The New Pig Pen

My growing pig has become a fence terrorist, breaking through every weak spot there was. So today I not only fixed the whole thing, adding more t-posts and wire, but I also made it bigger. It is 30x80. I am so proud of it! I fixed it all by myself. The down side - my pig is sooooooo mad at me. Haha! It's so funny. Every time I walk past her she yells at me. I love it! But I did warn her that if she didn't stop I was going to make sure she couldn't get out. The straw that broke my camel's back was when she got out and busted into the calf pen and chased my calf around and around the pen. I was not happy. Let's see you get out of this pen Terrorist Pig ;)

NOTE:This was actually a 2011 post that was saved in the draft and I just figured out how to post it today. (sometimes I know I'm slow)

Update:  This past April 2012 we were hit by a tornado. The pigs house was blown right off of her and smashed to pieces. Four months later we have still only found one piece of her house. She is currently in another pen that has a shelter already in it. This fall I will be redoing her little piece of heaven so that she can move back home.

I FINALLY figured it out!

For months, and I do mean months, I have been trying to figure out how in the world do I add another post to my blog. This may seem totally silly but I really could not remember. Not to mention that I have had to change emails, passwords, computers........ So I have been all kinds of confused. But here I am at last! I figured it out. I wrote it down. I've made progress! What more could I ask for? No. I better not go there. I have a running list that is quickly filling up my notebook. Really, it's good to be back. I have lots to share and lots to say. I really hope you enjoy, and maybe learn from all that I am doing and trying to accomplish. Thanks a million!!!

Return of the Baker

Brandon loved the idea of me posting something about him so much that he wanted to try out a new recipe just so I could share it with everyone. He really loves to make pancakes. This is a fun and healthy one that got two thumbs up from all of us today.



Notes from Brandon:
It's not enough to make pancakes for four people so you have to double the recipe.
It got very thick and not easy to pour so I added more apple juice, probably 1/4cup.
Bryson thinks it taste like pumpkin pancakes.

Honey-Apple Pancakes

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. apple pie spice
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbs. water
1 1/2 Tbs. oil
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. apple juice
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1 apple, finely chopped (Brandon used dried apples that he soaked)

In medium bowl stir together flour, salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, apple pie spice, soda, and cinnamon. Mix water, 1 1/2 Tbs. oil, and 1 tsp. baking powder together. In a small bowl, add the other wet ingredients and chopped apple; add all at once to flour, stirring until blended, but still slightly lumpy, Let batter rest 2-3 minutes. Fry on griddle.

10 Life Lessons I Learned While Canning with My Kids

This was a one of a kind day the kids and I shared. Boy how I wish we had pictures to prove it! By the end of the day I decided that posterity ( and the rest of the world ) needed to have these life lessons recorded or it would be a disservice to mankind (and mommykind). So here goes:

1. Brandon can work by himself cutting, coring, and pureeing pears for 5 straight hours.
2. Children can be surrounded by food and still be starving because there is nothing to eat - which means that mom can't stop to fix something.
3. You can make brown sugar by adding molasses to white sugar, but if you ask Makaila to stir it and Logan to supervise you WILL be walking on sugar for the rest of the day - even after mopping the flour four times.
4. It will take Logan and Makaila 9 hours to mix 8 batches of cookie dough - not because they don't want to do it, but rather because cheap hand blenders do not like to mix more than one batch at a time.
5. Things you think you will never run out of, like baking soda, brown sugar, and lemon juice, will all run out on the same day, just not at the same time, and of course, after you've already gone to the store twice.
6. Every store in a 50 mile radius who should, could, or might carry the ONE thing you desperately need TODAY, will be out of it - add to that, every person who might have one that you could borrow is not home or does not answer their phone.
7. The reality of math and the reality of math in canning are two totally different realities because 5 apples per quart jar x 6 jars in one batch x 5 batches = 150 apples but does not equal 30 quarts of apple pie filling.
8. It takes Jessica and I almost 9 hours to peel, core, and cut 150 apples.
9. After 12 hours of working on apple pie filling, 18 quarts just doesn't seem like a fair trade.
10. But what makes it all worth while is GRATITUDE wrapped up in little Bryson as he tastes what we have done, his eyes getting as big a saucers and he gives you two thumbs up as he says, "Mmmmm! Mommy, this is deeeeeelicious! Thaaaaaaank you!"

Home made Garden Stakes

Garden stakes doubled in price from last year making it necessary for me to come up with an alternative. This is Daniel's idea, but the kids and I are the ones who get to make them. Bryson wanted to be my picture model to show how simply easy these garden stakes are to make.

All you need is wire hangers and wire cutters. These wire cutters are too small for these hangers so make sure you have the right size or it will be very hard work. We end up with lots of wire hangers and can always get more when we need. So this is a project that cost us nothing except time and energy.

First, cut the top off of the hanger and straighten the rest of the hanger.
Next, cut the straight piece into four equal pieces (or as equal as you can get without stressing too much about it)
Finally, bend each piece into a stake. Then your done. How simple was that! Now its time to put them in the ground.
This is the finished product. These do not take a lot of time to make. Just hand muscles. Good luck! And have fun!

My Garden Variety 2011

So I am done with the planting of this summer's garden. Now it's just time to tend and harvest. YIPEE!!! I will plant a fall garden as well and I've been gathering hints on how to have a successful fall garden and how to harvest earlier in the spring. That will be another post. Right now, I feel the need to list everything that I planted at this time. In my garden right now is:

1. Kale - the rabbits love it
2. Cabbage - green and purple - another rabbit favorite
3. Lettuce
4. Onions
5. Broccoli
   
6. Brussels Sprouts
7. Potatoes
8. Bell Peppers - red and green
9. Egg Plant
10. Okra
11. Cucumber - Straight 8 and National Pickling
12. Snow Peas
13. Beans - Yellow Wax Bush Bean, Stringless Green Bean, Tendergreen Improved, and Harvester
    
14. Pumpkin - Fairytale, Amish Pie, Mega Pumpkin
    
15. Squash - Zucchini, Butternut, Acorn, Crookneck
16. Watermelon - Sugar Baby
17. Cantaloupe
18. Strawberries - Junebearing, Everbearing
19. Spinach
20. Tomatoes - Big Boy, Early Girl, Big Cherry, Slicing, Lemon Boy, Yellow Pear
    

Spinach

Okra

Lettuce

Brussels Sprouts

Broccoli

These pictures are from last week so everything is a little bigger. We've been in a drought so keeping up with water is hard. I've been trying to figure out a better way to water to no avail. This weekend we got a good rain. I am so happy. I sure hope Everything yields well. I am very excited about it all. We need this food. I can't wait to can what we don't eat fresh.

Pioneer Trek Time

It is that time finally for our little band of Pioneers to go on Trek. We've been preparing for months now. Don't they look good! I finished all the shirts last night. My camera did not want to work well for me at 5am this morning so the pictures aren't the best. I did not get the vests done because my wash house burnt down with the pattern and material for in it. That's ok. They still look good.

Our group is Marvin Blue, Bradley Blue, Logan Enfield, Jessica Enfield, and Deiah Curtis. They meet up with the other groups in Salina at 6:30am and then headed for Oklahoma. They will be there three days. We will see how they fared when they get back.

This is my son Logan, 15. He is growing up so fast. Isn't he handsome!

My precious Jessica, 14. She looks just like my sister, and acts like her too. But her expressions are all mine. She makes me laugh. She is a lot like me. That makes me so Happy!