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Today's Quote


“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

Friday, November 18, 2011

So God Made a Farmer

This is a great video, hope you enjoy!

Monday, November 14, 2011

A Call to Anguish

This is such a moving video and applies so truly to our lives right now. We are making a major step out of the world and away from worldly things. In doing so, we have suffered much grief from family and much grief within ourselves as we give up and put away things of this world. However, this is an inspiring message. May God bless you all in your journeys.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Simple Message- Get Help

This is such a sad thing to post here, but I feel really compelled to help this girl get her message out. Warning, tissues are a requirement to watching. Kaitlin my prayers are with you and your family.
Full story here


Life is never so bad that there isn't light at the end of the tunnel. You may not be able to see it, but it's there. Get help, so that you can keep pushing forward. Blessings, Kat

Friday, November 11, 2011

Weekly Menu

I have decided in the spirit of low cost eating that I will post a menu plan for the week in the left hand column. If I have anything that needs a recipe then you can be sure that the recipe will be posted. Blessings from the farm,Kat

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Food Cost Rising

Sounds like one of those serious drama espionage type movies doesn't it? Well, in a way it is, but instead of being able to walk out of the theater and it being over, you walk right into the reality of it everytime you walk into the grocery store. I know I have done many posts like this and I will try to give some fresh advice in this post. However, I did feel compelled to write again because this seems to be the topic of the day wherever I go folks are talking about rising food costs and what are they going to do? So here are some of my best tips to stretch a budget and make those food dollars count.

1. Beans are cheap and can stretch your meat. For instance, one night make chili for supper with 1/2 pound of ground beef and a whole load of beans. The next night make beef and bean burritos with the other 1/2 pound of ground beef and again a whole load of beans.

2. Serve bread at every meal. Bread can make a skimpy meal turn into a filling meal with everyone leaving the table full. Biscuits and cornbread can be made up quickly and batches of biscuits can be made ahead and frozen.

3. Meat needs to become a side item for the meal, not the main star. Loads of veggies and a little bit of meat can go a long way and still fill everyone up.

4. Spend more time in the kitchen. Convenience costs and those 30 minute meals cost. Spend the time to make your own from scratch and if you can make a whole bunch at once then dedicate a day in the kitchen to stock up your freezer on things like fruit breads, biscuits, pizza dough, rolls, tortillas, etc. than can be convenient and easily pulled from the freezer for use.

5. Real men do eat quiche...that is if they want to eat in this house. Quiche, or eggs in general, is a great way to add protein to a meal and use just a little of this and that. We add spinach or whatever other greens we have and a little meat if I have it. Serve with biscuits and some fruit (we like pan fried apples or pears) and you have a filling meal.

6. Have a veggie night or two. My husband is just as full with a plate of baked sweet potato, peas, squash and cornbread as he is with steak and baked potato.

7. Learn to use cheaper less desirable cuts of meat. London broil is cheaper than ribeye but cooked properly is just as delicious and goes further. Flank steak is cheaper than round steak, but can make cubed steak just as well. Beat on it enough and no one will know the difference.

8.Make oatmeal, granola and yogurt, grits and such breakfast staples instead of buying that stuff in a box.

9. Save leftover veggies and meat, even small tablespoon amounts in freezer bags in the freezer, and when you have enough make a couple pie crusts and bake a pot pie.

10. Eat whole nutrient dense foods. Nutrient dense foods leave you feeling full for a much longer period of time than processed foods. So the more you stay out of the center of the grocery store the better. For instance, if I eat a bowl of oatmeal with some pears in it and a slice of zuchinni bread with a glass of milk I am good to go for a long time. Many times I am not even hungry for lunch. Nutrient dense meals also mean that the children are less apt to holler for snacks every 30 minutes. I can make a whole meal and feel full as a tick off two pieces of toast with a couple fried eggs on top.

These are just a few ways to save money on groceries. I keep looking back to how my grandparents ate and it was not uncommon for grandaddy to sit down to a meal of just peas and cornbread. There was plenty of both and he always left the table satisfied even though the meal was cheap to fix. He never missed a days hard work on the farm cause he was hungry and he was a big man.

Hope this helps a little. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Friday, November 4, 2011

I feel like an Ant

Well, this week has been busy busy busy. I have been working on my fall to do list and doing pretty well at accomplishing tasks. I have also been pretty busy picking up acorns for the pigs and chickens. I am not sure if I am allergic to oaks or I have caught a cold, but I am miserable. Yesterday I picked up acorns from the white oak and since they are much smaller than the red oak acorns I have been picking up it took me longer. By the time I got in the house I couldn't breathe and spent the rest of the night coughing and sneezing. I am still stopped up and sneezy this morning. But no rest for the weary the acorns still need to be picked up. I am trying to pick up as many as I can each day because I am giving the pigs about 5 lbs a day and the chickens about 1 lb. a day plus trying to put some in the freezer to make acorn meal and flour this winter. We have loads of oak trees and they each are beginning to dump their acorns. I probably look like the crazy woman to most people because I have found that the easiest and most efficient way to fill my bucket is to get down on the ground and crawl around on my hands and knees. It makes for sore knees at the end of the day, but I get them picked up more quickly than if I were stooping over. We have also almost finished our yearly raking of the yard. Between the pine trees, oak trees and pecan trees the yard is covered in leaves. I rake really well once a year and then in the spring I will rake up what I want to add in the garden. Then I simply don't worry about it. I could literally rake around here almost every single day which would wear me out and take up too much of my valuable time. We noticed the other day that we have two large pine trees near the house that are dead and need to come down. Unfortunately, we will have to hire a tree service for them since they are very close to the house. If one of them fell on the house there would simply be no more house. It will be a costly job so now there is the issue of coming up with the money to pay for it. I really hate pine trees! We already had to have two removed that were a danger to the house and it cost us a pretty penny to do so. Oh, well. I guess that is the price we pay for all the shade on the house in the summer time. I have a good start in the garden for spring, so spring garden chores should be easier than ever. Our main concentration has been doing outside chores lately. Since I have fibro/chronic fatigue tolerating extreme temperatures is difficult. So the majority of our outside hard chores are done twice a year when I can tolerate being outside longer. In the summer, I get chores that are necessary done in the morning and by 11:00 I am done. Even summer late afternoons are just too hot here to be bearable for long periods of time. In the winter I go out in the afternoon to get the main chores done. The temps are supposed to drop again at nights down into the 30s so I guess the next few days I need to really spend getting the window coverings up so that the house isn't so cold. Still haven't turned on the heat and hope to hold to that for as long as possible. We have had the wood stove going in the den though in the evenings which keeps that area nice and toasty. We all have electric blankets on our beds so that we sleep cozy. Mornings have been a little chilly though and those few nights we have already had dip into the 30s have prompted me to start the stove in the morning for a few hours. So lately, I have felt like an ant...especially when crawling around the ground picking up acorns! As the first signs of winter approach and we feel the first of the cold winds I scurry here there and everywhere battening down the hatches. It is amazing how tied to the seasons and God's creation my life has become. Blessings, Kat

Thursday, November 3, 2011

What to Do with My Winter "Break"

I have been really getting excited about my winter break from milking. It will cut down morning chores considerably. So I have been thinking about what I will do with my time and here is the list of things that I am excited to have more time to do:

Sewing
Maybe I will actually be able to sew some new clothes for myself this year. It is always a goal, but never really gets achieved. I will also be able (hopefully) to get the children's spring and summer clothes done well before spring and summer get here!

Writing
I have a huge list of article ideas that I simply keep adding to. I just have not been able to find the energy to sit down and write them out. Now, maybe I can find that energy and have a little extra time to spend.

Painting
Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could actually finish those paintings that have been sitting in various stages of completion! Or imagine how wonderful it would be to start new ones.

Anyway, those are the plans. Blessings, Kat

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Raw Milk Freedom Riders

You go ladies! Check it out...A group of moms are going to commit a crime. They intend to transport raw milk across state lines and eat milk and cookies in front the the USDA. If you aren't up to date, the USDA is waging war against raw milk producers and drinkers. This isn't about raw milk folks, this is about the freedom and right of the consumer to choose what they want to consume. They know the risks and are willing to take them, so that is their right. The government has absolutely no right to tell people what they can and cannot consume! You can listen to the live coverage today at Raw Milk Freedom Riders. There will be some great speakers. Blessings and enjoy!

Break Time

I have decided that I need a break...a break from milking that is. I have been milking for 3 years straight...7 days a week...365 days a year. I have always had it so that I have somebody in milk year round so that I am not out of milk in the winter. However, this year...I am tired. So, this month I will stock up my milk in the freezer make some simple cheese to keep in the freezer and then dry the last two girls off. It will be nice to not have to head out to the barn on the cold mornings of winter to milk. I am sure the girls will appreciate the break also, even though they get more breaks than I do. It will also cut down on my feed bill for the winter and allow me to have some time to focus on other things that I would like to accomplish while the cold winds blow outside. It will be nice to just have to feed and clean the barns in the mornings now and since the goats will be on hay while they aren't producing then that will cut down on those chores. I just hope I get enough milk in the freezer to last until spring. It will probably mean that milk will be precious commodity and not used for much other than drinking. I am already up to a couple gallons frozen so we will see how it goes. I am certainly looking forward to my break! Blessings, Kat