Sun, Stars, and Hose Water

Here it is! My new Nutramill 5000 LOL! I don't think it's actually a 5000 but man can it grind up some wheat berries:) We are eating fresh bread everyday thanks to this baby!

Bread making couldn't be more simple and easy. Water, flour, yeast, salt, and brown sugar.

Those glowing little baby goats...I could just eat them up!

Rosemary and mint beds. We should have plenty for the year.

Four kinds of lettuce for fresh salads every night of the week.

The herb bed sharing it's home with 18 asparagus plants. Looking forward to pesto, bread dip, and fresh made sausage with the sage.

Kale and broccoili did well together. The broccoili shades the kale so it won't bolt, and we are eating the larger leave on the broccoili so the kale keeps growning and the broccoili puts more nutrients into making the spears and not the leaves.

So we are off and running into this big and beautiful summer. The sun has been out every day for over a week. The goats are enjoying evenings looking at the stars. And the hose water never tasted better, just ask the ducks! Everything has greened up on the farm and looks amazing again. It's a work in progress, always. But I would rather have a work in progress than lawn...who can eat lawn??? So we have a bigger garden, more raised beds and now that I met Clarence we will get more boards to have even more raised beds;) Oh and a new goat barn, chicken coop, outdoor shower, and guest lodge. Hmmm...let's see how far we can go with this sustainablility thing:) I'm so excited too for the building of a cob oven this summer. I can bake pizzas and bread in no time flat in that little number!

New Goat Enclosure, New Raised Beds, and New Babies:)

Our beautiful Rhode Island Red, Maple.

Our mama goats taking a break from the kiddos.Inky is one of our Indian Runner ducks, she is called a blue.

This is Ares one of our newest bucklings.

Goat love.

Oh now those duckers are snoozing in the shade!

Darcy and Achilles taking it easy.

Getting ready to plant new spirea and lavender before the flower bed goes in.

Now the mint has lots of room to spread.

Rosemary has done so well this winter.

The broccoili and kale beds have doubled in size in only one week!!!

This is my herb bed. Oregano and sage from last year and 18 new asparagus plants. Not to mention Thyme, basil, and two kinds of parsley.

Lettuce entertain you:)

Momma Athena helping daughter Hera wash off her two new arrivals.

Hello there grand daughter! Look closely for the face in the amniotic sac. Wicked!

Isaac, my 12 year old, birthing Athena's bucklings. He birthed four kids that day!

Sweet little Darcy dreaming of milk and running in the pasture.

Sunny duckers.

The goat girls in their new digs before babies.

Working in compost, rabbit, and goat poo into the new raised beds.

These were the raised beds just a week ago.

Athena soaking in some rays.

I can't believe all the work we've done in the last two weeks on the yard, garden, and with the animal set ups. We doubled the size of the goat enclosure and none too soon as the babies came bounding into the picture. We got the new chicken pen built and will be building the coop soon. The raised beds are going crazy and we are getting ready to replant the flower beds and mulch everything. Mr. Ronny came by to plow and till our garden and there are visions of tomatoe plants dancing in my head, well, that and onions, peppers, eggplants, squash, cucumbers, watermelons, and cantalopes;) I am happy to be here this year for the planting. Last year I was in Utah for the planting and the first month of growing and missed out on some great fun. We joined WWOOFing and hope to get some volunteers this Summer. WWOOFing is a world wide agency that puts volunteers and farmers together. If you have a farm, volunteers come and help with the work, you teach them how to plant, harvest, and work the animals. We already do Couchsurfing so we are looking forward to adding this aspect to our lives and passing on our knowledge so that others might benefit from it.

Organic Grower's School - Asheville - 2012

This is Isaac in the class "10 things to do with a deer bone". They stripped off the skin took out the tendons, and used the bone to carve knife scabbers, make needles, and use to make rudimentary knives. He won one of the youth mentoring scholarships this year. So proud *tear*

I wanted to type up some of the profound things I learned at the Organic Grower's School this year so I don't forget any little morsel. I hope these items help you when you are planning your garden or searching for more livestock for your yard. These are things that our grandparents grew up on, but much has been forgotten as people have become more urban in the last 50 years. Technology has traded places with our need to keep ourselves alive. Here's to hoping we don't have to go back to it exclusively, but I'm intelligent enough to know if we do have to, these things don't happen over night. Enjoy!

Permaculture is a coming together of all things in our garden and surroundings. It has been studied in America since the 1980's, but originated 40 years ago in Austrailia. To define it hard and fast isn't easy, but basically it's creating little or no waste, using everything in the garden that's produced to feed or sustain something else. Example: We eat veggies that came from our garden and save the peels for our goats, they eat them and poop them out into the straw, the chickens go through the poop and eat the fly larvae and scratch it around causing it to compost, we put the compost on the garden and plant more seeds, we catch rainwater and use it for the crops, harvest and eat the crops, and give the peelings to the goats. Waaalaaa! Permaculture:) There are thousands of aspects to it in every crevice you can think of. From getting a duck or two to eat the slugs out of your garden, and poop to give you great fertilizer to using old boxes to lay onto your yard to make a raised compost vegetable garden, lasagne style (no not the pasta and tomato sauce kind!). See Google - Lasagne style gardening:)

If we are going to be able to be self sufficient during hard times or disaster, we need to be thinking about the things that we wouldn't be able to get if something bad happens. Personally I don't like to go hungry, so food is the first thing I'm thinking of. We need this next list to survive. It is rich in vitimins and minerals, protein, suppliments, antioxiodents, etc.

Berries

Legumes

Grains - wheat and oats

Nuts and seeds

animal protein: fish, chicken, ducks, and rabbits are some small ones that can be raised in your yard. And here's a new one to me - guinnea pig - thank you South Americans!!! Um...ur...OK...

mushrooms

Veggies

Fruits

fats and oils

and milk products from a goat who is compact enough to fit into your yard. From this goat you can make over 15 kinds of cheeses, yogurt, kefir, and of course: milk:)

Fun facts: Aronia berries are more nutrient rich than blue berries. Wild hazelnuts grow around here and are almost identical to olive oil in it's health benefits and make up. Sweet potatoes are the only single food that can be eaten every meal and give your body exactly what it needs to thrive. Purple or darker flesh is better for you. The next healthiest mix would be beans and rice together. Potatoes that have gone green need to be thrown out immediately! They are poisionous. This happens from exposure to light. You can't merely peel the green off and eat, it will make you sick. Hmmm...I thought if you peeled it....Oh well, that's why we continue to learn, right?

If you are planning to have a little garden patch, our region's best bets (NC) are:

Sweet Potatoes, potatoes, onions, beans, corn, pumpkin, squash, cabbage, greens, fruits, nuts, berries, tomatoes, and peppers (both sweet and hot). These make up a big bunch of what we eat and they all grow well in our zone. Throw in some wild game and eggs and you are ready for anything. Oh and also you can grow every kind of grain around here! Yes every one!

I found out you can usually get pork fat for free or cheap from a butcher, bring it home, cook it on low like frying bacon and render out the fat for lard. Now, I'm not a fan of cooking with lard, because I watch every calorie, but if you had to have something to cook in, here it is. One of the speakers said his momma use to cook every meal on a wood stove and there was always a pot of pork fat on the stove all liquidy. They would come home for an after school snack and smear some on a leftover bisquit. I could tell he was having a lip smacking out of body remembrance. It brought to mind my grandfather mashing up some butter and molasses with a fork and putting on my bisquits as a child. Fond memories. What kinds of stuff do you remember?

Other beautiful old time tricks are plant your beans with your corn and let the corn run up the beans to save space. Plant Kale and Collards in August so they grow up strong in the heat, but taste the best after they have been frosted on.

Cultivate more speciallized farm/orchard enterprises to close the loop and fill the niches that we have with standard gardening. Begin close and small. Overcome limiting factors like watering, fertility, and sunlight. You need 6 hours minimum of sunlight mid day to have a productive garden. Optimize use of space, fill the niches, stacking and packing or vertical farming. Gaia's Garden a book by Toby Hemingway kept coming up as a favorite organic gardening book. Create a place for fish and animals. Did you know you can grow eating sized talapia in a small pond in your yard??? Cool! Even cooler - you can grow 20 to 30 in a 55 gallon rain barrel, just grow some algae first so they have some starter nutrients. All this info is online. Don't ya just love the internet. It can be a wealth of information. If you make food your priority in your yard you don't just have grass to look at, you have beautiful yields of fruit, nuts, and veggies. You will be able to eat healthier and quicker cause you don't have to run to the store for dinner, just pick it;) If you don't want to do it then at least support othe small local and organic farms. Personally I find it much cheaper to do it myself.

I also found out it takes about an acre of fenced in land to have a family milk cow. The rule of thumb is 1 acre per 1,000 lbs of animal. You can get about 2 gallons of milk a day at the cow's peak and some darn good fertilizer;) A cow will cost $800 to $2,000 to purchase, $200 to breed, $500 a year in feed, $600 a year in hay, fencing, barn, vet, etc. Brings it to $1,400 + or - in costs per year. One lady was bootlegging milk to the tune of 100 gallons a week. That's like a $1,000 per week she was making. I'm not advocating it, just sayin;)

Shawn Jadrnicek is one of my permaculture heros! He is at Clemson University and has a 5 acre working farm that his students oversee and sell from. He is all about design principles and patterns. You should hear how much yield he gets out of his land! It's incredible. We are going to go tour his farm went we go to Steve's sister's house in Atlanta next time. He is experimenting with raising permanent crops like blueberry bushes, blackberry vines, and talapia ponds with the use of annuals inbetween his crops. He plants things all over the place and it looks beautiful. He uses 55 gallon drums of water on the South side of his greenhouse to capture heat that dispurses at night in the Winter. Way cool! He even planned his garden shed to open up South facing so it is lighted by the sun during the day and heated in the winter.

Patricia Allison lives at Earth Haven Eco Village where they practice permaculture and work together as a tribe of Native American Indians would to support each other. She profoundly stated that nature is a gift culture, not an exchange. Nature gives us everything. If we take care of the humans, the care of earth will just happen, hmmm now that's an interesting thought. You always think eco peeps are all about saving the earth, not the humans, but this chick is on to something. If we as humans are kinder, more skilled, healthier, helpful to those around us, and working daily on our intelligence then nature would naturally take care of itself. We wouldn't have to feel compelled to save this and that and the other. It would be something that just happens by us taking care of ourselves and our minds and teaching those values to the next generation. Her foundations of permaculture definition is 1- care of earth 2-care of humans 3-share the surplus and 4- all beings have intrinsic value. We need to create a regenerative culture, not whine in the one we have.

I will do a part two post about the Organic Grower's School soon. Stay tuned.

Givin it Up

Dinner by candle light. A nightly occurance these days.

BBQ Chicken Pizza on the grill. Steve said it was to die for.

Healthier salad, no lettuce, and Persian dressing made with Veganaise.

Home made whole wheat bread.

Dorian and Skyler (the neighbor kid) pitching a tent in the back yard. That doesn't look the least bit comfy!

Lent. I look forward to it every year. For me it has become a monumental reminder to stop my everyday life and give thanks that Jesus died on the cross for me. By giving up something that is dear to me, I am able to stop and say, "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins."

We usually give up one thing as a family. We have given up various items in the past. TV, meat, sugar, white carbs, the usual. This year has been quite different. This is the first year we gave our two boys ages 10 and 11 the choice on what they would give up. I had my list, and it was pretty long. I needed the structure that I feel Lent brings. I needed to feel that closeness to Christ that comes from keeping Him on your mind. I was feeling a bit out of control as things piled up on my already full plate. My list included: White carbs, sodas, red meat, and chocolate. Steve is usually quick to jump on whatever I suggest, knowing it's easier to do it together. However, we were not ready for what the boys had up their sleeves. We sat down for a family conference, starting with vacation plans and testing schedules. We talked about Lent and what choices we had made and when we asked what they were interested in giving up they said, "Electricity!" I kid you not!!! I thought, if they can take this big step, then I have to go along. How would it be for me to be guiding them to make these choices and shoot them down? I did explain that we couldn't give up everything electric since we weren't equiped for it. We decided to give up the lights, the dryer, and tv and DVDs. The boys also gave up computer totally. Steve and I use it for work and have to have it to some extent.

So here we are on day 6 and how is it working out for us? At first it was hard. Very hard. We put post its on the light switches that said, "NO!!!" and found ourselves still reaching for them. Since we decided on Ash Wednesday what we would give up, we found ourselves playing a board game to some votive candles that night. I can tell you old age has set in and it was very hard to read the cards. Thursday found me in line at WalMart with a couple of hurricane lamps and oil. Wow, I am finally blown away by the invention of light bulbs! So much we take for granted. Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me.

We have to have good weather to do laundry now. When we get a sunny day, it's wash time. And you have to do it early enough to get it hung so it dries. Our goat lot is below our deck so sometimes I wonder when I'll find Hera sporting one of my bras. Today we spent three hours working out in the yard: mucking the goat lot, cleaning up the fallen branches, and getting the raised beds ready for plantings. Our Agriculture Extention Agent came for a visit to help us plan out our changing yard, and then it was time for me to take Isaac to Art class. When I got home we threw chicken on the grill and made those delish BBQ Chicken Pizzas. After dinner it was just dusk. Was I forgetting something? Surely not, I mean after all it had been a packed day. I went outside just one more time to tell the goat girls goodnight and check on the new pullets. The ducks were taking a quick bath as the last lights of the day faded. OH NO!!! The laundry! I had washed it, but not hung it. I considered not doing it, but remembered it would sour and have to be washed again tomorrow. So I gathered it up and hung it as the sun went down. And do you know what? It was the most peaceful and beautiful thing I had done all day. There was a sweet smell of grass in the air. The low bellows of the goats made me feel all cozy inside. I thanked God that I had this opportunity...to hang my clothes. Sure it will be tomorrow before they are dry, but they will smell unbelievable. And think of the money we will save on the electric bill. Thank you Jesus for dying for me.

Yesterday was Sunday. Officially, you can take the day off from your Lent obligations. Steve wanted peanut butter, the boys wanted to watch a movie. And I couldn't tell what I wanted. I didn't eat red meat, or chocolate, or even white carbs. I even turned down a chocolate covered kreme filled Krispy Kreme doughnut at church. I had a salad for supper and watched part of the movie with the boys before turning in early. Thank you Jesus for dying for me.

Today was the first day I've felt good in a long time. I know from cutting out white carbs in the past how bad you feel going through the DTs of it all. Headache, muscle pain, unfocused, it's all bad, but when you get it out of your system - Wow! I told a friend we don't even eat that much of the stuff. I am tired from a long day of hard work. The satisfied fatigue of productivity;) Bed will feel nice tonight. Thank you Jesus for dying for me.

Of Sealing Wax, Cabbages, and Kings

O'Malley and 'is Mum!
Lewis Carroll may have been on to something. He could throw things together that made no sense at all and come out with a story. Life feels like that right now. There are all these things we are doing or waiting to do and the list looks like a Chinese food recipe for disaster. Nothing seems to go together. Every ingredient looks unfathomable and overwhelming. It's nothing we've not dealt with before, but man does it make ya crazy.

Next week our agricultural extention agent will be paying us a visit. He's coming for moral support and to help tweek our farm. He's big agriculture, and we are... well you know, trying to do everything on less than a half acre;) He's talking planting the whole yard in soybeans (yes, Monsanto) and I'm talking getting rid of the bermuda grass organically so we can actually grow something worth eating all year. The goats need a new barn and larger pen. Permaculture, duck house, cob oven, new deck, bees, and on and on and on. For those of you who are into farming, you know there is always something to work on, even in the winter.

In five short weeks we will be blessed with the presence of new baby goat kids. I just love birthing goat babies and holding their sweet newborn selves in my arms. I want there to be a groovy new goat enclosure by then, but time has a way of marching on. We have 12 new pullet girls arriving on Feb. 25th, the Jersey girls will have something to say about that. Our old chickens are the gossips of the farm and I'm sure they won't be looking forward to competition;)

I also have a new hobby. Everyone in my family had a rabbit, except me, so I did something about that. I bought an English Lop baby doe for raising and breeding. She was with us for two months and we realized she was a biter. The breeder I bought her from offered me to trade her out for a buck that she was selling who was a grand champion. His name is O'Malley and he is charming. A big boy with a big personality to go with it. I will get a doe this next go round and hope she will be just as charming.

Spring is just around the corner and right now the yard looks like a dead swamp. Too much rain, too much winter. I long for the morning when the temperature of the soil is just right and we can till and plant our first seedlings: Collards, broccoili, onions, swiss chard, garlic, cabbages, lettuce. It's going to be a great year. Bring on the beautiful days of summer, I'm ready.

One Day = 15 Hours

Steve and I recently at the Paris themed fundraiser Ball for the hospital.

Steve and I usually have a time every morning when we sit down and tell each other what we have going on for the day. It helps us plan out what we have to do and it lets the other one know in advance what we are thinking the day should look like. If we don't do this most days we know we are headed for disaster! Because of what we do for a living, every single day looks different. Steve teaches for 5 different Universities online, and one in person on Tuesdays. I have the goat milk soap business and am doing different things with it each day. I also homeschool the boys, cook, sew, straighten the house, check the garden, collect the eggs, and oversee that the animals get what they need when they need it. It makes for a crazy day and sometimes I don't know which way is up.

This morning Steve, the boys, and I went for an hour long walk in the parking lot of the grocery store down the street. We are lucky to live so close to Ingle's if we need a quick trip to the store, or to pick up creamer for tomorrow morning's coffee, but lately I thought, what about walking there? It's close, paved, there is a section no one drives in, and it's free! We decided to make it our fun time most mornings before we get the day started. Steve and I were talking about how busy we are with a multitude of things and I wondered if it was healthy to be so driven. I mean we each have half a dozen things we love to do, plus the things we have to do in a day. We are also very competitive in our hobbies. Steve said we probably couldn't be us without our drive. That's just the way God made us and we wouldn't be happy just sitting around waiting on the day to end. I agreed. I do wish I had about 10 more hours in the day. It would help me get finished with all those half done projects waiting to be finished.

Now that we have a 4th and a 6th grader the kid gloves are off with homeschooling. Dorian has math, grammar, vocabulary, history, science, Latin, Spanish, art, and homeschool band. Isaac has math, history, theology, literature, Latin, grammar, vocabulary, Spanish, science, homeschool band, art, and writing. That in itself takes up most of the day. With Dorian entering 4th grade, it's a milestone that pushes him into big boy work. Lots of books = lots of work and extra reading. With Isaac we are entering the realm of Middle School...que the scary music!! Who doesn't think of Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Even though we homeschool, the work load is pretty scary. He starts off the day with his subjects and usually finishes after supper. We have to find a peaceful middle ground. You know why? Cause that's how we roll! I want them to do good with testing, but more importantly I want them to long to gain information. That's one reason we homeschool. Information is power and it helps you have a fulfilled life. We want them to know what they believe and why they believe it with religion. We want them to be hard workers and problem solvers. We want them to work with their hands. But they have to want to do all these things. There's a fine line between working them to death and spuring them on. LOL! So this part of our lives continue to be tweaked for now.

When we were walking this morning, I realized something that I've known all along. I can only do so much in a day. I get up and start doing and at some point it gets to be bedtime and like it or not, I will be laying down to sleep. What I do with my day is what I get done. I can have a list, but what I check off for that day will be all I will ever use that time for. When it's gone, it's gone! It won't come around again. I am acutely aware of this with the change of each season. As I'm out in the garden looking over all the things we have grown for the year it hits me: There isn't any more time and now it's Fall. It will be next year before we can begin again. Each homeschool year is like that as well. We study what we study and learn what we learn and that's it. Each day that we put to bed is the end of a chapter in our lives. How did we do as a spouse, a mom, a daughter, son, father, whatever? Did we make it count? Did we love those around us so passionately that they long to be with us? Did we do the little extras that make people feel welcome as they spend time with us? Did we do something for ourselves? Something really fun? Did we laugh? Did we rejoice in the fact that we had enough to eat, and somewhere to lay our heads, and a healthy, happy family? In the end, it's just lists and hours. We do what we can, making every moment count, and lay our heads on the pillow looking forward to the next day. What will it hold in store for us? It's like a beautiful present just waiting to be opened. Sleep well my friends and unrap that gift tomorrow. It will be waiting for you.

Food Triggers

LOL! I wanted to post the picture of me jumping over the fire at the finish line of the Warrior Dash, but since we are talking about food triggers I guess this one is more appropriate. I was in my car a few days ago and we were headed into town. All of the sudden I got the urge to eat a drive thru breakfast bisquit. Just out of the blue. Where did that come from??? I had just eaten breakfast before I left the house. I wasn't even hungry. I can't even remember where I was headed now (old age) but at the time I remember thinking this is a food trigger. It comes up on you when you are headed out to do something you would normally associate with eating. I guess if you were stressed or not thinking or tired or whatever else, you might just pull in and numb the darn trigger. But it got me thinking. How many times a day do we get these epic mental flatulations? How many times do we simply ignore them or stop them in their tracks and how many times do we just give in? I suppose this would be one of those times when a little baggie of celery just won't cut it so redirecting wouldn't help.

Like the other night. Steve was a little cabin feverish so I suggested we go to Ingle's the grocery store around the corner from us. We needed a few items and it was late, but hey it would be fun. While we were in there, Steve said, "I need something snacky." So I said, "Sweet or Savory." Hoping it would be savory and we could indulge together cause that's what I was craving! Dorian suggested we get a pizza - Hello we shot that one down quick. Then Steve expressed that he could eat a whole package of Oreos and get him out of the store quick. Isaac, my ever thoughtful offspring said, "You know, we have all that frozen fruit at home, and we are buying some Greek yogurt, we could make something with that at home." Brilliant, my little star of the evening!!! What would we do without him:) I quickly checked out and got Steve home before he could do any damage to the cookie aisle.

After I got home from Fitness Ridge my mind was so programed to only eat what I knew I could have. As I have been home and around more foods, it is harder to stay away from things that tempt me. But, I have made a discovery. I now know when I'm being tempted and I know the kinds of things that tempt me. Big Cheez Its...can I get an amen? I know they swear it's the same recipe as those dried up scrawny sized ones, but I think not! So much big cheese flavor I can't help myself, so I have vowed to stay away. Cheese in general. If I believed in reincarnation it would be impossible for me to have been anything other than a rat in a previous life. Sauces, OK, Chef helped me with this one. Substitution and moderation right. I've done good with this one since sauce is one of those things that life is worth living for (especially the green chili sauce!) Sour cream - always buying the Light one now. And steak??? You bet ya! I love a juicy steak. I would do without meat for a week to get one. So that's pretty much it except for a little chocolate hit about once a month. That's also not so bad. At least I know what to stay away from when I go shopping. I try to stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store. Veggies, fruits, meats, and dairy skipping the processed middle of the store. Nothing in the boxes that only appear to be food but are really some form of food wanna be.

Now for the food triggers. They come on when I am out running errands, because the old me would throw in a drive thru with my shopping. When we are going on a picnic. I prefer BoJangle's chicken to sandwiches, but that just make you feel like garbage. When we go to the movies the popcorn smell KILLS me. I try to remember to pop some at home and stuff it in a big purse. Come on, you know you've done it;)

What are your triggers? We all have different ones. Get out a piece of paper and write them down. Know when to expect them and be ready. I'm finding there are hidden ones that keep popping up from time to time. I am doing battle with these guys because it matters. I didn't bust my butt to lose all this weight for nothing. I want to continue doing well and feeding my family well and exercising. Eat less - Move more! And keep the finger off the trigger;)