The baking of the pies

We didn't get around to making decorations for the Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, but we did get the desserts done. And by we, I mean my16-year-old daughter and I. That's her above, stirring up the pumpkin pie mix.

We ended up making four pumpkin pies. They are our traditional holiday dessert. Not all of them will make it until Thanksgiving, though. We ate half of one after dinner last night.

In case you are wondering, I use canned pumpkin. Who knows? Maybe next year I'll buy a real pumpkin. It just seems so messy. Here's the recipe I've been using for years.

See that ring around the pie? For years I would painstakingly put aluminum foil around the crust to keep it from burning. Last year I finally broke down and bought two of these rings, and I have not been sorry. They are so much easier!

Homesteading: A Godly command

A little over a week ago I was fortunate to be able to spend a few days at my friend Nancy's house in the country. Hubby agreed that I needed some rest and relaxation, so with his permission I only took one of the older children with me.

If anyone asked me what I liked best about Nancy's place, I think I could sum it up in one word: silence.

In the dead of the night here in the city, I can hear the muted sounds of traffic, barking dogs and the whistle of a train. At Nancy's house, I hear nothing. That silence is not only relaxing, it is spiritual. When all the sounds of the world are drowned away, it's a wonderful time for contemplation and prayer. In the silence of a country night, I can often hear God's voice.

On one particular night, as I lay in bed, I felt God's presence. I pulled out my Bible and randomly opened it up to a spot in the New Testament. And immediately, He spoke to me.

For almost two years now my family has been doing what is called homesteading. We have been working toward learning to live off our small piece of land and become less dependent on the world around us. To live quietly and simply, and work with our hands to produce the things we needed. Why? Because we felt led. We didn't exactly hear, but felt, God telling us it was what He wanted us to do.

And when I opened my Bible that evening, God confirmed it. He sent me straight to a verse that spoke to my heart.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (New International Version)

We may never get entirely there, but we have made these things our ambition as we have been instructed. It's nice to know that, although we have been blindly following where we were led, God has spoken, and the words are there for the world to see.

Thanksgiving week schedule

Well, it's time to really get down to the nitty gritty and start planning our Thanksgiving week schedule.

Usually my brothers and their families come for Thanksgiving every year, but they had other obligations this year. We could have done Thanksgiving dinner in the evening with them, but frankly, I just didn't know if my family would be up to it. Hubby has to be at work at 5 a.m on Friday, and I always feel like I need time to rest and recuperate after the dinner. So my brothers and I will get together another time, and instead I invited some family friends over.

This morning my daughter and I sat down and came up with our Thanksgiving schedule. First, the menu (which I planned several weeks ago). Thankfully, many of the dishes can be made ahead of time.

• Turkey
• Stuffing
• Broccoli supreme
• Carrots
• Zucchini casserole
• Macaroni
• Mashed potatoes
• Gravy
• Green beans
• Rolls
• Pumpkin pie
• Fudge

Here's the schedule for the week:

SUNDAY: Put the turkey in the refrigerator to defrost. Quick trip to the store for butter, milk and other perishables.

MONDAY: Make desserts (pumpkin pies and fudge). Make decorations (napkin rings, place cards, centerpiece, etc.).

TUESDAY: I will be at volunteering at the church most of the day on Tuesday. But when I come home we will need to make the vegetable dishes. We will make the broccoli supreme and zucchini casserole. And I will put some our garden green beans in the slow cooker with some fatback and spices to simmer for the next couple of days.

WEDNESDAY: Bake yeast rolls, loaf bread, etc. (any breads we might need for the week).

THURSDAY: Put turkey in oven first thing in morning. An hour or so before dinner, start putting everything else in oven or on the stove top to cook. Decorate table and enjoy guests!

Reusable tote giveaway at Simple Mom

I don't know about you, but I love reusable shopping bags! I feel good about helping the environment and I like the way they look. Cloth totes hold so much more, too!

I have purchased reusable shopping bags at various establishments, but I really like to carry ones that don't advertise a particular store. That's why I was excited about all the gorgeous bags (like the one above) being offered in a giveaway by Simple Mom. Check it out!

Fatback: A southern staple

One of our Thanksgiving dinner dishes will be a good 'ole southern food - garden green beans slow cooked for a day or two with fatback, salt, pepper and onions.

Although I have lived here in Nort Carolina for about 15 years now, I wasn't raised in the south. So I know some of you may be asking the question I asked years ago, "What the heck is fatback, and who would want to eat it?"

I have discovered that fatback is quite the staple in the south, and is used to flavor things like pinto beans, green beans, and collard greens. And by now, living with a southern born and bred husband, I have used fatback many times. But I can't honestly say I know what it is exactly. So I did some research. And I found that fatback actually has some history behind it.

For those of you who aren't from the south and have never heard of fatback, this post is for you!

Here's what Wikipedia says about fatback.

"Fatback is the layer of fat along the back of a pig, used as a cut of meat. It is often used to make lard. Fatback is a traditional part of southern U.S. cuisine and soul food. Fatback was extremely popular in the South during the Great Depression because it is an inexpensive piece of meat. This dish is also widely eaten in Ukraine, where it is called salo.

Here's what WiseGeek has to say about fatback:

Today much of the use of fatback in the US is confined to the southern states. Fatback plays an important role in many of the soul

foods for which the south is famous. It may flavor dishes like collard greens, be strained to make lard, fried into crispy strips called cracklings, or used to wrap around other types of meat to retain freshness, called barding.

As the US became more industrialized, particularly during the

Civil War, more often only the choice cuts of pork were eaten. The South, still recovering from the Civil War needed to make use of whatever it could, and thus fatback became associated with southern US cuisine. In fact, it may be difficult to find fatback in many of the northern and western states.

So those of you who don't live in the south... you're out of luck. Just hope that you get to visit one day and taste the famous fat!

For those of you who do live in the south, or who grew up in the southern states, what do you eat fatback in?

Ranch Roll-ups

At Nancy's House Party last weekend, everyone was given coupons for $1 off Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Some people didn't want their coupons, so of course I offered to take them off their hands!


This week I happened to be thumbing through the Food Lion ad when I saw they had Philadelphia Cream Cheese on sale for $1.25 a brick. Jackpot!


I had to pick up a few other things anyway, so out I went. I got 12 bricks of cream cheese for $3.00. Regular price would have cost me somewhere around $18. Several of the bricks will be used in holiday dishes, and any leftover bricks will be frozen. I have frozen cream cheese before with no problems, so this was a great deal!


One dish I made for Nancy's party (and will probably make for an appetizer for some holiday dinner or another) is Ranch Roll-ups. Simple, but tasty!

Ranch Roll-ups

2 bricks cream cheese
1 16 oz. package powdered ranch dip mix
1 package flour tortillas


Soften cream cheese in microwave. Combine with ranch dip and mix well. Spread on tortillas, making sure to spread all the way to edges. You can spread it as thick or as thin as you like. Roll the tortillas up carefully. Use very sharp knife to cut into 1/2 pieces.

John Doe finds a new home

We realize that we live in the city - albeit a smallish one. And we realize that although our city currently allows chickens (it classifies them as birds, not livestock), there is a noise ordinance in place. And so we determined, when we first got chickens a year and a half ago - that we would only get hens.

You don't need a rooster to get eggs. All a rooster does is fertilize the eggs, and since we are not interested in breeding more chicks, this made sense. Earlier this year, when a order we had placed with a hatchery came, it included an extra "free chicken." Unfortunately, it's very difficult for a layperson to tell if a chicken is a male or female until it gets older. And so, we named the chick "Doe," as in John Doe or Jane Doe. It turned out to be a John Doe, but by the time we realized that, we were already attached to it - or at least my husband was attached. The rest of us were decidedly unattached, as Doe had a tendency to attack whoever came into the coop - except my husband, whom he loved.

Some roosters hardly crow at all, and some crow all the time. Doe, unfortunately, crowed all the time. Night or day, 1 a.m. or 1 p.m., he crowed. Contrary to popular belief, roosters do not crow only at dawn. We finally took pity on our poor neighbors and realized that Doe had to go. Since Hubby was attached (and because Doe is a rather gorgeous rooster), we decided to give him away instead of having him "processed."

And so, this past weekend, Doe went to live with my friend Nancy at Southern Blessings. That's him, above, at his new home. Poor Doe! He was the only rooster in our flock, and as such was king. In Nancy's coop, Doe is one of five roosters. Five roosters who immediately showed him that he was not king. It's hard to go from being a big fish in a little sea to being a little fish in a big sea!

Poor Doe got picked on for the first few days in his new coop, but now Nancy said he is almost back to his old self. He is crowing all the time, and he attacked her yesterday when she entered her coop (which is how we knew he was back to his old self). Here he is wandering out to get to know some of Nancy's hens. Notice the guineas on top of the trash cans that are full of feed. The guineas keep a watchful eye on everything that goes on.

Nancy, her husband and I went to a livestock auction to see about getting more hens for her coop (so there would be enough to go around and her roosters wouldn't fight over the girls).

In the end, I also came home with a new pullet (a pullet is a very young hen). The hen is a light Brahma, and Hubby decided to name it "China." Although she is an entirely different breed, her coloring is remarkably similar to that of Doe. She seems tiny compared to our bigger hens, but she will catch up quickly. Hubby is already enjoying having her around.

Homeschoolers attacked again!

Candace at A Garden of Blessings alerted readers to the fact that homeschoolers were mentioned on yesterday's ABC show "The View." I did not see this particular episode yesterday, but watched part of it here.

The topic centered around where Obama's children should go to school. Joy referred to homeschoolers as being "demented" and said they are "afraid of other children." This upset me and, like Candace, I am glad my children did not hear this.

We have only been homeschooling for about two years now, but I never imagined we would run into as much prejudice as we have from everyone from television personalities to friends and family members. A lot of people have talked about tolerance and individuality during the recent presidential elections, and it often ends with conservative Christians being accused of these things. Perhaps some people should take the plank out of their own eye first. I am really getting tired of being persecuted, but I will not let it sway my beliefs.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10:

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is the e-mail I sent ABC.

I was shocked and upset to hear Joy on The View say that homeschoolers are "demented" and "afraid of other children." There were 1,700,000 to 2,100,000 homeschooled kids in the United States in 2003, and that rate is growing by 7 to 15% every year. What a prejudiced, intolerant, and "demented" way to group everyone together. ABC may very well have just lost viewers in the form of 2 million homeschooled families. You've certainly lost my family.

You can contact them here.

Book review: White Christmas Pie

White Christmas Pie
Barbour Publishing, Inc (September 1, 2008)
by
Wanda E. Brunstetter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fascinated by the Amish people during the years of visiting her husband's family in Pennsylvania, WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER combined her interest with her writing and now has eleven novels about the Amish in print, along with numerous other stories and ministry booklets. She lives in Washington State, where her husband is a pastor, but takes every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the states.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Step into Amish country for this bittersweet holiday romance. Here you'll meet Will Henderson, a young man tortured by his past, and Karen Yoder, a young woman looking for answers. Add a desperate father searching for his son, and you have all the ingredients for a first-class romance that will inspire and enthrall. Abandoned by his father, Will Henderson was raised by an Amish couple. Now he's about to marry Karen Yoder but is having second thoughts. Can Will overcome the bitterness of his past in order to secure his future? Karen cannot break through the barrier her fiance has suddenly constructed around his heart. When she seeks the advice of an old boyfriend, Will begins to see green. Has he already lost his chance for happiness? When an accident threatens Will's life, the strength of blood ties is tested. Will a recipe for White Christmas Pie contain the ingredients for a happily-ever-after?

MY REVIEW: I love reading books about the simple life of the Amish, and it's even better when they combine a tiny bit of mystery! Why did Will's father abandon him? Did something keep him from coming back for Will or did he just run away?

Couples often come into marriages with emotional baggage, and helping deal with them can sometimes make or break a relationship. Will Karen be able to help pull Will through his stormy emotions?

What a great time of year to read this book. It's set during the holiday season, and the cold winds and snow really put me in the winter mood!

A comfy spot

One of our cats, Sonora, is very fond of my husband. Many evenings she can be found curled up in his lap while he watches television or surfs the Internet. This particular night, she decided stretching her back while sleeping was preferable to curling up.

Menu Plan Monday

Normally, we have roast chicken as our Sunday dinner, but I have been out of town all weekend. I needed a break, so I took one of the kids with me to my friend Southern Blessings house for the weekend. Hubby and the other two kids had to fend for themselves (I think they ate frozen chicken nuggets and corn dogs all weekend).

That means that our chicken will be roasted tonight, and the leftover meat will become Tuesday's dinner. On Thursday, I'll fix vegetable soup in the Crockpot and the leftovers will be used for Saturday's dinner. Then Sunday we'll be back to our regularly scheduled "Sunday chicken dinner" (this is the south you know... you have to eat chicken on Sundays).

Check out hundreds of other Menu Plan Mondays at "I'm An Organizing Junkie."

Monday – Roast chicken, garden green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, rolls

Tuesday – Chicken and rice casserole, green beans, rolls

Wednesday – Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Thursday – Crockpot vegetable soup, cornbread

Friday – Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday – Vegetable soup, cornbread

Sunday – Roasted chicken, peas, carrots, macaroni, rolls

Giving up tigers to come home

Yes, that is a tiger cub I am holding. I quit my job in print media about two and a half years ago to become a stay-at-home mom. One thing I really enjoyed about my job, though, was the various people, places and things I was able to experience.

I was forced (okay, so I actually begged) to meet this adorable tiger cub in order to write an article on which I was working. I met this fellow at a veterinarian's office, where he had been brought in by a small, local zoo for examination.

I really loved my job (most of the time) and the experiences I gained from it, but I am not sorry that I gave it up. My children, my husband, and even my home, needed me. My youngest child is five now, but I feel like I missed all those baby milestones. I went back to work when he was only six weeks old, and other people got to see his first step and hear his first word.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but at the time we felt like there was no way my family could survive without my paycheck. Today, our family is organized the way I believe God meant it to be organized. My husband works, and I am able to give my children the time and influence they were lacking.

I have watched my children grow spiritually, emotionally and mentally since I brought them out of public school into our home. Now I am the one who gets to watch their faces light up with excitement over some new thing they just learned. I am able to help my family grow vegetables in our own dirt and cook real meals instead of bringing home burgers or tacos. My husband and I are shaping our children's morals and ideals - not a teacher, babysitter or day care worker.

Yes, times are hard. Yes, we have to scrimp and pinch and often go without. The kids get fewer Christmas gifts, less convenience foods, and hardly any name-brand clothes anymore. But ask any member of our family, and they'll tell you. The decision to quit work and homeschool the children was one we wouldn't change.

I know from experience that everyone can not do this at certain times in their lives, but it's a lifestyle I believe in - and the one God is leading us to live.

The beauty of old cemeteries

Tucked away in the middle of busy downtown in a city adjoining mine is a small, but very beautiful, garden. The "garden" is actually a cemetery that has been run by local Presbyterians since the mid-to-late 1800s. The public is not invited to be buried there, only Presbyterian church members. But alas, I am not Presbyterian (do you think I could join a Presbyterian church while on my death bed?)

In the spring, the garden becomes something of a tourist attraction, as the beauty of its flowers and trees can't be rivaled. But in the cold months - although visitors still come - the garden is quieter. It's a great place to sit and chat in peace with a friend, which is exactly what I did last weekend.

The changing colors of the trees were beautiful, and you could almost tune out the sounds of traffic that penetrated the stone walls. The tombstones make for really good reading, and it's interesting to note that most of the people who died in the 1800s or early 1900s didn't live very long. I'm assuming a big part of that is because we didn't have the medicines and medical technology that we do today. It's also interesting to note that most of the tombstones from that period didn't just have a birth date and a date of death. They are also inscribed with exactly how long that person lived, i.e. 24 years, 3 months, and 14 days.

Check out this photo. As if the cemetery was not beautiful enough, the sun was streaming through the trees and made it look as if a rainbow was touching the graves.

Packing shoe boxes

Tuesday night we took the kids to buy items to put in shoe boxes that will be shipped overseas via Operation Christmas Child.

I have filled these shoe boxes before, but this was the first time I took the kids with me to buy the stuff to put in them. It was a great learning experience for them. I thought my DS, 5, would whine about not getting to get anything for himself. But once I explained that these toys were going to children who might not get any Christmas presents at all this year, he was great about it! Instead, Adam picked out some dinosaurs because those are one of his favorite things to play with, and he insisted on getting a teddy bear because he wanted to make sure "the boy with no toys" would have a teddy bear to sleep with at night like he did.

Each of my children filled a box. The boys filled shoe boxes for boys, and my daughter filled one for a girl. We went into the store and split up into teams. Hubby took the boys took pick out boy toys, and my daughter and I chose girl toys. We also threw a few hygiene items into each box (soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, animal print band-aids).

Tomorrow we will spend some time writing letters to put in the boxes, and will include these photos of the kids packing the boxes. That will be a good homeschool lesson! The child who receives the box then has the option of writing back to us - if they can speak English!

If you have never done filled wrapped shoe boxes before, this is a great ministry by Samaritan's Purse, and I highly recommend letting your children help. The boxes go to third world countries or parts of other countries where children are greatly suffering. Not only do the recipients of these boxes get toys and hygiene products, in each box will be placed a booklet with the story of Jesus in that child's own language.

What a great way to show the love of Christ! You can get more information about packing a shoebox here.

New header!

How do you like my new header? During the last Bloggy Giveaway event, I won a new blog header from Lynn over at The Mathematician's Assistant. And I couldn't be more pleased! When I saw her beautiful work, I wanted to enter her giveaway. And I was ecstatic when I won!

Lynn does gorgeous digital scrapbooking, and her header reflects that scrapbooking look. But I was specific in what I wanted and Lynn really had to draw from a different part of her creative brain to do this. I asked for something personal, but simple, that reflected our life here on Victoria Hill Farm. I think she did a great job!

Pictured in my header is Nugget, one of our hens. She is foraging for bugs in the garden. I think only the squash had started to grow at that time or she wouldn't have been allowed in, as chickens do wreck havoc on gardens!

Anyway, head on over to The Mathematician's Assistant and check out Lynn's beautiful scrapbooking pages. Lynn doesn't do headers or blogs commercially, but she said she might if anyone was interested. So just leave her a comment if you would like for her to consider doing a custom header for your blog.

Next week, if I get up the courage, I may try to change my blog template to three columns instead of two. That would make my header bigger, too. I am html challenged, so who knows if that will work!

Chicken questions answered

Robbyn over at The Back Forty has a slew of questions for chicken owners. I thought other potential chicken people might have the same questions, so I've decided to answer them here.

1. Do you have a particular favorite breed of chicken, and if so what is it and why do you prefer it? Or if more than one, which ones, etc?

Although we have a small flock, we have many different breeds. I wanted a chance to learn about several different breeds and not just be stuck with one. We are not interested in making babies, so it doesn't matter how many breeds we have in there. My criteria when researching breeds was that the chicken be at least somewhat docile and a good egg-layer. For the most part, my chickens follow this criteria. Our crested Polish chickens, while beautiful and docile, aren't the greatest egg layers. And our black sex-links were egg-laying machines in their first year but aren't the nicest chickens I have known. Some of our best all-around chickens are the Buff Orpingtons and Salmon Faverolle. The Faverolle is beautiful with her "beard" and feathered feet.

2. Do you use your chickens for your family, to sell, or both? Meat, or eggs, or both?

So far, we have only used them for eggs. We have only had chickens for about a year and a half, though. Next year we plan on selling some of the extra eggs. We also have a small flock that is separated from the others. The chickens in this smalles flock have a bad habit of eating their own eggs. We will probably send them off to be "processed." I know, I know. If I want to really homestead, I should do it myself. I just don't think I'm there yet....

3. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start out raising them, other than reading some good books on the subject?

Have everything ready before you get the chicks to your place. And if you end up at one point or another with an egg eater... separate her immediately or she will teach all the rest of them to do the same. Also, you may occasionally have to quarantine a chicken that is sick, an egg-eater, etc., so make sure you have a place to quarantine a chicken. And my biggest "learn from my mistakes" lesson for you to take home.... don't get a rooster if you live in the city. You don't need a rooster to get eggs, but your neighbors will complain when it crows all night and day. And no, roosters do not only crow at dawn. Some will crow ALL the time.

4. Do you primarily keep your chickens in a coop/enclosed chicken yard, or do they roam your property?

Each of our two flocks has a separate coop and outside run, so they can go in or out at will. We let them out in the yard only during the winter.

5. Do you ever let them into your garden? If no, do you have a fence or something to keep them out?

This is why we only let them out only in the winter. Chickens will tear a garden up. And as we have garden beds all along the fence and in various places besides the main garden, fencing in the garden itself is not really an option.

6. Do you ever use a chicken tractor, and if so, is it for meat birds only? do you use electric/ net poultry fencing? I'm interested in which has worked for you and which has not. What has been your experience with pastured poultry 'a la the Joel Salatin sort (follow behind the livestock grazings at the optimum time), if that applies?

We do not use a chicken tractor or electric fencing. Our coop and run are all topped with a tin roof, and poultry wire is run down every side so nothing can get in or out.

7. Do you keep chickens year-round, or raise them for seasonal processing?

Our idea is to keep chickens until they stop laying, then have them processed.

8. How many chickens of a certain type do you raise at one time (what works best for you as far as how many to raise at a time?)

We currently have a total of 14 chickens. This is a good number for us. We get enough eggs to eat with some left over to sell. We like to make sure our chickens are happy and have plenty of room in their coop and run, so we probably won't ever get more than 15 unless we build a bigger coop.

Grow your own loofah

Did you know that loofahs aren't found in the ocean? They actually grow... in people's gardens.

When I first discovered this last year I considered growing some in my garden, but the idea of growing loofahs - well, it just seemed daunting for some reason. A vegetable or an herb - even a fruit - I could do. But loofahs???!!!

Angie over at Bloom did just that this year! And she is giving away one of her loofahs. I figure this is a great chance to try it out and see if I like before I grow it. If you are interested in trying out a home-grown loofah, head on over there and enter her giveaway. She also goes into detail about harvesting loofahs.

By the way, I was unsure about the correct spelling of loofah, but Wikipedia says either luffa or loofah is correct.

The mystery of old family photos

Mentioning my mother the other day made me think about the boxes and boxes of photos and documents I had "inherited" when she passed away. I had stuck them in a closet and never looked at them again.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to sort and organize them all. I worked on it all day, sorting photos into groups - unknown relatives, mom's side of the family, dad's side of the family, photos of my siblings and I.

Many of the photos were old black and white ones, which I love. I love looking at the styles or automobiles, clothing and houses. I try to put stories with the photos and imagine what the subjects are saying to each other.

I have no idea where the picture above was taken, but that is definitely my mom with her children. (You an probably click on the photo to enlarge it.) If you look to the far left you can see my dad in his Navy uniform, toting yet another small child. There are seven of my parents' nine children in the photo (I am the next to the youngest, and so am not pictured). I don't know who the woman all the way to the right is - just a random stranger?

The family is obviously waiting on something or someone. The car has seen better days. Each parent has a child, and the rest of the kids must have been told to stay put on the hood of the car. Check out one of my sisters with her skirt pulled up around her waist. I'm pretty sure my very lady-lik mother didn't see that!

I wonder who took the photo? It must have been taken from atop a building or something, as it is looking down. And I am sure my parents didn't know the photo was being taken at the time (or my sister's skirt would not be up, lol). I don't know anything about cars, but maybe one of you could guess at the time period this was taken by using the automobiles as a guide.

Don't these kids look like they are about to break out into a snowball fight? The stamp on the back of this photo says, "Graf's Studio, Feb 7 1948, Bessemer, Ala." My mother would have been around 10 years old then, that may be her second from the left. I have no idea who the other kids are, but check out the boy on the far right. He is eyeing the others like he is trying to decide who to launch his snowball at the minute the photo is taken. If you look very closely, you can see two ladies on the left in the back. Undoubtedly a couple of mothers standing far enough away that they hope they are out of the photo, but close enough to keep an eye on their kids.

My mother wasn't raised by her real mother, but according to what she wrote on the back of this photo, that is the woman that raised her on the left. Her name was Florene, and on the right is her sister Wylena. Can't you imagine Wylena Daniels riding her bike over to see her married sister Florene for a chat?

And last but not least I will show you this dapper man. I have no idea who he is or what bridge he is standing on. All I know is that the back is stamped with "Jack Rabbit Co., Spartanburg, SC, Nov 1939."

Warehouse clubs & frugal gas

I just got my bill in the mail to renew my membership to the only warehouse club anywhere around us, Sam*s Club. So now I have to decide if doing so is worth it. Am I really saving money buying in bulk?

I actually don't use my card in the store much. I buy all my toilet paper there, and occasionally another bulk item. But not enough to justify the $40 annual membership fee.

However, there is one thing that I get a lot of at Sam*s Club. Gasoline. Right now, for instance, the Exxon near my house is $2.39, the generic "Quality Mart" is $2.30, and Sam*s Club is $2.19. That's a big difference!

So, after some thought, I believe I will renew my membership just so I can continue to buy gas there. At those prices, I could recoup my $40 membership fee in just two fill-ups. Am I missing something here or is it really the most frugal way to buy gas?

Book review: Until We Reach Home

Until We Reach Home
Bethany House (October 1, 2008)
by
Lynn Austin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. She has published twelve novels. Three of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, and Fire by Night have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, and 2004 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005.Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.Among her lastest books are A Proper Pursuit and A Woman's Place.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Life in Sweden seems like an endless winter for three sisters after their mother's and father's suicide. Ellin feels the weight of responsibility for her sisters' welfare and when it circumstances become unbearable, she writes to her relatives in Chicago, pleading for help. Joining sixteen million other immigrants who left their homelands for America between 1890 and 1920, Ellin, Kirsten, and Sophia begin the long, difficult journey. Enduring the ocean voyage in steerage and detention on Ellis Island, their story is America's story. And in a journey fraught with hardships, each woman will come to understand her secret longings and the meaning of home.

MY REVIEW: This was a book I couldn't put down! Occasionally, you find a book that touches you like this one does. A book where the housework waits for a day, where you put it down only to feed and bath the kids. This was one of those for me. It wasn't a suspenseful thriller or mystery but one of those books where you couldn't help but pull for the heroines and hope that would find that "better life" for which they were looking. Isn't that what we all strive for? A better life?

Through the eyes of 19th century Sweedish sisters Elin, Kirsten ad Sofia, I was able to feel the hope - and the pain - that becoming an American can carry with it. I learned that the voyage to America is not always a happy one, not are the reaons behind that voyage. I learned that getting into America as an immigrant, even during that time period, wasn't as easy as it seems.

And I learned that, even if life seems to be one hardship after the other, perserverance and faith in God will allow us to one day rejoice, even here on earth.

How to dance in the rain

This is one of those things that came in an email but it stuck out to me for a couple of reasons. First because my mother passed away from Alzheimer's. She was only 68 years old. I wasn't living the life I should have been at the time, and now I have a lot of regrets about the time I could have spent with her.

The other reason this stuck out to me is this quote that was in the e-mail, "The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have."

That's kind of what homesteading and living a simple life is all about, isn't it? Making the best of the things and opportunities you have instead of having the best of everything. It's about being content. Anyway, enjoy the story!

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be more than an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is." I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,"That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

Homemade laundry detergent

I used my last scoop of laundry detergent today and set about making more. I know a lot of people prefer the liquid/gel homemade detergent but I prefer a powder. It is so much simpler to make, with no cooking necessary. You just throw all the ingredients together and mix it up. I've been using it for about 1 and 1/2 years now with no problems.

Here's what you need:

A bucket

1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax

1 box of washing soda

5 bars of soap

Our bucket is about two gallons. I picked it up a tiny hut that sells fishing supplies at a local public catfish pond for $4. I've had it about a year and I love it. It's small size is just right for laundry detergent, and the handle makes it easy to carry.

The borax you can find at any grocery or discount store in the laundry section.

For me, finding washing soda was the hardest part of making homemade laundry detergent. It is not to be mistaken for baking soda, that's a totally different thing. If you can find it, the washing soda will be in the laundry section. Some people say Wal-Mart has it, but mine did not. I finally found it at Harris Teeter. You can call the company at 1-800-524-1328 and ask them where you can find it.

As far soap, you can use anything -but the more natural the better. Fels Naptha laundry soap is usually the best, but it can also be hard to find. Ace Hardware carries it, as do some "natural" food stores. If you can't find Fels Naptha, use plain Ivory soap that you can get anywhere. Or, best yet, make your own soap. This is something I have plans to try in the near future.

Directions:

Grate the bars of soap. If you are using Ivory or another soap that is very soft, you will want to let the grated soap sit out and harden for a couple of days. Dump the soap, borax and washing soda into a bucket. NOTE: Pour and mix this outside as it can cause a dust in the air (similar to pouring cat litter).

Mix it up however necessary. Use a long, wooden spoon and/or put the lid on the bucket and shake it really well.

USE:

Use one tablespoon of detergent for regular loads, two for large or heavily soiled loads. Do not go overboard. A little of this goes a long way - that's what makes it economical. This homemade detergent is natural, so it can be used on baby clothes. My understanding is that the detergent is also safe for HE washing machines. HE washing machines call for detergents that don't have many suds, and this detergent doesn't have any suds at all. Which brings me to my next point.

If you are someone who thinks that suds and bubbles equal clean, don't bother to make this. Bubbles do not clean, the detergent does. I know of at least one person (a relative) who made this and couldn't stand it because it didn't make suds. She didn't understand how her clothes could get clean without them.

The homemade detergent does not have a smell, either. It is very good at getting odors out of clothes, but it does not replace those odors with a perfume. The clothes just smell kind of - smell-less, lol. They don't smell like anything. If you prefer a certain scent you can use scented dryer sheets or place a few drops of essential oil on a washcloth in the dryer.

Anyway, I save a lot of money by making my own detergent, as one batch will last me for about five months. I wash clothes and linens for five people, as well as towels used for bedding for our many animals.

I also have the satisfaction of knowing that there aren't any chemicals, dyes or perfumes going into my families' clothing. And making our own laundry detergent is just one more step to learning to rely more on ourselves and less on big box stores.

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The planning begins!

Since it is now officially November, it is time to start planning for Christmas. I'm a planner. I love planning anything. In fact, I could plan all day and be happy - as long as I didn't have to actually follow through on those plans, lol!

I was inspired and very happy to stumble across Cindy's Porch, which offers what she calls the "2008 Cash Christmas Headquarters." The idea is to buy everything with cash and not on credit. We always do this anyway, so I didn't think the site would be very helpful. But that's until I saw her lists!

Being a planner, I absolutely love lists! Cindy's Porch includes lists (in PDF files) titled

1. The "Everything you MIGHT need for the holidays" List


2. The Holiday Gift List
   
   
3. The Holiday To-Do List.

Love it, love it, love it!

The site also offers frugal gift ideas for kids, stocking stuffers, and grandparents. I got some great ideas!

I printed everything out and they will go in my household notebook under the "Christmas" heading. And this year, I will be prepared. I will be so prepared, that the actual "doing" won't be as hard as last year.

It's time to start planning!

Chicken Supreme Casserole

Per our menu, last night we tried the Chicken Casserole Supreme recipe (from Country Mom blog) for the first time. It was a huge hit, and wasn't hard to make.

The recipe made a 9 x 13 casserole. And because it was very filling, we still had half of it left that will become dinner tonight. That gives me an extra meal on the menu that I can save for next time.

Also, in her post, Kris indicated that the casserole freezes well. That means that I can make it ahead of time and take to a potluck dinner at church.

Book Review: Rain Song

Rain Song

Bethany House (October 1, 2008)
by
Alice J. Wisler

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alice sold her first story to David C. Cook for a take-home Sunday School paper called Sprint. The year was 1988, this was her first submission to a paying market, and the check sent to her was for $125.00.She was on her way! Since then, Alice has sold articles and devotions to the Upper Room, Alive Now, Standard Publishing, ByLine magazine and others. In 2006 she sent her novel Rain Song to Bethany House...and the rest is history! She signed a two -book deal and the second, How Sweet It Is will be out in 2009.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Nicole Michelin avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and most of all, Japan, where her parents once were missionaries. Something happened in Japan...something that sent Nicole and her father back to America alone...something of which Nicole knows only bits and pieces. But she is content with life in little Mount Olive, North Carolina, with her quirky relatives, tank of lively fish, and plenty of homemade pineapple chutney. Through her online column for the Pretty Fishy Web site, she meets Harrison Michaels, who, much to her dismay, lives in Japan. She attempts to avoid him, but his emails tug at her heart. Then Harrison reveals that he knew her as a child in Japan. In fact, he knows more about her childhood than she does.

MY REVIEW: I was intrigued with this book right off the bat because it was set in a very small town in my state. Mount Olive, NC, home to the Mt. Olive pickle company, whose products we know so well.

According the to the Mount Olive Chamber of Commerce, "Mount Olive offers a simpler way of life, where you may see families taking a stroll down one of our sidewalks, or neighbors enjoying their company together on a front porch."

Rain Song stayed true to this description. The book touched on many aspects of life in this small town, without letting the town take over the story.

The heroine, Nicole, leads a quiet life that I admire, although others may find her daily grind boring. But although her life is technically of her own choosing, it is the result of not facing her fears - fears that begun in childhood and carried on into adulthood. New information enlightens her about those fears and forces her to recognize and confront them.

Wisler has portrayed Nicole as a "real" person to which we can relate. And through Nicole, we learn that we can confront those demons from our past with the Lord by our side.

Luna emerges!

Remember when we collected three of those caterpillers that were feasting on my parsley? You can read about it here if you haven't already. They each made a chrysillis within a few days, but one finally "hatched!" You can see her balancing on the railing above. I managed to capture the photo a split second before she flew off.

The jars had been largely forgotten, so it's a good thing we kept them in a pretty central place. On Friday, one of the kids noticed that one of the caterpillars, Luna, had become a beautiful swallowtail butterfly. It was the conclusion of a great homeschool lesson but it was also a chance for the kids to see nature at work.

After giving her wings time to dry, we took her outside and released her. The whole family watched as she took in her first sites of the outside world as a butterfly. It was really a site to see. She floated high above the treetops and we watched until we couldn't see her anymore. Good luck, Luna!

Two-week menu

Some of you have asked for a monthly menu, but I find that very difficult. I make 2-week menus, as I do my grocery shopping every two weeks.

The first thing I do is to see what we already have in the refrigerator and pantry. Sometimes I can put things together to make a meal without having to purchase anything new for that meal. That's hard to do if you only check your pantry once a month.

Anyway, here is our menu for the next two weeks. Each meal comes with a veggie. Please understand that we usually already have these veggies - either fresh, frozen or canned - as we get them from our garden. Depending on your situation you may have to buy vegetables. Canned or frozen is usually the cheapest way to go.

Most of our salad ingredients also come from the garden. And our eggs, for cooking and for breakfasts, come from our chickens.

A couple of other things to keep in mind: All breads are made from scratch, and occasionally you may see the same meal two days in a row. This is because I make enough of something to serve it two days. This comes in especially handy when I know we have to be somewhere the following evening and I need something I can just quickly reheat.

And don't forget you can substitute the cheaper ground turkey for ground beef in any of these recipes (I probably will).

Now that all that has been said, I should be able to get everything I need for these meals, as well as stuff for some very frugal breakfasts and lunches and a couple of personl hygiene items, for $75. I will be getting most of the items at Aldi's, but a few at either Target or WalMart. And I already have one whole chicken and four pounds of ground turkey/beef in the freezer I will use, so I may even have a few dollars left over this time.

Monday - Chicken Casserole Supreme (this is a new recipe for me, courtesy of Kris Ante at Country Mom. Instead of chopping up chicken breast, I'll use leftover chicken I pulled of the bone from the whole chicken I roasted on Sunday), veggie, salad, rolls.

Tuesday - Sloppy Joes, gherkin pickles, salad

Wednesday - Stroganoff, spinach casserole (also a new recipe I haven't tried yet), mashed potatoes, rolls

Thursday - Squash Casserole, rice, veggie, salad, rolls

Friday - Crockpot Vegetable Soup, cornbread

Saturday - Vegetable Soup, cornbread

Sunday - Whole roasted chicken (crockpot), 2 veggies, mashed potatoes, rolls

Monday - Chicken & Veggie Casserole (with leftover chicken from previoius and bread topping), macaroni

Tuesday - Homemade Pizza (This will be new for me, also. And for some reason, this one is making me a little nervous!), salad

Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole, salad, rolls

Thursday - Breakfast for dinner (I usually just see what everyone wants for this. Pancakes, eggs, livermush, biscuits, etc.)

Friday - Spaghetti, salad, rolls

Saturday - Bean Burritos, corn, salad

Sunday - Whole roasted chicken, 2 veggies, mashed potatoes, rolls

A fall zoo trip

Yesterday we took a family trip to the neighboring state of South Carolina to see the plants and animals at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. We had a great time, as you can see from the photo above.

It was our first trip to this particular zoo. The weather was great. The cold spell we were having disipated just in time for us to enjoy 70 degree weather. But the chilly temperatures from the previous days meant the animals were up and about.

This is me, feeding a lorikeet from a cup of nectar (for a $1) and making kissing noises at it.

Here is Hubby and Adam feeding a giraffe. It cost $1 for a very small handful of lettuce and cabbage to feed him!

There were several little lion cubs born at the zoo. They were so adorable - like big, fluffy kitties. I just wanted to hug them!

These two bears must have been siblings, because they were fighting and annoying each other.

This little meerkat was just enjoying the sun.

This vulture almost looks like he is stuffed, but I promise you he wasn't! He did enjoy posing for the camera, though.