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thoughts on homeschooling
09:30 AM, Monday, September 29, 2008
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HSLDA had an article posted this morning, and I wanted to share my thoughts about it.Here is the article. It is not long, but it is poignant. Basically it says that homeschool graduates are TONS (I am using this word instead of the exact percentages because they vary depending on the activity involved) more likely to vote and be involved in elections than non-homeschooled 20-somethings. The thing that made me laugh was this quote here: "One of the reasons for this heightened involvement in society is that many homeschool families teach American history, which shows how important it was during the founding of this nation to have men and woman who were well-educated and powerful advocates for their positions." Without actually saying so, it implies that public schools do NOT teach American history, and the importance of a good education. Now, I love history, and I have since 5th grade when I was reading my history text under my desk while my teacher droned on about something else (he got after me for not paying attention, and asked what I was doing. I remember his surprise that I was reading my history book for entertainment). So, anyway, I love history, and often went deeper into the history we were studying in my ps classes, just because I liked it. But my goodness, so much was not even mentioned! The point of this ramble is that I agree with this implication of ps history-teaching. And my final thought on this article is that it highlights EXACTLY why the teachers unions and liberal nanny-staters want to get rid of the Homeschool movement: We produce thinkers and actors. Homeschool graduates are not likely to sit on the couch and watch American Idol, thinking that their vote there is the only one that matters. We are more likely to get up, get out, and ACT on our knowledge and convictions. And that is dangerous to the liberal agenda. What do you think? whew - I think I am over the worst....
01:06 PM, Thursday, September 25, 2008
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And can I say, I am tossing my washer/drier. yup. okay, not really, but it has been having issues for a while, and after 1.5 weeks, I decided that we HAD to do laundry. NOW. So I loaded the children, the school books, and the laundry into the car - all 5-6 loads (at least at my house) and went to town. the laundromat there has HUGE washers - 30 lb, 50 lb, and 80 lb. I was done washing and drying ALL of my laundry in 2 hours (and it only took that long cuz I ran out of change and had to run to a bank!). I can handle ALL my laundry - for a week - done in 2 hours.But, I managed to keep up on the dishes this past week, and I attacked my bedroom last night, it is looking lie there is carpet under the WEEKS of unsorted clean laundry. We are slowly picking up the toys and the papers. Man, I wish - sometimes, mind, not always - that I had not started my family on a healthier eating way of life. I am not talking fad diets or cutting fats. I just mean, more naturally, closer to the way God created our food. It never used to bother me when eating deli meat with I got some blueberries yesterday from Waters Blueberry Farm and I need to get those planted today. later, my friends. I am back, kind of, with stock info
08:09 AM, Thursday, September 18, 2008
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I mean, I have been reading and commenting on everyone else's blogs, but the energy needed to write my own - not really there. I think I am feeling a bit better. I started cleaning 6 weeks worth of clutter, toys, clothes, etc, off my floor last night. I bottled 56 bottles of peaches (at a friend's house, with her and her mom) on Tuesday, and I have frozen a bushel of apples shredded and measured for pancakes. When it is harvest time, you have to get the preserving done, no matter how you feel. Or you do not eat (well) for the next year. I just took it slow, asked for help, and canceled school for "harvest weeks." I still have a bushel of apples I need to juice. if I can get the kitchen clean, maybe we can get that done today.Ashley asked about stock, and how to make some beef stock. "How would you make beef stock? Now that I'm into my grass fed I really want to do this. I cooked my beef in water with a bit of salt and pepper, the water that was left, was that my stock?" that is actually broth. Broth is the clear liquid made from boiling meats or vegetables. Stock is made from boiling the bones. I am an expert turkey stock maker. I make 40-50 quarts every November from begged turkey carcasses. My beef stock has been more sporatic - I buy bones at the grocer for .99 a pound and make just enough for 7 quarts at a time. But this year, after buying my 1/8 of a grass-fed cow, I have some 20# of bones in my freezer waiting for a cold week (and some energy) to turn into stock. From everything I have read on this, you need to brown the bones first to get the real yummy and meaty flavor. I have done it and not done it, I couldn't tell a difference. But I will be doing it this time. I throw in carrots, onions, celery, some various herbs (including bay leaves - although I have never been able to determine WHAT EXACTLY these do, but everyone says to use them, so I do.....). I have had a number of people tell me that my soups are very good - the best homemade soups they have had. The secret is in the stock. The base for any soup is the liquid, and a good, hearty, flavorful stock is key. If you do a google search on "broth vs. stock" you can get more info too. homeschool reading help?
08:59 AM, Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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I am wanting a workbook or something for my ds6. He reads voraciously (must be my kid! LOL) but I am not sure that he comprehends everything. We have a phonics book with small (2 paragraph) stories with questions at the end. but I want something more on his reading level with reading comp questions. Does anyone have any suggestions?thanks mommy brag
05:10 PM, Friday, July 25, 2008
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dd22mo has been noticing her, um, how shall we politely say, bodily functions for some time now. two days ago she pointed to her behind and said "owie," and made the classic baby pooping face. then she pointed to the bathroom. so I sat her on the potty, not expecting anything, and went upstairs to get her a book. when I got back, she had done her business. and was so pleased with herself.she did it again this morning. I praised her mightily, gave her a Dryer's ice cream dibbs (have you seen these - perfect for things like potty training because they are bite size and fully contained and a definate treat in our ice-cream-for-special-occasions-only house. This afternoon she again let me know that she was needing to sit on the potty, so we went in, she put the converter seat on the toilet, I sat her down, and she not only "pooped" but, as she said very surprised "aug!" not sure why she says "aug" but it is her word for water. water to drink, water to bathe or swim in, water for showers. and, I guess, water that comes out of your bottom area. she is growing so fast. i guess it is a good thing that we will be having another one soon. I love my babies. now if I can only survive the next few months. oh, btw, thanks for all the suggestions on the last post/delima. vertigo and electrolytes, help if you can
06:08 PM, Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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Hi. do you ever feel like you are the top of a very high building (think Empire State) when the wind is blowing. the world is gently swaying, but not enough to make you sick. that is my constant state of being right now. I am not sure the exact cause, but if you have any thoughts on my thoughts, I would love to hear them. Oh, and this has been going on since at least Sunday, maybe earlier....given: I am pregnant, and in that awful first trimester, the one where I wonder "WHY did I want this again. NEVER AGAIN! agh! will given: I have normally low blood pressure. no, I am not sure of my normal, but I know it is low enough the nurses always comment on it. I also cannot give blood - they start pumping, and I fill about half a bag, then it just stops. seriously. my midwife often has to poke me in two different spots to get all the prego blood tests (about 4 vials) full. It runs in the family (my grandmother was prescribed potato chips by her doctor to bring up hers) given: I get very anemic while pregnant. I am taking 25 mg of iron biglycerate twice a day, and my main iron-deficient symptoms (exhausted-tired-like-I-cannot-move, shaking, etc.) are not in evidence. this is the very type of iron I have taken in my two previous pregnancies and it has raised my iron levels to manageable levels. I like it. (I did have to try like 6 brands/ types before I found one that did NOT make me sick.) other possible factors: I am still nursing my 22-mo. would that contribute? it is kind of warm here, but I am not even breaking a sweat. I am nauseated a lot of the time, but I have not actually thrown up (yet). thanks, I think in large degree to the liberal use of nasty, pasty, chalky ginger tablets. but they do work. even if the chewing and tasting seem to aggravate the sensation for a bit. my ears do not hurt - so and ear infection is not a culprite, is it? if you have any suggestions, oh wise ones, I would like to hear it. if you have any recipies for elctrolyte drinks, I would love those as well. The gaterade, etc. is so full of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) that I am afraid I will have a reaction to that since we have it so very rarely and in small doses. meanwhile, I am here, atop my own personal skyscrapper. I am trying to enjoy the view. and the swaying while sitting still. anxious for fall
08:30 AM, Sunday, July 20, 2008
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I cannot wait till fall. I never can. I love fall and winter - those are my favorites, except last winter when I was anxious for spring so I could plant my garden. that is dead. sigh.I have given up on my garden. between the grasshoppers, the dog, and the landscaper guy (who told me they would be starting"next week" and I needed to move my garden boxes so they could get in the big earth movers - THREE WEEKS AGO! - and he hasn't even started yet), my garden is dead. I might get some potatoes - if the grasshoppers let me. and the tomatoes hanging upside down will probably give a few (in fact, I have 8 or so tiny romas growing.) but the melons, pumpkins, beets, peas, etc. are hopeless cases. sigh guess I will just need to buy from the farmers market this year for my canning needs. and this year, I have an extra reason for hastening the coming of fall: my morning sickness (which is more like afternoon sickness, really) will be over. (notice the new addition to my blog?) 1/8 of a cow
11:32 AM, Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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I have an eighth of a cow. We (being my SIL and I) ordered a "split half" from Tami's Grass Fed Beef and it was ready for pickup yesterday. So I drove down to get it. because we ordered a split, we were not able to get all the cuts we wanted - each "half" is butchered the same, so if you split a half, you have to get the same cuts as the person getting the other "split" of your "half." It sounds very confusing, but it isn't. Basically what it means is that we only got 1 pound of stew beef and 48 of ground. I NEVER use ground beef. dh won't touch it. and only a few roasts, but lots of steak. sigh.I also got around 23 pounds of soup bones (there were more, but I "generously" allowed SIL to take around 10 pounds of it  ). I have a number or roasts and a few steaks. it worked out to around $4 a pound for the meat. our hanging weight was 200#, but the actual weight of the meat was around 167#. So we lost around 1/6 of the weight from the hanging. it was interesting learning all of this. I have heard of people buying "a cow" but never done it. I took all the organ meat we were alloted as well.so I have 10# of ground beef (I did take some. maybe I will try making hamburgers again - have not generally liked homemade burgers, but.... meanwhile I can use it in chili or something for potlucks.) I have a cow tongue. ewwww, gross. it is huge and gross looking. I also have the heart, liver and kidney. I am planning to throw those into the stock with the bones. I figure they will make the stock that much more nutritious. oh, that is where the tongue is slated to go as well. My father was horrified that I would plan such a thing for the liver, best fried up with onions. ewww.... gross. I remember being made to eat that as a child. I know, liver is VERY good for you, and especially for someone as iron-low as I am, this would be a very good thing to be eating ,but I cannot bring myself to doing that. Childhood tramas die hard. I also have a number of roasts and a few steaks. we do not eat a lot of steaks here. too much meat in one sitting for dh (I know, he is abnormal that way!). So I gave SIL the majority of the steaks - her family will eat them happily. Especially her dad, my FIL, who lives with her now. His eyes grew very large indeed when we started listing the steaks (and poundage) in the freezer. He asked how many steaks that was, because poundage doesn't indicate that. I had to remind him that just because one steak is 2.4 pounds, does not mean he gets to eat the whole steak himself! LOL! he would try too! I would start the broth today, but we are going camping tonight. not too far, but near a lake and lots of fun. So I will have to wait on the broth. I am also wondering if I do not want to wait a few months on that anyway! It is so hot, I cannot imagine keeping two pots of broth simmering on the stove for a few days. not to mention there is nowhere to put the broth at night to keep it cool. During the winter (when I make my turkey broth) I take the pans off the stove and place them outside for the nights. I would prefer to let it continue cooking all night, but dh doesn't like the stove on all night. getting things done
07:12 AM, Monday, July 7, 2008
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We left the kids at my parents house last Thursday morning. We spent Wed night at my SILs where we had a BBQ, fireworks, and homemade ice cream. lots of fun. So Thurs morning, we dropped off the two eldest (Bug, 6 and Bear, 4) for a week at grandma's. nothing more fun than that! We ot home Thursday evening - we spent the day running around Salt Lake doing errands easier done without children in tow.Friday I started the cleaning. I cleaned the basement. reorganized the storage room, moving the paper goods (kleenex, TP, diapers etc) to the top of the kids' closet - it was just empty space collecting junk. this freed up room on my shelves for the food storage I was reduced to placing on the floor for lack of room! hehehe. I straightened the "moving box" room - you know , the room with all the moving boxes we haven't unpacked after almost 2 years. LOL! maybe I should just toss those unopened at this point. I cleaned the book room - found 2 socks. cleaned the old toy closet under the stairs. found 4 socks, including 2 church socks. that boy is hopeless with socks. I just bought him a dozen pair of socks. last laundry day, he had 4 pair. I then moved up the stairs. On Satuday I cleaned the couch room, including washing the couch covers (1 sock) and the family room (where all the toys are now). I also did the entry, the hallway and the laundry room (no socks). Yesterday I cleaned the school corner and cubbies. No socks, but a lot of garbage, markers-without-lids, crayons, and some wipies.  I also straitened the toy cupboard where we keep the play-do, dominoes, stickers, puzzles, etc. and the kitchen (which had gotten very filthy since I was neglecting to clean that while I purged the rest of the house.) Now I have all day today to clean my office. ugh. there was a reason I left that for last. sigh. oh, and I need to go do some gardening. I should do that earlier than later so that it is not too hot. anyway, have a great day. "'tinky baby"
08:27 AM, Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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so dd1, well21 months, aka Lion has started having awareness of her diaper. it started a few months ago....I was changing a stinky diaper when dd4 (Bear) walked by. "oh, that is STINKY!" and plugging her nose, she backed away, repeating "stinky stinky!" Lion thought it was funny, so she plugged her nose too and repeated "tinky, tinky." the next day, we were driving and passed a dead skunk. Before I could say anything, Lion plugged her nose and said "'Tinky!" okay, she realizes this is more than just a diaper thing - she knows what the word (and hand sign) mean. Now, for some Lion "'Tinky" foibles: she brought me her teddy bear (a Build-A-Bear from Grandma when she was born, picked by her siblings) and sniffed his behind area. "Tinky!" she declared, and grabbed a wipie from the pack. she spent the next 3 minutes wiping the "stinkies" from his bottom. Only after she was done with that did she allow me to clean her bottom! Bear's My Little Pony also had a "Tinky" behind the other day. she thrust it in my face (back side, of course) and announced "Tinky." she then plugged her nose and carried it by the tail to the window sill where she forgot about it. I was sitting on a banana chair and Bear had draped herself across my lap, bottom up. Lion comes over and sees Bear's underwear peeking up out of her pants. Lion delicately pinched it up and then announced: "Tinky" and backed away, fingers on her nose. Now Bear has been having some accidents recently in this department, but his time she had not. This morning, Lion brought me a dress-up princess dress for assistance in dressing; I was sitting at my computer. oh, she stank. me: "are you stinky? should we change your diaper?" Lion: head shakes. me: "well, someone is stinky." she then sticks her head under my chair arm to smell my bottom, and then backs up with her fingers on her nose me: "oh, mommy is stinky?" "yeah" mostly, she only claims "tinky" when she herself is stinky, but not always. I am trying to figure if the other times are preceding the stinky, and if so, can we start the process of potty training? Pantry Replacement Chart
10:22 AM, Saturday, June 14, 2008
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I wanted to post my chart: "Pantry Replacement Times." This is a tool I use to track how long it takes us to consume certain items in my pantry/food storage/freezer storage. I made this in the OpenOffice version of Excel
It is not an exact science, but I try very hard to remember to update it every time I have to bring some food upstairs from the storage room. I decided to add the size of the container when I noticed that I had 2 sizes of vanilla. so the blue is for the 2oz size, and the black is for the 4oz size. You need to remember to compare apples to apples - otherwise you will not understand why you went through so much vanilla in such a short time. LOL! Of course, then there are times you make oatmeal cookies (3cups) and apple bars (2 cups) and oatmeal once a week; and your oatmeal usage explodes. That is why it is important to have a running chart, so you can find your average over a period of time. I also have some items that I opened BEFORE I made this chart. At that time I was just writing the date I opened the package on the lid or label. I have not yet moved those over to my chart. And I am much better at charting my dry pantry items than my fridge or freezer items. A work in progress. but it has really helped me see what we need for our long term storage. For example, recently, I was approached with the opportunity to buy bulk EVOO that is packaged in such a way as to last 10-15 years. Did I want any? How much? Well, I looked at this chart and realized that I go through 2 liters in about 5 months, on average over two bottles. because the time was 5 months for both bottles, I figure that is a close approximation of use. Also factored into that was my current bottle is a bit more than half gone, and we are a little more than halfway to 5 months from when I opened it. So I figured I would need 5 liters a year, or about 1 1/3 gallons a year (they were coming in gallons). I could order with confidence on how much I needed. Entry #200: CAST IRON question!
11:16 AM, Thursday, June 12, 2008
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okay, I know in over 2 years, 200 is not that many, but, mostly I like to read everybody else's homesteading journeys. and I like to post homestead-y things, after all, that is the purpose of this blog site. Do not get me wrong, please, I love reading about your lives and families. but I am a more private person and so I like to post mostly homesteady things here. and I should post more, but I have this feeling that no one is interested in my garden delimas or animal woes. which I know is silly, since that is what I love to read the most on other people's blog. silly me.anyway, onto the homesteading question of the day. I am borrowing my mother's dutch oven for the summer. I would give you any number of excuses, but part of repentance is to OWN the problem, RECTIFY the problem, NEVER REPEAT the problem (I am using "problem" here instead of "sin", because this was a sin against a beautiful piece of cast iron, not against God, unless you count not taking care of what He has given me, of which sin I am guilty in this!) so, my mom gave me her dutch oven for the summer, the one out of her 3 that needed to be re-seasoned so that I could learn to do that as well. what did I do with the thing? I sat it on my back porch thinking it would be fine for a few weeks. We have had an uncharacteristically WET spring here, and it has rained 2-3 days each week for the past 3. Now, my cast iron is not only needing to be re-seasoned, but is rusty as well. so, thanks to kitty, I have scrubbed my pot and lid with veggie oil and salt until the rust was gone. but it isn't. I mean large sections of my pot are reddish-orange. should this worry me? I have coated it with oil and sat it in the oven as per Kitty's instructions. but will I need to scrub it again to get off the orange coloring? it seems to not want to come off. I would appreciate any help you can give me beans and rice
09:16 PM, Friday, June 6, 2008
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I made tacos tonight. but meatless. and dh gave me THE LOOK. "can I just have a quesadilla with the ricew and beans on the side?" "sure, you can make yours a quesadilla." He was, as he says, "afeared" of a rice and taco.but he made a taco, good example for the bean-disliking children. I had made this before, and LOVED it (dh had been feeling ill that evening so he did not try it then), so I made me a PACKED-FULL taco, and Lion (dd1) had a half-taco with sour cream, cheese, beans and rice, and tomatoes. Bear (dd4) rolled her eyes and put a good-sized scoop of the R&B on her taco. Bug (ds6) balked, tried to convince us that he had a scoop ion his tortilla (yeah, sour cream and cheese!) He finally put a good-sized scoop on his plate. dh made a taco too. He loved it! silly husband, he ought to trust me a bit more on food stuff. We have resorted to bribery on bean nights: tonight it was ice cream. no ice cream if you do not eat your beans! I know "they" say not to bribe with dessert. but we feel it is very important that the family learn to eat beans. so we bribe. at least for now. as they learn to eat them, we will phase that out. meanwhile dd1 happily ate hers no problem. Bear ate hers without balking, but Bug needed a time limit. and he ate his R&B without gagging - just eating bite after bite. which tells me this bean dish was better than others, at least in his mind. so anyway, without further ado, here is the really yummy R&B dish we served tonight. from Cuisine at Home weeknight menus: Boil: 1 c chicken stock 1 T lime juice 1 t sugar (today I used 3/4 t honey - I did not taste the difference) 1/4 t salt (I used a rounded 1/4 t salt - my homemade broth is salt-free) 1/2 c long grain rice (we only use basmati around here) when rice is soft (and with basmati, I had to add some water before it was done), add: 1 T unsalted butter (but I used salter - again, the broth thing) 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, warmed (or one heaping cup of homemade beans) 1/4 c fresh cilantro (I used 2 T dried) lime juice to taste well, I also added some water since my beans were cold, and I didn't want to dirty a pan just to warm the beans separately. anyway, this made GREAT tacos! - Sunshine chicken boulion substitution
02:41 PM, Thursday, June 5, 2008
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okay, most of the time, I do not use boullion cubes. I use homemade turkey stock (made in November from begged-for carcasses) instead of boullion cubes and water. but I have one recipe that calls for 3 cubes and only 1/2 cup pf stock. and I have noticed that every time I make my chicken pot pie, I do not feel so good. Thinking about it, I decided that the only thing in there I do not usually eat is the cubes. and in the cubes? wanna read the ingredients?salt sugar MSG hydrogenated palm olein corn starch onion chicken fat chicken meat garlic turmeric disodium inosinate spices where is the CHICKEN in that? hello! ingredient #6 - salt, sugar, and MSG are the first THREE ingredients! so two weeks ago I decided it was time to clean out my freezer. I had 2 bags of frozen vegetable peelings, tops, almost bad-in-the-fridge-so-I-put-them-in-the-freezer veggies, so I turned those into 7 quarts of veggie broth. I also had two bags of chicken bones from roastings, chicken innards, bits and pieces, so I turned those into about 8 quarts of chicken stock. I then took that chicken stock and boiled it down. I boiled it and boiled it and boiled it. Eventually I had about a cup of dark brown THICK concentrated paste. My own version of a demi-glace. it tastes yummy. I put it in a half-pint canning jar, and put it in the coldest part of my fridge. it should keep for 6 months or so, according to the various websites. I would put it in the freezer, but it is already so hard, I do not know what would happen if I tried to get any out! so, back to the pot pie. I made it again last night. I dug 3 t (or so) of demi-glace out of my jar and added it instead of boulion cubes. I also added about 2 large pinches of kosher salt (maybe a teaspoon?) First, can I say, it was a wonderful pot pie. tasty. tasty. and second, I did not get sick-ish last night. anyway, what I did this week. dangerous encroachments
08:28 AM, Thursday, June 5, 2008
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look what is happening in the great state of New York this week! coming soon to a state near you.can I just say how much this scares me? no need, I am sure you all feel the same. -sunshine tomatoes: inside, outside, upside down
12:56 PM, Saturday, May 17, 2008
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I was planning to do my tomatoes in the upside-down bucket manner this year. There is a lady on freecycle who has buckets I can have... the problem seems to be one of co-ordination. The SL freecycle, you just leave your stuff on your porch and whoever you choose for your stuff comes to pick it up. Here, I cannot ask anyone to drive so far away from town (with gas so expensive) just to get a cheap $5 waffle iron, so I mention when I go into Logan and we meet somewhere on main street and pass-off whatever items (it makes me feel kind of furtive and almost illegal to meet a strange car in a parking lot and hand over a package to a stranger....). Well, all is well and good until....A lady who has something I want also lives so far away from town, but in the OTHER direction. She also brings her stuff into town and drops them there. But we are NEVER in town at the same time. sigh. so she has a lot of 5-gal buckets I can have and use for tomatoes, but I cannot get them! LOL!!! But anyway, back to the tomatoes.... I am planning this method, just going to go by what I read on the internet, and some people have had great success with it, and some have not. And on Sunday, the Women's group at church passed out a flyer that someone will be teaching upside down tomatoes today. Oh, I was excited - they must have done this before, right? So I want to get all mine done while there. but no buckets. well, I have one from other stuff, so I find a lid for it and off I go with my bucket, 1.5 cu feet of potting soil, and a lovely Roma plant. Seven sisters were there, and it turns out, no one there had done upside-down tomatoes before, but we all liked the idea, which is why we were there. So we are learning together. We cut the 2" hole in the bottom and the lid (actually, it is a 2 1/8" hole - her husband couldn't find his 2" oh well....close enough!) put down a coffee filter, and filled with soil. right up to the brim; I watered mine about half way so that the soil would be damp, then added the rest of the soil. put on the lid, tip it upside down. cut an "X" in the coffee filter, use a narrow garden trowel to dig out a deep hole for my plant, and stuff it in as deep as I could. I added more soil around it, and some water, and carried it out to the car. Right now, my plant is on my deck outside my bedroom. It is keeping company with the lemon tree I received for Christmas two years ago, and the lime and the banana tree I received for Mothers day this year. They all like the warm sunlight of daytime here, but I have to bring them in at nights still. Frost is still very likely. so I will keep my tomato there as well for a while. I have to bring them all in anyway, what is one more plant? until my dh comes into our bedroom tonight and finds ONE MORE PLANT in our bedroom...... food shortages
02:34 PM, Monday, May 5, 2008
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A lot of people are talking about the rice/ grain shortages. I feel a lot of peace about it. At least for my family. See, after we moved into our new house with the huge empty basement, I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to start buying a years supply of food. I took some extra cash we have every month (we have been blessed with that) and started buying food storage items. I quickly bought a 5-gal (60 lb) of honey from a honey store here, and slowly bought wheat or sugar at Costco.Last spring, I would guess about a year ago, I walked into my normal grocery store and saw that they were having a "food storage" sale - 6-gal buckets of rice, wheat, oats, etc. So I splurged and bought 9 buckets at $13.99 each. I thought I was doing great, and continued with my allotted amount a month otherwise. Oh, if I had known then, I would have bought MORE at that time, we could afford it, but I already felt like I was going over budget... Fast forward to today. We have a room downstairs filled with buckets (these are 6-gal and hold various weights, depending on the item): 8 Soft White Wheat 8 hard White Wheat 4 Hard Red Wheat 4 reg oats 3 quick oats 6 basmati rice 2 brown rice 2 black beans 2 white beans 2 white flour 2 popcorn 1 each of: white sugar pinto beans kidney beans cornmeal (which has SHOT up from $23 to $84 in 2 months) lentils bread flour Gretchka (Kasha/ toasted buckwheat) raw buckwheat still on order (with my prices locked in!): 1 bucket spelt 4 buckets egg noodles and yet I wonder if I have enough! I read these news articles, like those posted by "the Intentional Peasant" and Deanna and fultoncountymama. and I wonder if I have enough to last the coming storm! ai ai ai! fret not, I also have some canned and dried fruits and veggies, but not near what we need. I do have 200 empty canning jars all with the screw-top lids for whatever my garden might give us. I am hoping to do tomatoes and peaches again for sure! I am studying ways to store potatoes and hope to have a bumper crop of those as well! I am getting a split half of grass-fed beef in July (which is a quarter of a cow, splitting the whole half with a SIL and a BIL) we are taking gun classes this month and next and will start on an arsenal as well as food storage. I think that if you have a supply of food, that gun may well be what keeps your food yours in a crisis. Is that a mercenary way to think? I do not feel so. I would gladly share my food with those who cannot afford to stock up right now, but I think there may well be a lot of angry people who lived for today and their toys and did not plan for the winter ahead, for the coming "seven years of famine" (not that I am saying there will be 7 years, but referencing the experiences of Joseph in Egypt) I am trying to cook out of our storage. my children do not like beans, but we have them at least once a week anyway. I think maybe we will go to twice a week, actually. We try to have rice once a week, and I am trying bread recipe after bread recipe trying to find a wheat bread dh feels is light enough (and crust soft enough) for sandwiches. so if you have any suggestions, do let me know! Dh and I are trying to prepare for the coming storm. I, being a student of history, have seen this coming for years. YEARS. I pray daily we have another couple of years before the storm really hits, so we have time to pay off the house and get an alternative source of energy for the well and the freezers. This summer I am borrowing my mom's dutch oven and going to start experimenting with that method of cooking. something that I can use and do even if we have no power or no propane in our tanks. well, off to reorganize that storage room, actually - it is packed and hard to get into! WA-HOOO!!!!! advice needed.
02:01 PM, Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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dh has agreed to chickens!doing the happy dance here! We get to get chickens! hehehe! the kids are excited to have chickens. I am excited to have a grasshopper control and fresh eggs. A brother from our church said he will help us build a coop, so dh is going to talk to him about which plans to use and what we need to purchase. but here to come my delimna: what chicken should I get? I want: layers cold-hardy not easily spooked or mean (I have small children) now, looking at this site, I have narrowed to the following: Americuana Austraorp Delaware Favorelles Leghorn New Hampshire Plymouth Rock Rhode Island Sussex any ideas or help would be appreciated. i think I want to have 8-10 hens and a rooster. should I make sure they are all the same breed, or would crosses in a next generation be okay? I am so excited! I cannot believe it, but, here we go.... garden notes
05:30 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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garden:have 4 4'x18" SFG raspberry beds ready for starts tomorrow. I will be getting these from a neighbor. have 3 4'x18" SFG strawberry beds ready for starts tomorrow. from a different neighbor. of course, one already has some plants from last year. my potato garbage can is ready for that experiment. I axed gashes in the bottom and buried the can 6 inches into the ground. We get some mighty strong winds here and I do not want them being blown over. I filled it with water yesterday to see if it drains effectively. It stood there last night as I was watching it (clay soil) but it was drained and dry this afternoon. I think that should keep it moist enough once I start filling it with soil and straw and potatoes. I am getting two more gabage cans off of freecycle thursday, so I will get those ones ready this weekend. I will plant red, russet and yukon in different cans. I have 12 squares of peas. some are coming up and some are not. I am worried about these - they should be big by now. 1 SF of beets 1SF of onions 1 SF of spinach 1 SF of romaine (I will plant more next week for a staggered harvest) and 3 SF of carrots in an extra tall 3'x1' box I think I will do 4 SF of tomatoes, vertically. My other tomato plants I want to experiment with the upside down in a bucket idea. Also, 16 SF of corn. the SFG book says that you can do one plant per foot or four. one seems not really worth the effort, but 4 might get kind of crowded. maybe I will do two.... oh, cucumbers... where am I to put those? 12 of melon/pumpkin/cucumber.... gee, these get fewer and fewer each time I think of them! I keep remembering something else that needs to grow vertically up on the north face of my beds.... let the punishment fit the crime, I always say
11:17 AM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,348171,00.htmland why not? can't give 'em the death penalty (even if we did, it would never be carried out); they cannot live within so many feet of parks, schools, bus stops, churches, etc where children congregate in many cities, so where can they live? they have a hard time finding work. so, if this would help, I say why not. I like the option there too - drug-induced or physical. let them choose.... { Last Page } { Page 1 of 11 } { Next Page } |
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