boot. As we stand gaping at these idols of domestic and
economic success, we wonder exactly where we fell short of achieving
their outstanding meritsÂ…
HereÂ’s the key: No woman in history has ever done it all or had it all.
We all must make choices about what we do. When you choose one thing,
something else must necessarily fall through the cracksÂ…
Trying to be Superwoman doesnÂ’t help anyone. It cannot be done. It is a
sure path to failure and disappointment. The path to life and health
and peace is the way of humility, service and love for others – not
seeking praise or recognition but being willing to work hard day after
day and find our fulfillment in what God has given our hands to do. Let
Superwoman die; put her superhuman accomplishments out of your mind.
Instead, work hard today on what is most important and what will make
your home a love-filled place for your family and your community. Do it
beautifully! Do it without guilt. You are a keeper of the home, and
that is a sacred trust that requires an ordinary human being who loves
others more than she loves herself. Superwoman need not
apply.
You would think it would be just plain old common sense, but somehow
the ridiculous idea that being “superwoman” is possible is something we
all (ladies, anyway) seem prone to falling for. Sometimes, I think, the
world of blogging perpetuates this myth, because bloggers write about
what we do. We donÂ’t focus on what we donÂ’t do. So if someone writes
about what they do and itÂ’s not something that we do, we tend to start
feeling rather…inferior. We think, “Wow! So-and-so sews all her
familyÂ’s clothing, winter coats and everything! And she home schools
and cans all their vegetables for the winter from their garden in the
summer! How does she do it all?” We want some tips from this lady on
how we can do all that stuff that sheÂ’s doing. But we donÂ’t realize
that she probably only cleans her toilets once a year, and she mutters
under her breath whenever her children grow too fast for her to keep up
with the sewing.
So in the interest of full blogging disclosure, I thought I would make
my own lists. One list of the things I do, and another list of things
that I donÂ’t do. IÂ’m doing my best to live within my limitations, and
not feel like a failure even though I donÂ’t have sheep to shear and
spin their wool into yarn, which I would then use to weave into cloth
to make my children matching outfits, which I would sew myself. My goal
is simply to work hard, and do my best to make my home a pleasant place.
HereÂ’s what I do:
- I homeschool my three children. I donÂ’t use a
box curriculum. I use bits and pieces of whatever looks good to me, and
I plan it all out by myself.
- I cook from
scratch. I use very little “ready made” convenience food. I bake my own
bread, and do not use boxed breakfast cereal in the morning. I make
some sort of breakfast every day (sometimes just toast, but usually
more than that). I do this because in our family we are very interested
in maintaining good health through nutrition, so it is very much a
priority, but it is also something that I enjoy.
- I milk my dairy goat twice a day (for now), and we use the milk for the
(human) kids to drink, for kefir, or for cooking. I also take care of the
goats (feeding, cleaning, etc.).
- I feed our
chickens and collect the eggs (when there are eggs) every
day.
- I keep up (barely) with the dishes and
laundry.
- I buy organic, which means we take the
family on the hour trip to the store once a week (although there are
getting to be more options locally for obtaining organic produce, which
is very nice).
- We try to do something “fun for
kids” at least once a week. Most of the time it is on the same trip as
our shopping expedition. Yesterday, we went to the zoo!
- I enjoy blogging and reading blogs.
HereÂ’s what I do not do:
- I donÂ’t haul my kids all over creation taking
them to lessons, activities, etc. We are doing t-ball this spring (both
boys will be on the same team). ThatÂ’s about it. I prefer to stay home
during the week. We don't even belong to a homeschool support group.
- I donÂ’t lead the ladies'
Bible study. Or even attend one. Maybe I should, and at some point IÂ’m
sure IÂ’ll go to one in the future. Just not now. We go to church on
Sunday mornings. But thatÂ’s the only meeting weÂ’re doing right now.
- I donÂ’t sew our own clothes, although I like to
sew, and just learned to sew last year (and am still a learner). I like
to do handiwork like sewing, crocheting, cross-stitch, etc., but have
just had to let it drop. I also don't do crafts.
- I donÂ’t clean house regularly. Things here at
home are more disorganized than I would like, but I do not make it a
priority. I try to keep things here livable, but it is never
spic-n-span.
- I donÂ’t have a business or work
away from home.
- I do not wake up at the crack of
dawn. Normally, I am late to bed, late to rise.
- I
do not have a huge garden. It is rather small, and filled mostly with
tomato plants covered with those big, ugly, green hornworms. Also, a
few substandard zucchini plants. I planted asparagus a few years ago,
but my husband accidentally plowed them all up (I love asparagus).
All of these things that I do not do are good things. It would be nice
if I could do all of those things, but itÂ’s just not physically
possible. For some ladies, it is better for them to do what I donÂ’t do,
and to not do what I do do. We're all different!
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." (Ecc. 3:1)
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About Me
I'm a midwestern gal, living my dream life on 7 acres in the country. I love Jesus, my husband, three children, Daisy the Wonder Goat, and our chickens. I'd still love to someday have a miniature jersey milk cow.
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Homestead Interests
Health through good nutrition
Home cooking
Goats
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Gardening
Canning
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