Taking Stock and Learning New Skills

This week I have been taking stock of the children's clothing for the next season.  Having been blessed with seven children,  you can be sure that I save their used clothing to pass on to younger siblings!    I try to assess their clothing needs twice a year, usually in very early spring and in late summer.  First we go through their current clothes from the closet and dressers in the bedrooms.  We discard items that are too worn or soiled and items that are too small will either pass down immediately to the next youngest child or are stored in the attic in boxes marked according to size and gender.  I write everyone's name on the white board in our dining room and as I discover items that will be needed I write those things under that person's name.  I do generally try to pick up some new items for each child throughout the year from clearance sales.   Recently I found the older boys several polo shirts for less than $3 each at one of our nicer clothing stores.  The older boys both have jobs and do purchase items that they want...in fact, Jordan pretty much purchases all of his clothes now with me adding in some that I find on clearance at times.  Devin has been purchasing her own clothing for several years.  Our next daughter is 11 years younger, but now is almost the same size.  Devin is one of those who wears something for one or two seasons and then is tired of it....so she passes it on to Kaelan!  I still have a couple of the children's clothes to go through and then we will do our attic shopping before finishing up the list of items to be on the look out for.  It is good to know that, if necessary, our younger children could easily be clothed totally with hand-me-down clothing for the next several years.

This year we have also been learning how to preserve our own food without freezing.  In order to do that we purchased a pressure canner and a dehydrator to add to our water bath canner.  We purchased our dehydrator from The Sausage Maker after hubby did lots of research.  He got THIS ONE and I really like it.  These dehydrators have no plastic parts which was a huge factor in hubby's mind.  We have dehydrated onions, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, various herbs and even use it to make granola and yogurt.

We choose the Presto 23-quart canner, mainly because I got it free doing a review for an online shopping network.  We have been canning pinto beans, turkey and chicken broth, milk and more.  I can't wait to learn how to can more items.  I requested Growing and Canning Your Own Food by Jackie Clay for my birthday and it is jam-packed with lots of great information and recipes!  I hope to soon be canning meats and ready-to-eat meals using this book as a reference.

We also added another chicken tractor to our homestead this week and will be ordering meat chickens soon.  We have enjoyed learning about layers and meat birds and it's also fun to watch them.  Our children love to take out kitchen scraps for them to enjoy.  Yesterday we discovered the chickens love popcorn!

So much to learn on a homestead, but it's so much fun when you can learn and work together as a family.  What are you learning with your family these days?

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Preparedness Challenge July 2

This week we added 100 pounds of pinto beans, 100 pounds of oats, a few pounds of sunflower and sesame seeds and two cases of rice milk to our pantry storage.  My daughter also made 11 pints of dill pickles from our garden cucumbers.

I also started my list of seeds to purchase for our next fall and spring gardens.  If we are going attempt to grow most of our own fruits, vegetables and herbs we are going to have to increase our garden space several times over.

Jeff and the boys hope to finish up our chicken tractor today.  They started it last Saturday and worked on it one evening, but then mid-week we all got sick and have not gotten back to it.  This chicken tractor will hold around 15 chickens we are told.  I was hoping to order 50 chickens soon so we could just raise our meat chickens twice a year, but we will either have to order more frequently or make two other chicken tractors.  The work on the chicken tractor has been more involved than expected, but there has also been a learning curve.  Hopefully the next one will not take as much time or thought to put together.

They are hoping to finish it up after the weedeating and mowing are done today.  I'll share the hopefully finished pictures next week.  I am still trying to track down the website that the instructions originated from but haven't been successful in obtaining them through my husband.  He has more on his mind than chicken tractors. : )

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Preparedness Challenge June 25

Several weeks ago someone posted on FB about how some folks were turning old trampolines into chicken tractors.  Chicken tractors are chicken coops that can be moved to a different area each day which keeps the chickens contained and protected while allowing them to get some free-range benefits as well.

As I tend to be a tightwad  frugal when it comes to our homesteading expenditures I was quickly in love with this idea.  Now where on earth could I find a used trampoline or at least the frame?  I asked around on FB and no one had a trampoline to part with.  I did get some comments of disbelief regarding my request for a trampoline as many of my family and friends know that I do mot care for trampolines.   I know of many children who have broken limbs while playing on them and Kaelan needs no additional encouragement to break her arms.  At three she broke one arm falling from our slide in the front yard.  At 7-ish (is it bad that I can't remember how old she was?  I can remember we were studying the Cooperation unit from KONOS--the human body specifically) we were at our KONOS co-op meeting and she was playing on the swings and fell/jump out and, yes, broke her other arm.  And it was no coincidence that the following week we would be studying the skeletal system.  At age 12 she still sees the bone doctor once or twice a year for evaluation.

Lo, and behold, this week a local contact alerted everyone on FB that she had a trampoline to get rid of....I jumped in quickly (no pun intended!) and committed Jeff and the boys to an evening of trampoline retrieval.    It is now in our front yard.  And I think I am going to have a hard time getting it converted into a chicken tractor.  The head man is not too sure it will be easy to do and he had already obtained some chicken tractor plans from a co-worker on the same day that the trampoline came into our lives.  He and the children seem to think the trampoline is too nice to become a chicken tractor any time soon and it should remain as it was intended to be.  I, on the other hand, think this free trampoline may prove much too costly if and when one of my children breaks a limb.

Trampoline or chicken tractor?

Whether the conversion takes place or not, today has been deemed chicken tractor supply gathering day.  We hope to order about 50 meat birds in the next couple of weeks and will need to get things ready quickly!

The past couple of weeks have been full of canning!!  I have also been freezing a few items.  I can see that the freezers will have to be cleaned out very soon and we need to eat or can what we have in there so that we will have room for the chickens!  This is what we have done in the last few weeks.

• 2 quarts turkey stock
• 12 quarts beef stock
• 17 pints applesauce
• 9 quarts frozen blueberries
• 12 half pints peach butter
• 6 quart bags of peaches
• 5 quarts frozen strawberries
• 4 8 oz containers of pesto for the freezer
• 36 pints of milk
• 26 quarts canned pinto beans
• 19 half pints strawberry jam
• 12 pints canned blueberries
• 12 pint jars of peaches
• 1 quart pureed strawberries for fruit leathers
• 1 pint dehydrated carrots
• 1 gallon dehydrated onions
• 1 gallon dehydrated mushrooms
• And several pounds of butter in the freezer as well!

Empty tomato, apple and peach boxes!!

For years I prepared frozen meals for the freezer, but I have recently become convinced that I should can as many meals as possible.  We've been enjoyed the canned pinto beans which can quickly be combined with ground beef for beef and bean tostados or can be put in the blender with seasonings to become refried beans.  I hope to can a variety of beans, soups, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, meatballs, stews and more for quick and easy meals!

I have realized, though, why canning became a dying art form!  It is so much easier and less time consuming to freeze your produce!!  I do think that the upfront work that is involved with canning will be beneficial in the long run due to the convenience of not having to thaw the foods and being prepared with foods that can easily be used in case of power outages.  And, I have to admit that seeing all the beautiful foods prepared in jars brings a smile to my face.  Now, if I just had a good place to store them!

Making peach butter

Add the rings

Yummy looking and ready for the canner

In the water bath canner

We'll be  adding another 100 pounds of pinto beans and another 100 pounds of oats to our pantry next week along with two cases of rice milk for my dairy free little man.  We've discovered an oil shortage in the pantry this week, so it's off to Sam's I am today with a shopping list that contains much more than oil.  When I return I have a dozen cucumbers to turn into pickles.  Like so much else we are currently doing around here, this will be a first.  I am eager to see how this turns out.

In the amount of time it took me to start and finish this post I have become aware that the trampoline WILL remain as intended.  It was a 7:1 decision and you know who that lone one is...

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Preparedness Challenge #6

The week of April 17-23 we:

-got two more free food storage buckets

-bought 8 pounds of lentils

-canned 32 pints of milk

-bought 4 pounds of black beans

-bought 2 pounds of garbanzo beans

-dried enough strawberries to fill on pint jar...this is a learning process.  Next time I will do thicker pieces than recommended.

-bought 50 pounds of sweet onions which I hope to start dehydrating much of in the next few weeks

-bought 50 pounds of red potatoes which I hope to start dehydrating much of in the next few weeks

(I buy this amount several times a year from a local produce stand.  Just a few weeks ago they cost $12.  Yesterday I paid $18.50!!  But they still had bell peppers and cucumbers 3 for a $1)

-added 12 pounds of kamut and 6 pounds of spelt to buckets

-planted four types of squashes

-tilled up three more small garden spots

Preparedness Challenge #5

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This has been one of those weeks when I am especially thankful that the Lord has led us to a lifestyle of storing away food and essentials for a time of need.  My hard-working husband found out that one of his major clients for his home business will be needing him less in the next few months resulting in a loss of income of a sizable amount.  This also happened in the early fall.  My husband also has a full-time job, so we will be fine.  It just means that we need to be more careful and watch our expenses more closely than normal.

I really didn't think that I would be able to put away much this week as I had a limited budget which needed to include a checkup for my two little boys at the allergist.    However, the Lord blessed us with some great clearance buys and reduced meat sales.  I found great joy in being able to walk through the grocery store to pick up a few things and be able to pass by so many items that we have stocked up on.  And not having to buy anything at all from the dairy section was definitely a great feeling.

So this last week we:
-made up a large batch of a simple bar soap to use in making laundry detergent
-collected four more FREE food grade buckets
-found many needed kitchen items on clearance at a local Kroger:
          -7-12 pack wide mouth canning jar lids
          -4 packs of pectin
          -4-4 packs of half pint Ball jars
          -16 white flour sacks (large)
          -6 dish towels
          -12 dish rags
           -3-5 packs of 8 ounce plastic freezer containers that are just perfect for butter
-inventoried children's clothing and made lists of a few needed items for them and me....and bought them on sale or clearance
-planned a new garden area
-tilled up a new bed that will be planted with echinacea and calendula
-as chocolate prices were predicted to be rising I bought a couple more tins of powdered cocoa and another large bag of chocolate chips....we can't have too much chocolate!!
-stocked up on some reduced priced ground beef
-transplanted some tomatoes and peppers to the raised beds
-made pizzas with a batch of homemade mozzarella...It takes time to develop a good recipe or technique.  We will keep trying.
-added several more pounds of butter to the freezer
-added another jug of olive oil to storage
-added another bag of brown sugar

Isn't God good?  Proverbs 21:20  There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it.  

Things we learned this week:
-we must start turnips, cabbage and broccoli no later than February.  In Mississippi we go from cold weather to hot weather in just a few days.  We have already had days where the temperature has been close to 90.  These cold weather plants started in March didn't have a chance.  We'll try again with them in the fall.

-The front of our property has much richer soil than back.  So, we are going to be planting some of our medicinal flowers and herbs in the front and have a 15 x 30 foot space to the side for some vegetables.  We have spent all the money we can on "boughten" dirt and need to use our own soil and compost that we have been making for the last couple of years.  We have almost 9 acres, but most of our land is wooded so we will plant where we can!

That's about it for this week!  What have you been doing to stock up at your house?

Preparedness Challenge #4

Find out what others are doing at homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

This week for the Preparedness Challenge we:

-added four new food storage buckets
-bought a case of 1/2 gallon Ball jars for short-term food storage
-got my 23 quart pressure cooker
-added another gallon of honey to our storage
-added another bottle of colloidal silver to our medicine cabinet
-moved plants started indoors outside
-bought several pounds of pork loin and chicken breasts at a terrific price to feed the family for the next few months
-experimented making mozzarella cheese (need more experimenting)

Keeping Up with Myself

Some days I feel like I am passing myself coming and going!!  Trying to keep up with all the cooking, cleaning and schooling of a "normal" day and adding in milk production as well is keeping me hopping like a bunny rabbit.  There are several areas in the cleaning arena that are falling through the cracks these last few weeks, but in evaluating the other areas I am seeing progress.  I suppose I can't keep up all the plates I have spinning  up to speed every day.

I have been able to clean out a freezer and reorganize it and start filling it up with homemade frozen dinners for the next few weeks:  two lasagnas, beef enchiladas, BBQ pork for sandwiches and lots of soup are ready to go.

We had a small store in the area to have great prices on some meat, so my big freezer is full of pork loins and chicken breasts that I will be able to feed my family with for the next several months.

We are increasing our school work now as the garden work is mainly done and we just wait for the plants to start producing.  Raised beds mean little to no weeds, but we still need many more beds made for the huge number of seedlings that still reside in my dining room.  But, building beds is not my job!  LOL!

Milk production is a learning process.  I finally found a local source for rennet, so the next couple of days you will find me in the kitchen experimenting with mozzarella cheese.  I hope to make enough for our pizzas on Friday night.  I am making butter (at least a pound) every day, buttermilk, ricotta, and yogurt weekly.  It's like having a science lab in the kitchen!

Now the little boys are waiting to start the day with a book, then I will do our group studies with all of the children at the table.  Then, just maybe, I'll get a quick bath, do some laundry, get lunch, finish up school and make cheese before time to start dinner.....just maybe!

What Last Night Taught Me

Last night our electricity went out because of a storm.  Losing our electricity is not unusual.  Like our water system, our electric system has not kept up with the supply needed by all the new construction in our area.  Even on the sunniest of days we can lose power.

So, what did I learn last night?

1.  We need more flashlights.
2.  Said flashlights need to be put up where two little guys can't get them.
3.  We need lots of batteries for those flashlights.
4.  We need more oil lamps.  Yes, we have two.  One doesn't have a globe, so it needs a new globe.
5.  We need to store oil lamp.
6.  We need to store oil lamp wicks.
7.  When we lose electricity our phones don't work.
8.  Yes, our cell phones will work, but will eventually need to be recharged--using electricity.
9.  Our nebulizers for our asthma medications don't work without electricity.
10.  Yes, we have a nebulizer that will work in the car, but do I really want to go out in the car to take a breathing treatment in a storm with lots of rain, thunder and lightening?
11.  Our refrigerator that provides us with filtered water will not provide us with filtered water without electricity.
12.  Yes, we need filtered water.  Remember, our water system is bad....as in sometimes the water looks like mud.
13.  Yes, dear daughter.  We have water stored for just this purpose.  Check in the boys bedroom closet.
14.  I have plenty of candles.
15.  I  don't have plenty of lighters or matches.
16.  Candle light is kind of romantic, but not when several children are afraid of the storm.

Thankfully we lost electricity at bedtime and it came back on during the night.  I was actually just starting a breathing treatment for myself when the power went out.  I was able to make do with an inhaler.  However, they just don't work as well for me.  The others who needed treatments had already had them.

What if our power was out for several days?  It has happened in this area.  Thankfully, we have not experienced it, but ice and snow tend to cause lots of damage down here in the deep south and there have been areas without power for many weeks.  Have you experienced extended times without electricity?Are you prepared for times with no electricity?  How DO you prepare?

Lifestyle Changes--Becoming Producers Instead of Consumers

We need to take new pictures.  This is over a year ago!

My family already lives a life that is much different from the typical American family.  How are we different?

1.  We have seven children with a 24 year age span.  (Just in case you are a new reader and think I miscounted:  There are 6 of my children in the above picture, but we have one married daughter with three children of her own!)
2.  We homeschool. (23 years now)
3.  We don't watch tv.  We do watch movies, though.  Much too often I am afraid....another change that needs to be made.
4.  The kids don't have electronic gizmos and games to entertain them.  They play.  They read.  They       work.  They write.  They draw.  They practice their instruments.  They build things.


Even with all these things that make us different we are continuing to learn new things daily that encourage us to be even more radical in our lifestyle.  We are trying to become producers instead of consumers.  We are trying to become more self-suffcient.   Some changes that we have incorporated over the years include the following:

1.  Using cloth napkins instead of paper.  I buy napkins on clearance for about 50 cents each, but would love to make some using the boxes of fabric that are stored in the attic.
2.  Rarely purchase baking mixes or boxed cereal.
3.  Made jars and jars of homemade fruit preserves so we are  not buying any from the store.
4.  Make a maple flavored sugar syrup for pancakes, etc instead of buying syrup.
5.  Making our own soap.
6.  Making laundry detergent using our homemade soap.
7.  Grinding grains to make homemade bread products.
8.  Line drying some of our clothes.

9.  Making homemade cleaners instead of using toxic cleaners.
10.  Learned to make yogurt and applesauce in the crockpot.
11.  Learned to purchase and cook using bulk foods.
12.  Making body scrubs and ointments.
13.  Make tons of granola to replace boxed cereal.
14.  Raise as many vegetables and herbs as we can.

Ready for planting with more boxes to build.

15.  Preserve as many of those vegetables and herbs as we can.

There are several other changes that we are trying to incorporate:  larger garden, bigger food storage, learning how to dehydrate and use a pressure canner for more food storage, learn about and make herbal remedies, and raising our own meat and eggs--chickens, cow and pigs.

Love this picture of chickens on a family farm in Iowa that Jordan took 2 years ago.

So are you making lifestyle changes these days?  Is the current economic situation forcing you to make changes?

A Day of Work and Preparing

Down here in the sunny south, we are generally not geared up to handle lots of snow and ice.  Predictions are that we will receive 4-7 inches tomorrow afternoon/evening.  That's a big deal down here!  While the kids are excited about playing in the snow, moms and dads are busy preparing for what could happen:  loss of electricity, frozen water pipes and being snowbound.  I understand the grocery stores are a mad house and bread shelves are emptying fast.  It's a good time to think about being prepared for all types of emergencies.

Around here we have been doing just a little bit more baking today:  bread, cinnamon rolls and hamburger buns.  Jeff bought a much needed outdoor gas grill as our only cooking source is electric.  We are giving it a test run tonight with some steaks, but I can also cook soups and one pot meals on it.  Jordan has covered up the spinach and turnips in the garden with tarps.  Jeff took some time out to play some lawn tennis with the little boys while Kaelan is nursing a sore throat on the couch.  She's the third child to suffer from a sore throat this week and it is taking a couple of days for them to get over it.

Devin is giving the big boys a much needed hair cut.  That is one job that is very stressful to me!!  For a while I just took them to have it done, but I hate to spend money on hair cuts when we can easily do that at home.  Devin volunteered to take over that job with the bigger guys, so that is one less stress for me!

I am planning on making a couple of pots of soup tomorrow just in case....I have a turkey carcass in the freezer that will make a great pot of turkey vegetable soup and I will make a pot of taco soup as well.  Now I need to head back to the kitchen where I just overbaked some bread and cinnamon rolls.  Multi-tasking is NOT working for me today!!