Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Pantry Planning for Pets

Anyone with cats or dogs knows that there are ocassionally times when you run short on pet food.  Of course, if you live in the city it is easy to stop at a store to buy more.  Living in a rural area can make a simple trip to the store out of the question.  What do you do if you run out of pet food just before a payday?  What about winter storms or other situation when making a trip to the store is not possible?

If you are planning your pantry for winter, you should always try to plan ahead for your animals also.  Just as a winter storm can cause a hardship on us if our pantry is not well stocked, it can be devastating to pets. 

Our cats are all outdoor barn cats.  We never keep cats in our home.  For food, they hunt rodents which helps to keep the rodents from getting into the livestock feed and hay.  The added benefit being that because the cats hunt rodents, we have no large rodent-eating snakes around the house, barn or outbuildings.  Even though we only put out a small amount of food for the cats, mainly kitchen scraps that the sheep cannot eat, we still need to think ahead for winter.  During winter months, the rodent population is lower and there is much less for the cats to hunt.  This is where planning ahead can be a blessing.

Recently, I came across a couple of websites that have recipes for making homemade pet food.  The first is Pet Food Cookbook.  This site has many recipes for dogs, cats, and birds.  The second site is Healthy Recipes for Pets. Healthy Recipes for Pets has recipes for cats and dogs.  A special section for each also contains recipes for pets on special diets due to health issues.

I now have in my notebook a couple of recipes for cats.  I chose recipes that use items found in our pantry on a regular basis.  This will allow me to easily have the necessary ingredients on hand if the situation should ever arise that we need to make the homemade pet food.  We are planning to get dogs in the spring to start working with the sheep.  For that reason, I also have a couple of recipes for dogs. 

Here is a very simple basic recipe for cats that will work in a pinch.  Cook up some rice and lentils.  To this add some leftover vegetables and a can of tuna.  For cat food, you may want to have some tuna packed in oil.  The oil is good for them.  Mix this all together and let cool before feeding to your cats.  You can feed the same thing to dogs.  My husband remembers often feeding rice with leftovers mixed in to their dogs when he was growing up.

Our Electric Bill

We have had so many inquiries from those who read my husband's and my blogs about our electric bill that I wanted to post.  Yesterday, we received our first bill that has a full month of the limited usage.  Last August, when we started this journey towards cutting out the majority of our electricity usage, our electric bill was $250 for 1 month of usage!  That was the bill which had my Beloved reaching the point where enough was enough.  So, we started making changes.  These changes have paid off greatly.  We removed the air conditioners, TV, VCR, DVD, many of the small appliances from the kitchen, and much more. Granted, the air conditioners were the major contributor to our bill, but the other things also had an effect. 

So, what was the new amount for the current bill?  It was $51 for the month!  What a blessing it was to see that the changes are having such a pronounced effect.  The lower bill gives us also the drive to try and take it further, lower our usage even more.

Thank you to all who have emailed, sent messages, or left comments about our changing to a more simple lifestyle.

New Christmas Giveaway

There is a new Christmas Giveaway taking place!  Mennobrarian has put together a wonderful giveaway Christmas themed package  The drawing will be held on October 8th.  You can read about it and sign up at her blog. 

Best Wishes!

Little Helpers in the Kitchen

Over the past week, I have gained a little helper in the kitchen.  No matter what she is playing with, when Abbie sees me preparing to cook or bake she is soon in the kitchen.  She has taken quite an interest in watching me as I prepare meals or am baking breads or other treats.

Last Saturday morning as I started baking some bread, Abbie came running into the kitchen.  As I measured out ingredients, she would pour them into the bowl.  I loved it when she counted with me the number of cups of flour that went into the dough.  It was one of those little moments when you can sneak in some educating with a toddler.  After I stirred up the dough and was ready to knead it, Abbie wanted to help. 

I am now working on making Abbie a couple of pinafore-style aprons.  With the holiday baking season approaching, I am sure there will be many times when she will be baking with me.  What a joy it is to have a little one who is so interested in helping!  I love the opportunities that I have like this to spend time with her and also nuture her natural interest in helping.  While having a little one in the kitchen makes things take longer to get done, it is a good opportunity to begin to instill in them the idea of helping with daily tasks.

Pumpkins & More

I wanted to thank those who let me know of the broken link in my post about pumpkins.  I fixed it.  Here is the link to the article I wrote about "Cooking Fresh Pumpkins" in case you are interested by didn't read the other blog entry.  The problem with that link was the browser that I was using.  We have 2 internet browsers on the computer.  We love using Mozilla's FireFox browser, but some of the websites where you are adding links or when we are updating our family website don't function well with FireFox, so for those we have to use Internet Explorer.  When I wrote the blog entry and included the hyperlink to the article, I was on FireFox and the link came up as a java code.  I apologise to those who were frustrated with it.  Thank you again for letting me know.

The Lord blessed us greatly yesterday.  We have been without a family car for 15 months.  A semi truck totalled our car a year ago last June in a hit and run accident.  Praise the Lord, the car was off the freeway, disabled, and we were not in it when the accident happened!  Well, we were able to find another used car that is very similar to the one we had but in the 7 months we have had the car, it only has run 2 days.  My Beloved husband and others tried to repair it, replacing many of the parts, but to no avail.  Yesterday, a shop that we had the car towed to called.  It is only a small sensor that was not functioning and had disabled the car!  Praise the Lord!!!  The part, labor and towing are well within our budget and we will have a family car on Friday when we pick it up!    The second blessing came when my Beloved was leaving work.  His pickup truck wouldn't start.  The starter had gone out on it.  Again, the Lord provided.  The part was ordered and will be delivered today.  He was given a vehicle to borrow last night to get him home and again to work in this morning.  He will be able to repair the truck himself and bring the truck home after work today.

We are so thrilled about the car being repaired.  We have not been able to go to church since last February due first to my high risk pregnancy & being on bedrest, then after Micah's birth we could not all fit into the pickup truck as it is one of those little Rangers.  We have dearly missed being able to attend church and fellowship with our church family.  The church is 85 miles from our home.  Over the months we were unable to attend we have been doing home church, listening to recorded sermons and studying as a family.  While we love having the option of home church, we missed being at the church meetings. 

Sunday is a Communion Sunday and Micah will also be dedicated during the church service.  I have been looking forward to this so much.  No one at church has seen Micah, so he will be attending his first church meeting at 6 months of age.  Today I am going through my fabrics to find something that I can use to make him a church outfit.  Most of his clothing is sleepers and a few play-type clothes.  I want him to have a nice outfit for church.  Abbie already has a couple of new dresses that we were given.  I am having fun preparing for Sunday.  It feels so good to be doing this again.

Pumpkins!

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Abbie's Squash

This morning, Abbie found a large 4-pound Butternut Squash in the garden.  She was so cute about it.  She kept saying "Squash ! Squash!" in her excited little voice.  I checked and sure enough, it was there and ready to be picked.  I picked the squash and she reached out her arms to carry it to the house.  At that size, she could barely manage, but she carefully carried it to the house.

I am now wondering how she will take the news that the squash will be tonight's dinner?

Outdoor Kitchen

I am so thrilled.  Today I got some more canning completed. I canned up some mixed veggies and a batch of spiced pears.  I had alot of the spiced syrup left over so am saving it to use on apples.

My pumpkins are producing quite a few on the vines.  I am keeping a close watch on a couple of them as they are nearly full size.  Now they just have to turn orange and ripen.  I will be using them to make the pies at Thanksgiving.  If they happen to not be ripened by then, I will use them for Christmas instead.  I am thinking of doing up some butternut squash to use for pies in case the pumpkins are not ripe enough.  Once seasoned, there is little difference in the flavor.  Store bought pumpkin pies often contain the squash instead of pumpkin.

While Joe took Abbie with him to the store to do the shopping today, Micah nearly slept all day long.  He has been so tired and miserable with his teething.  Friday, we were out taking care of a few things so he didn't get much sleep.  He made up for it today though.

We have been rearranging the kitchen a bit today.  I had 2 long tables, about the size of a rectangular banquet table, that I was using as counters since our kitchen doesn't have any to speak of other than the narrow ones on either side of the kitchen sink.  Today, Joe took the folding table out of the kitchen, and moved the wooden rectangular table into it's place.  This has really opened up the kitchen floor space.  The 2 tables had been in an "L" configuration.  Now, the remaining table is against the wall leaving only the dining table in the middle of the floor.  Our dining table is a large rectangular wooden one that I had been using for a table to cut my fabrics on.  With 2 children, our round table just wasn't going to be sufficient.  This larger table is also much more sturdy and I can use it for kneading the bread or any other purpose.  Eventually, we are wanting to get a couple of benches to set along the table instead of using chairs.

Joe took the folding table outdoors and set it up as a picnic table.  We will be grilling many of our meals in the evening.  Yet another way to lessen the amount of electricity used.  Next year, we are planning to buy a larger grill that will allow room for doing other types of cooking also.  Our goal is to use the electric stove only for baking and canning.  All other cooking will be done on a grill or the wood burning cookstove.  Just one step closer to an outdoor kitchen! 

Pumpkins & Squash

I am so excited.  This weekend as I looked over our garden, I found several pumpkins.  I have a single pumpkin plant that survived the weather.  On the plant, there is a nearly full-size sugar baby pie pumpkin.  I have more on various vines still growing with more blooms yet to produce.  If these survive and continue to produce, we will have fresh pumpkin for making the pies for the holidays.

My butternut squash has taken on a life of it's own.  It  seems that every 3-4 days, I have a new batch of squash to pick from the last 2 producing plants.  The vines are stretching out over 6 feet long.  I have never had a squash plant that has produced such long vines.  We have all enjoyed the butternut squash.  This was my first year growing it in quite a long time.  I primarily grew it to give the kids.  Micah loves it.  I puree it up and mix in a little of his formula to thin it down some.   This is a variety of squash that many people use in place of pumpkin for making the pies.  The color and flavor is very similar.

The zucchini and yellow squash are still producing, but are beginning to slow down.  I have done fairly well with them once the hot weather was no longer an issue.  Next year I am going to start the seeds early and plant only the plants instead of direct planting the seeds in the spring.  In late July, I will start more seeds for the squash and a few other plants to translplant about Labor Day weekend for the fall garden.  It seems that in our area, the plants do wonderful in the cooler months.  There are some that will do well in the intense heat, those will continue to be grown then.  Everything else will be planted as transplants in the spring and again in the early fall.  It will be fun to see how the new planting schedule will affect our garden's harvest amounts.

I still have sweet potatoes growing.  I don't plan to dig them up until closer to Thanksgiving.  This is my first year with them also.  I plants a few that I had bought at the store & sprouted.  I cut up the potatoes to allow 2-3 sprouts per piece, then planted them late July.

Our Simplifying

I am so glad that we had started simplifying our lives before we made the move to go without the non-essential electricity.  What a blessing it has been.

When we made this change, we had already been ridding ourselves of the non-essential things in our home & lives.  Many of the electronics and other "distractions" in our lives were purged.  The ending result was that we were beginning to have in our home only those things we truly needed to have.  Now that we have gone non-electric, with the exception of major appliances such as the refrigerator, we are simplifying even further.

I remember several years ago, Joe and I had toured a museum in Ohio that had a reconstructed period home.  The home was very sparsely furnished, having only the essential items needed for the family's daily lives.   You could look around and see so much about their lives, yet the home was very clean and functional.  Yes, I know it was a museum, but still it was a reproduction of the typical homes of that time.

Back in the early pioneering days, families didn't have all the clutter in their lives that we have now.  They had what was necessary, but not much extra.  They didn't feel deprived or the rush to have everything their neighbor owned.  I remember looking around that museum home and have thought of how easy it would be to keep and maintain such a home. 

With not having electrical lighting, I now have to complete my tasks indoors during the daylight.  Having less clutter is a benefit in this area also.  I am looking forward to when we have all the non-essetials out of the home.  With our plans to homeschool the children, having the non-essentials out of the home will make it easier to set up an area for their homeschooling supplies and also give me more time each day to focus on their education and not cleaning the home.

What Type of Helpmeet are You?

When you saw the title of this blog, did you take a moment to answer it in your own mind & heart? This is a question that I have been pondering and praying about a lot lately. I have a 2 yr old daughter who, like all little ones, is very observant. One day as I was washing dishes she was watching me very closely. Then it hit me. What kind of example of being a helpmeet am I showing to her?

There are many types of helpmeets. Let me describe some of them below.

Martyr Mindy is the woman who acts as though every task done is a supreme sacrifice that she is making for her husband and family. She takes no true joy from her work, but makes sure that everyone in the household and in her hearing is aware of all she is giving up to be a helpmeet at home. Martyr Mary is closely related to Guilt-trip Gretchen.

Guilt-trip Gretchen is the woman who does her tasks, but then reminds her family of all she does for them in a way that causes them to feel guilty for "making" her do tasks for them. She is quick to let her husband and children know how many hours she has spent cleaning up after them and what a hardship their thoughtlessness brings to her each day.

Look-at-me Lucy is the woman who goes through her day, taking care of the needs of her family but makes certain that they are aware of all she has done. Not to be confused with Martyr Mary, Look-at-me Lucy seeks attention to receive the cheers and "good on ya" accolades from her family for all she does. She is very reminiscent of a young child who has the need to be in the center of attention saying "look what I can do!"

Needy Nellie is a woman who lacks the self confidence to do her tasks without the constant aid of others. Even though she is capable of doing her tasks, she very often is having to ask for help in one form or another. Most often, she has learned her lack of confidence from being raised by Criticizing Kristen.

Criticizing Kristen is a woman who in teaching her children how to help around the home, is very critical of their efforts. She ignores the notion that a child will not do the work in the exact manner in which she would do it. In her constant complaining about the quality of her children's work, she brings about feelings in them of resentment, frustration, and the belief that their best effort will never be good enough.

Laid-back Elaine is a woman who has a very relaxed attitude towards homemaking. Her motto is, "It will get done when it gets done." Clutter doesn't bother her as long as she has a footpath through the rooms. Dishes don't need doing until so many are dirty that she has to wash a dish to have one clean to use. She find life, TV, computer, and other distractions more entertaining than caring for the home and puts them first above homemaking.

Hyper Helen is a woman who is in constant motion but has trouble getting anything done. She is a multi-tasker that gets busy on so many things at once that very little actually gets completed. Her days end with more half-finished tasks than finished ones.

Calm Carla is a woman who keeps her home maintained in such a way that it seems that her home keeps itself. She follows a routine that allows her to go through the day getting all her work done. Her home has a peaceful "feel" to it. The chaos of clutter and disarray never comes to her door.

Humble Hannah is a woman who quietly and gracefully serves in her role of helpmeet. She finds her satisfaction on a job well done and doesn't seek the accolades of others to feel validated in her role. She basks in her role and is grateful for the opportunity to serve her husband and children, understanding that when you humbly serve others you are following the example Christ gave when he served others through his ministry.

At some point in our lives, we have or will be one of the examples spoken of. As we grow in our role and in experience, our attitudes can change. We can go from one of the more negative examples to a more positive one. At various points in my life, I have been many of these women. Sometimes having the characteristics of more than one at the same time.

When you read through these various types of helpmeets, did any of their descriptions touch your heart? The purpose in writing this is to draw attention to myself and others of how important it is to take a honest look at our attitude as we go through our tasks. Are our daughters seeing a positive example or are they watching us as we grumble through the tasks? Do we show them that they can find joy, peace, and fulfillment in the role of being a helpmeet & homemaker? Are we showing them that being a helpmeet is what the world describes in that a SAHM is an oppressed servant to her husband? Are we teaching our daughters to understand the difference?   Our example also affects our sons.  One day they will marry.  Our example of how to be a helpmeet will affect how they see the role of helpmeet.  After watching your example, what type of helpmeet will they seek out?

A new Beginning

Today was the first day of our new beginning.  Instead of waiting until next payday to make the decision, Joe asked me to buy the oil lamps & oil that we needed today.  After returning home and getting all the lamps filled and wick's in the previous lamps trimmed, Joe went around the house unplugging all lights and removing light bulbs from the ceiling fixtures.  As of tonight, we are using oil lamps only for lighting.

This change in our lifestyle has been going easier than one would imagine.   We have been realizing that using electric lights is a habit, not a necessity.  Yesterday while visiting some dear friends, they gave me their old washboard to use until I am able to get one of my own.  What a blessing!  This will make my laundry much easier to do than the way I had done it before - all scrubbing with my knuckles!  Now, I can use the washboard to get the soiled clothing clean.  What a blessing!

We now only have the essential things plugged into outlets - refrigerator, stove, etc.  I am looking forward to seeing the difference it will make in our electric bill.  Since June, our electric bill had tripled!  This should knock the bill down really well.  We expect it to go up a little bit in the winter when the dryer will have to be used, but since the dryer vent has an attachment that allows the heat from the dryer to heat the room, we see the dryer as a heat source also in the winter.

I am still on the look out for a working wringer washer or even a hand crank wringer that I can use with wash tubs.  Anything that will make it easier to wring out the clothing.  Having arthritis in my hands, I have trouble wringing out the water from the clothing.  I am finding that I love it whenever I am able to do the laundry by hand though.  It is very labor intensive, but to me that is also what makes it relaxing.

I am so grateful that the Lord is showing us ways to become less reliant on the utilities.  It is such a peace to know that with each step we make in this area, we are becoming less reliant on public utilities.  I am looking forward to the day when we are able to get a wind power system built to supply what we need so that we are not dependent on the power companies.

Blessings of no TV

If I could Turn Back Time........

That song has a new meaning for us.  As I have spoken of before, our home was built in 1890 with an addition added by 1910.  In living here, Joe and I have often talked about the remodeling that we would like to do.

This morning, the remodeling discussion took on a whole new turn that I am very excited about.  Last week, 2 of the 5 circuits in our electric box went out.  We have had no electricity in the kitchen, other than the 220 outlet for the stove.  The refrigerator is being run temporarily by having a heavy duty extension cord run from another part of the house.  The only other electricity that we have in the home is in the laundry & bath which share a circuit and the dryer which is on a separate 220 circuit.

This has been a very eye-opening week.  We have found that we don't need the electricity as much as we thought.  After the first 2 days, no one has missed watching TV.  That brought us to this morning.  I had 2 oil lamps lit and placed on opposite sides of the room.  Joe came in, getting ready for work, and noticed how much light those lamps provided.  He was surprised to see how well they did are providing enough light to do what needed to be done.  That was when he made the comment that changes everything.  Instead of replacing the circuit box with a larger one, we are going to wait another 2 weeks until next pay day.  If we are still finding that we don't miss the electricity, then we are going to a small circuit box.  We will then be putting electricity in only 3 rooms of the home.

Kitchen: In our kitchen, we have an electric stove (220 volt circuit) that I use when the weather is too hot for using the wood cookstove.  We also need a 110 circuit to run the refrigerator.

Laundry: In our laundry area we have our water heater and clothes dryer that share a 220 circuit.  There is one plug and we simply plug in which ever appliance we are needing to use.  We also have a 110 outlet for the washing machine.  We will keep these, but he plans to add a second 220 outlet so we don't have to switch out the dryer and water heater.  If they are not being used, we can unplug them. They will each have their own outlet however for the times when we do need both to be used at the same time.

Livingroom: This room will have a single 110 outlet to have available for the computer and my sewing machine.  The computer is a necessity since we will be using it as an income resource.  Eventually, I will have a treadle sewing machine, but until then the electricity will be needed.

This weekend when he makes a trip to get supplies, Joe will be buying a few more oil lamps and oil.  Making this change is a huge step for us. It is one that we are finding to be easier than we would have thought a few years ago.  As time goes on, we will likely find we can use even less electricity.  In the meantime though, this step alone is bringing us closer to the time when we will easily be able to manage our electricity needs with only a wind power system.

The clothes dryer & washer are appliances that are seasonal.  Whenever possible, I will be hanging the laundry on a clothesline to dry.  Days like we are having right now when it is raining, the dryer will have to be used.  The washer will be replaced with a wringer type as soon as we are able to do so.  While I still am wanting to hand wash as much as possible, I am being realistic about the arthritis in my hands and planning ahead.

We will always have the option of adding another circuit box later if we find that we have need to do so.  I am very optomistic however that it will be unnecessary.  It seems that the more time we spend doing things the "old way", the more we realise the modern ways are not as essential as we would have believed them to be.

Eventually, we will be using a wind-power system to provide our home with the electricity we need.  Cutting back now on our usage will be a good preparation for that time.  The size and type of system we use can be adjusted to fit the actual need.

Encouraging Little helpers

Would you like 1 bean or 2?

A Chicken Little Moment

We have had a "chicken little" moment at our home.  Our home is in 2 portions.  The oldest part is the back 2 rooms of the home, built in 1890.  They have no electricity.  The front rooms are more modern and were added on by 1910.

Over the past few days, we have noticed that the ceiling on our bedroom was beginning to dip alittle in one corner - thankfully away from the bed.  Whether it was because of all the rain we have had or just because of the humidity, the ceiling tiles fell in an area of about 3' x 5' in size.  The tiles were a lightweight fiberous material.  I think that the high humidity and all the heavy rains were a major contributor.  So, our plans to work on the front of the house first are now changed.  The bedroom will get our attention before any other part of the home. 

Oh well, it will be great practice for us before we work on the front of the house that more people will see.  In the aftermath, I now have alot of laundry to wash.  The tiles brought down alot of dirt and dust from the attic all over my clothes that were hanging on a clothes rack in that corner area.  Tonight, I am making a new batch of laundry soap so that I can get the laundry finished as soon as possible.

Unusual Resource

Today I found a resource that I would never have expected.  I always thought  of You Tube as a place where people posted strange, bizarre, and somewhat raunchy videos.  Today I learned something.

I was watching a video that a friend had sent the link of and afterwards thought I would do a search on the topic of canning.  The search brought a listing of tutorial videos that teach the basics of canning.  I went on to do more searches on topics of interest to homesteaders and was pleased to find alot of great resource videos on gardening, dehydrating food, sewing, quilting, crochet, knitting, soap making, home built wind power turbines, spinning wool, weaving, weaving looms tutorials, building a quilt frame, how to make cheese, building a chicken tractor & coop, how to make a homemade chicken incubator, how to butcher & process your own chickens & livestock and tons more of topics. 

Who would ever have thought that a website known for the weird and obnoxious things would have such a wealth of information that we can use?

Too much laundry

I have been going through all of our clothing over the past few weeks, taking stock of what we have, what is needed, etc.  I made a discovery.   We have too much laundry! 

We are a homesteading family.  The little ones have a large amount of clothing.  I realised this as I was bagging up Abigail's outgrown clothing (size 12-18 months) and quickly filled 5 small trash bags!  You would think that she has not a stitch to wear after gleaning out those things but she still has a full wardrobe of clothing.  Micah doesn't have nearly as many, but he has a fair amount.  I have clothing that I haven't worn in a very long time.  Granted, I was pregnant with Micah, but even before that, some of the clothing was never worn.

There are only 7 days in a week.  If I am doing a load or two of laundry each day, then why do we need over dozen outfits each?  With the little ones still in diapers, it is easy to make excuses, but if you are washing their laundry as you do their cloth diapers each day or two, why do they need so many outfits?  Allowing one outfit per day, 2-3 church outfits, a coat or for an infant a bunting, plus a couple of sweaters or sweatshirts to wear on cool days are sufficient.  I only need 6 daily dresses and 2 church dresses at the most.  Add a shawl, mantle, and a work coat for winter and I am set.

My Beloved can use more clothing than an outfit per day due to the type of work he does.  But even that doesn't mean a closet & dresser packed full of clothing is necessary.  He has enough jeans to get him through a week and plenty of shirts, both summer and winter styles. 

If you have more clothing than necessary, it can be a waste of money.  I have known people who have bought clothing, brought it home and once it was hung up in the closet, they forgot even buying it.  The outfit goes unworn for years, often with the price tag still attached to it. 

With the goal of wanting to do 100% of our laundry by hand as soon as I have the things I need to do a proper job of it, I can see where having fewer outfits would be a blessing.  Yes, it would mean doing laundry more often, but the amount of laundry to be washed at one time would be less.  This will also be important when having to dry the clothing indoors where space is limited. 

With the little ones in cloth diapers or even when Abigail is wearing training pants, I am guaranteed a load of laundry each day just of their diapers and training pants.  Sometimes their bedding also is washed daily.   If you have so much laundry that you are able to do the laundry once a week, it becomes a large task when doing it by hand. 

I am now alternating between 1-2 loads a day.  Each day, I have a load of cloth diapers, crib bedding, and a few towels.  Every other day, I add a load of Joe's and my laundry.  Doing it this way really helps to keep the task from becoming an all-day event.  Even hand washing the laundry is not as time consuming if done this way.  Come winter, when I will be hanging laundry on racks indoors to dry, this way of doing the laundry will also be a blessing.