CandyFoote

No More Dirty Clothes

My husband bought me a Speed Queen wringer washing machine for $35.00!

I love it!

No more going to the laundry mat!

The Generator's in the Shop

 The generator has been down for the last few days.  We got it into the repair shop, but they weren't sure how long it would take to make the repairs.  I haven't been online due to the generator problems.  I was just commenting to my good friend, Roberta, about how amazing it is that so much work has been accomplished since computer time has been out!

In case anyone is wondering how I'm online right now, it is because we also have an inverter.  An inverter turns DC (battery) power into AC (regular) power.  We can run it off from our battery bank or our vehicle.

Although some inconviences arise from time to time, I love living off grid!

News From the Homestead

We got a refrigerator!!!!

Yeah!!!

That's the excitement on the Foote Farm.

It can be run off from both electricity or propane;

our choice.

I love it!

Charging Your Batteries

Tired of paying a light bill?

Wondering where to start?

You know that you need batteries, but how can you charge them?

No solar panels, no wind mill, no generator, yet.

Well, the answer may be simplier than you think.

Your vehicle!

That's right!

Your vehicle can charge your batteries just as well as a generator!

Laundry Mats, Scrub Boards, Wringer Washers, and the Good Ole Automatic Washer

Going off grid has been quite the adventure!

Figuring out a laundry system for thirteen people

under one roof, hmm, adventure is not the word!

We tried the laundry mat. It seemed so logical and

convienient. Who knew it would be so expensive????

The scrub board? Well, soar knuckles and a hurting back

can only do so much! My darling husband came home with

a wonderful surprise last week. A wringer washer!!!!

Wow! I was excited! Our inverter wasn't powerful enough,

so we bought a larger one. Guess what? That one wasn't powerful

enough either. Being the world's smartest and most creative husband,

my husband hooked a belt around the washer and our old riding

lawn mower. Viola! Our new "redneck" washer.

It worked great.......for three loads. Then the agitator broke,

leaving us without a laundry system again.

Yesterday, our pastor showed up on our doorstep with a brand

new generator that he wanted to sow into our lives.

It runs the automatic washer!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!

A round of clean clothes for everyone!

Life on the Homestead

We had such a wonderful Christmas!

How about all of you???

Daddy and the kids had to forfeit their

annual Christmas Day Hockey Game

for a basketball game.

Although a little disappointed, they

still had fun!

Back on the homestead we are trying

to figure out a way to do the laundry.

Our alternate power system won't run

our washer and dryer. We have been

going to the laundry mat, but the cost is

too much with thirteen people in the house.

Besides, I hate to leave home!!

I would love a wringer washer, but they

are almost impossible to find.

We are thinking about getting a smaller

washer, bigger inverter, and a gas dryer.

Have any great ideas for me????

Just Having Technical Difficulties

We are having some difficulties with our alternate power source, so

I don't have access to a computer at home right now.

I will blog when I can!

Off-Grid??

I was left a comment by Helen at Homestead by the beach.

She was wondering what is meant by "grid."

When I say we are off'grid, that simply means that

we are not hooked up to  "normal" elecricity sources.

We don't need lines and poles. We are generating our

own electricity.

Thanks for the question, Helen.

Alternate Energy

Is anyone living off grid?

We have been trying to set up

a system all summer.

We are using a generator, plus

batteries.

We seem to be having trouble with

our battery set-up.

Plus, our generator seems to be wearing

down from all of the work out we have

been giving it.

We would love to set up wind power,

but haven't made it that far yet.

Anyone out there with some pointers,

especially concerning the batteries???

I Love My Toaster

We found a couple of camping toasters at

Walmart over the summer. I love them!

You just simply place them on top of the gas

stove. One toaster holds four pieces, so

with two toasters going, breakfast gets

cooked quickly! Well at least quicker.

After all, there are eleven kids in this house.

I would recommend these toasters to

anyone with a lot of kids.

Quick toast without electricity.

I love my toaster!

Making Coffee

We figured out how to make coffee while off-grid.

We couldn't find a perculator, so we took the cone-shaped

 basket out of our electric coffee pot. We put it on top of the

coffee pot, then pour boiling water over the grounds.

Viola, fresh brewed coffee without electricity!

Off Grid Living

We had to move the washer outside. It wasn't getting enough

power upstairs, so we put it out back beside the generator.

That way we were able to plug directly into the generator.

Well, it sure beats having to go away from home to do the

laundry!

I would love to hear from any of you guys who are living, or

attempting to live, of grid!!

More Hot Water

We are still working on the hot water situation.

My husband was up on the roof laying out black pipe today.

He is going to have the water flow into a black hot water heater outside.

From there it will go into our regular hot water heater. Finally, it will come out

my faucet, and into my lovely claw foot bathtub!!!

Believe me, I can't wait to soak in that tub again!!

Free Hot Water Shower

Out back, behind some bushes, beside the well, stands our new

outside shower stall. Hmmm, what will the neighbors and family think

of this idea?!? My husband and kids built it out of free pallets and an

old tarp. They took a hose and coiled it up and placed it onto an old

black truck cab. Viola! Our new hot water shower.

I love it. What a way to keep 11 kids clean. Just think FREE hot water!

So, what do you think???

Alternate Power Source

We are still trying to set up an alternate electrical source.

Does anybody have any advice for us, please???????????

We have our generator, and we just purchased  two six volt

batteries. My husband hooked up some truck cab lights and

a couple of 12 volt fans for me. My brother-in-law suggested

using 12 volt lamps and fluorescent bulbs found in RVs.

We are planning on getting a

couple of inverters for our refrigerator and freezer.

We need to switch to a smaller hot water heater. Plus,

we have some hoses layed outside. We also just bought

a solar bag shower from Walmart. It was under seven dollars,

and really works well!!!!!

I bought a camp toaster from Walmart, too. it was only a dollar

something. You set it on top of the stove top burner and it works

great. The oven works too, but this is faster.

We have already been using an old wood cook stove for the past eight

years, but we need to get a wood stove for our living room, too. We have

a wood furnace down cellar, but no way to use the blower. We really want

to be prepared for winter.

It's only two seasons around here:

winter and get ready for winter!

I would love some feedback from you guys.

Electricity!!!

Sorry, I haven't been on much.

We are going through some adjustments.

We have gone off the grid, and are

trying to set up a new system. HELP!!

Please leave a comment for me so

that I know someone is praying for us!

Thanks,

Candy