Little French Homestead
• 2008-Dec-1 - 6 Things Tag
• Monday, December 1, 2008 - A busy week ahead....
The week ahead is filled with activities....but fun activities!!!
We are home today...doing our school work and enjoying the bit of snow that has fallen. Tomorrow is my town day...I'm meeting two different ladies to sell them some of our "stuff". I will be so happy to have this stuff sold!!! Then it's off to Wal Mart to return something I bought on Friday, and do a bit of Christmas shopping. Then it's time for my Mom's night out!! It's our Christmas party...we'll celebrate with a good meal, great friends and a round of Dirty Santa!
Wednesday, we're "watching" a friend's BIL. He's mentally at the age of about 5, but is over 50 years old. They are going to the public school to teach an abstinence program (so proud of them!!). When they come to pick him up, we're headed for our milk run. I'm really looking forward to getting milk this week. The gal and her husband we buy milk from moved into a new rental home, and out of her parents' home this past weekend. We have a gift for her and can't wait to give it to her!
Thursday...at this moment, looks like we'll be home as usual that day. :)
Friday is our homeschool group's Christmas craft party. I actually have chosen my craft already! Yeah, me!
Saturday, we're headed to town to see Handel's Messiah at a local church. We've never seen this and are really looking forward to it!
Sunday, is a Christmas parade in town. We watched our little town's parade yesterday....can you tell we LOVE parades?!
So, that's our week....busy, but fun!
We bought our tree yesterday. And brought home a bag full of trimmings to decorate with. Yep, it helps to be married to someone who works there... 
I think we'll get it put up tonight, provided we get some other decorating done today. We have a TON of boxes of decorations...and I do mean a ton....that need to be unloaded and taken back to the attic so we can move around in there! The living room is small...and the boxes just make it feel smaller.
Next week doesn't look as busy...that may be the week we get started on cookies. I also am making a cake for a friend of mine for her grandson's baptism later this month. I need to get her approval on the design.
Lots to do, lots to do...but I just love the holidays....only wish the season lasted longer...
I'm off to make some hot chocolate for my red nosed babes who've been outside trying to play in the tiny bit of snow that fell this morning...
Have a blessed day!!
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• Monday, December 1, 2008 - Vision Forum sale!!!
• 2008-Dec-1 - The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ #11 ~ 12/1/08
FOR TODAY...
Outside my window...On this cold, gloomy morning the snow has just started to fall. Even as I watch it seems that the flakes are getting a little bigger. Forecasters say we 'may' have up to 3" today. It is - after all - December in Ohio.
I am thinking...that I will miss our wonderful church family that we love so dearly. After 12-1/2 years of making the 70 mile round trip at least twice a week to our church, we have decided to look for a church closer to home after the first of the year. It's breaking our hearts, but it has been confirmed in all 4 of our hearts. I will, however, still attend the Seminary.
I am thankful for...a warm house on a cold, blustery day.
From the learning rooms...We are OFF for CHRISTmas break! In our homeschool, we take off June, July and December instead of August. Our long, wonderful break has begun!
From the kitchen...I'm considering potato soup. My grandma's VERY simple Kentucky Depression-era version.
I am wearing...thick, warm socks, flannel pj bottom and a sweat shirt. It's a cold morning!
I am creating...an empty corner so that Jenna and I can put up our CHRISTmas tree today! Woohoo!!!
I am going...to the local Old Order farm and get my milk and brown eggs before the snow really kicks in. I underestimated how much milk we would use during the Thanksgiving weekend and we squeaked out the last of it last night.
I am reading...Bible; still reading Pride & Prejudice.
I am hoping...that we will find great opportunities for ministry in which-ever church we 'land' in.
I am hearing...the T.V.
Around the house...Jenna and I will be putting up most of the CHRISTmas decorations today! That's ALWAYS so much better than taking them down.
One of my favorite things...good food, fellowship and deep conversation with trusted Christian friends.
A few plans for the rest of the week: putting up CHRISTmas decorations - inside and out, getting Maggie (our dog) trimmed, making some time to spend w/my mother. Unfortunately, it may include a funeral as my 94 year old uncle (my mom's last brother out of 13 siblings) will probably pass away today or tomorrow. I'm praying that the Lord works in ways that we don't understand while he is uncounscious and that somehow he will be Heaven-bound.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...
 ~ CHRISTmas Eve 2004 we had 21" of snow!!
Be sure to enjoy other Daybooks by clicking on: http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/
Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><
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• 2008-Dec-1 - What’s Been Coking in my Kitchen?
Posted By Crystal Miller
This afternoon was a little busy in the kitchen. It was a quiet afternoon and seemed like a good day to get a few things done. We ate up just about all our turkey. It lasted Thursday, Friday and Saturday for lunch. On Saturday evening I took what little meat that was left off the bird and used most of it in a Mexican rice casserole. I mixed about 5 cups cooked brown rice with 3 cups chopped turkey, 1 can spicy tomatoes, a little salsa and put it in a 9x13 pan, topped it with cheese and baked it until the cheese was melted and all was hot. While that was baking I made a double batch of my Cuban black bean patties (a new recipe that is in my Cooking with Beans! eBook). We had the rice casserole, black bean patties and salad for dinner.
Today I took the carcass and covered it with water, added a chopped onion, chopped celery and salt and it is currently simmering on the stove. I will leave it simmering until tomorrow morning and turkey soup will be tomorrow’s dinner.
That still left today to figure out what was for dinner. We are all ready for a break from turkey so I pulled out a bag of cooked red beans from the freezer. There were probably 5 cups of beans with their cooking broth. I also had a ½ lb of cooked hamburger in the freezer (last week I only used a ½ lb in one of my soups and froze the other ½). I added this with the beans and a can of diced tomatoes. I sautéed in olive oil, onions, celery and peppers and added this to the beans along with some chili powder and Tabasco and a little salt.. and voila! Chili Bean Soup for dinner! I am serving it with tortilla chips and a salad.
While I was cooking up my soups Leanne and Sierra made a triple batch of apple cinnamon muffins. I bought a 20lb box of organic Fuji apples on my last Azure order and have been working to use them up. We have eaten a lot of apples, made 3 apple pies and now 3 dozen muffins. The box is almost gone now.. 
Here is the recipe for the muffins:
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
¾ cup cane juice crystals
1 ½ t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
½ cup milk
6 T butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup grated apples
In a medium size mixing bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, cane juice crystals, baking powder and cinnamon. Add remaining ingredients and stir until the flour is just mixed in. Bake in a 375 oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen
And if that was not enough going on Emily decided to make peppermint mocha lattes for her, Leanne and Sierra! LOL.. It was pretty impressive looking...
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I don’t have a recipe for her coffee creations printed down yet.. maybe someday! 
That is all the cooking for today!! Hope you all have had a pleasant and blessed Sunday on your homesteads!  |
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• 2008-Nov-28 - The Post-Thanksgiving Lull...
Thanksgiving is over and not only was it a day to be thankful, but I am thankful for how it went. In this cold but sunny day, I am so grateful with how the Lord answered my prayers and calmed some odd family dynamics.
I awoke between 7-7:30a.m. and got a batch of fresh herb bread dough going and then prepared and set the turkey to baking. As my family woke and after they had quick breakfasts of cereal, I set them to working! lol All the last-minute dusting, sweeping and toilet cleaning for my mom's inspection - er, uh - I mean, everyone's comfort and enjoyment! 
But we had a great day. Some friends of ours who have to drive past our home to have their Thanksgiving at some relative's who live 1/2 hour past us came and visited us for about an hour. I enjoy talking to friends while I cook, it makes the time go faster and more pleasant. Just after they left, the first of our guests for the rest of the day arrived - a friend of our 2 dd's who has a new baby and our family (and another family from our church) are ministering/mentoring her, and other friend came, too. Just after they arrived, my family - mom, brother and his girlfriend - came. I have to say that - THANKFULLY - my brother was on very good behavior and only one quick little attempt at an opposing politcal comment was made but I told him that I didn't want to have those conversations today and (wow!) that was it. PTL!!
We had so much wonderful food - truly a feast: I made the turkey, the obligatory green bean casserole, salad, homemade herb bread, cheesecake, veggies w/my homemade dill dip (better then store-bought, if I do say so myself! lol), cheese tray and homemade punch. My mom brought the stuffing, cornbread, mashed potatoes w/sour cream, chives and cheese (!), red velvet cake (homemade!), home-grown corn and sweet potatoes, while my brother brought shrimp and cocktail sauce. It seems like I'm missing something, but believe me, we DID NOT lack anything good!
I would also like to tell you all that I am thankful for all of you who take the time to read, to comment and to leave messages and/or e-mail me. I praise the Lord for the miracle of the internet and the fun of blogs that have brought us together and the friendships made. You have made such a precious, comforable nest in my heart.
Blessings to you all...
Kim Wolf<>< |
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• 2008-Nov-28 - What to do with Turkey Leftovers
Posted By Crystal Miller
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Do you have leftover turkey meat to use up and need some ideas? We usually eat Thanksgiving dinner the day after but by the 3rd day we are ready for something different. I find just about any recipe that uses cooked chicken works quite well with cooked turkey. The recipes below are actually chicken recipes but you can just sub turkey meat in place of the chicken:
Turkey Enchiladas This recipe is for the enchilada sauce. Fill corn or whole wheat tortillas with chopped up turkey and cheese. Roll them up and place in a 9x13 pan (or 9x9 or 11x15 pan, depending on how many people you are feeding). Pour enchilada sauce over all, top with more cheese and bake at 350 until all is hot and bubbly and cheese has melted.
And finally the last thing I do with my turkey is make Turkey Noodle Soup. I put the turkey carcass (after I have picked off just about all the meat) into a large stock pot and cover with water. I add a chopped onion for flavor and some salt. Bring to a boil and let it cook for a couple of hours. Strain out the turkey bones and remove any meat that is left. Pour turkey broth back into stock pot and add the meat bits. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper and/or a little chicken broth powder if needed. Serve with some homemade dinner rolls and a salad.
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• 2008-Nov-28 - Friday on the Homestead
Posted By Crystal Miller
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Well we are in Thanksgiving home recovery mode today! LOL.. Time for clean up and then bringing out the Christmas decorations. I have already decorated my website and blog!
We had a very nice Thanksgiving. It was just the kids, Tobin and me and Tobin’s dad came too. The food was delicious. We ate dinner at about 3:00 and then I took a nap.. Funny how turkey does that to a person . While I napped the kids and Tobin played Taboo. Then we moved onto pumpkin and apple pie. Emily was in charge of table decorations and she did such a nice job. Here is a pic of the table and place settings…
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Here is a pic of me and Emily and Leanne
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And one of Isaac being his silly little self
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Grandpa left to go home around 6:30 and we all chatted in the living room until about 8:00 and decided it was time to watch a couple episodes of LOST. Then it was bedtime. All in all it was a relaxing day.
Now we are moving into December and the holiday season. I still have several gifts to sew and packages to get out in the mail. I think after house cleaning today I will work on my little grandson Owens baby quilt. I need to get my Christmas box to my daughter and her family out in a couple of weeks. I am adding some fudge to the box and tried a different fudge recipe that was soooo good! I will be posting the recipe for it soon. I have a couple more test batches to make and get some of it in the freezer for my other gift boxes.
I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving day!
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• 2008-Nov-27 - Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted By Crystal Miller
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Well my house has been full of activity, voices chatting and music playing today. The girls and I have been baking and cooking in preparation for tomorrow. We started the morning by putting on Christmas music to give us all a holiday feel. And it worked.. we rolled up our sleeves and got busy in the kitchen. Amazing what four ladies working side by side can accomplish.
So far here is what we have done:
Pot roast in the crockpot (that is for tonight’s dinner)
Bread cubed and dried for stuffing (I’ll make the stuffing tomorrow morning)
2 pumpkin pies made
1 batch dinner roll dough made, rolled into rolls and flash frozen. We will take them out of the freezer tomorrow morning and bake them as soon as the turkey comes out of the oven.
1 apple pie is currently being made
8lbs potatoes peeled
Jello salad all made
Tomorrow will be a quiet Thanksgiving Day with my family but I am very much looking forward to it. We have so much to be thankful to God for.. His blessings are never ending! May the Lord bless you as you share your Thanksgiving meal tomorrow with your family…
From my thankful heart to yours..
Crystal |
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• Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - Whew...what's been going on around here....
It's the busy time of year....the most busy time we have all year long. While it can be tiring, it's also lots of fun. I LOVE this time of year, for the weather change, the beauty change and the excitement of all that's going on!
Here's our past week in photos...
First, Thomas went hunting with our friend and neighbor...
Here they are going up our hill...
Nope, they didn't get a deer...maybe on Thursday when they go again? Maybe if the yahoos in the field behind us are not buzzing around on their 4 wheelers with their guns out....maybe they'd be able to get one!
Our dachshund, Penny, gave birth to five beautiful puppies!!!
Rebecca used the Knifty Knitter and made Mary a hat....she's working on other projects with it now...
We made root beer! Now, this did not save money at all...but you know how I like to make things myself... It was neat to do and tasted wonderful!!!
Here are all the supplies...
Here I've poured the root beer flavoring into the sugar...
Here is the combined flavoring and sugar, as well as the yeast that has proofed...
And here is the final result!
We have 5 gallons of root beer to drink! The box says to store it on its side for 1-2 days, then store it in the frig for 3-4 days...consuming within a week. Guess we have alot of root beer to drink, eh?! Toby stopped at the store and bought a huge container of vanilla ice cream..can you say "root beer floats all around"?!
Craft day for Thanksgiving...here are Natalie and her dog, Bean, as pilgrims. (No, I'm sure the pilgrims didn't wear yellow hats..bonnets..what were they called?! But, it's the color we had on hand and I didn't want to ask Honey to make yet another stop at Wal Mart on his way home...)
It's been a fun filled, busy week in our home. We have baking to do today..along with a run to pick up milk. We are planning a quiet day tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Hope you enjoyed our week in review!!
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