Spaztastic Day or Clothes Pin Bag

Spaztastic - adj. eng. meaning; spastic fantastic day.  We had a spaztastic day today. 

I gave the above definition just to explain the day we had here.  You know some days are just like that.  No matter what you plan, things are as crazy as they can be.  All in all a good day but I wasn't sure we were going to make to the end. 

First, today was one on the most beautiful weather days in a long time.  Cool enough to turn the air off and open the windows.  I love days like today.  Then there was the other side of the day. Hmmm how do I explain it.  I can't, so we'll just go with the above definition of spaztastic.

When we have days (good weather) like this, I like to hang laundry out and that's what I did.  The plastic bag I had the clothes pins in was snagged and torn.  So after I collected all of the clothes pins up, I hung the laundry and came in and made a clothes pin bag.  I took an old, girls size 6x cap sleeve blouse and turned it inside out.  Sewing the opening of the arms closed, I then sewed the front and back hems together.  Then I turned the blouse right side out.  I put a child size hanger inside the blouse and then sewed it to the blouse and now I have a clothes pin bag.

Now I'm not cheap, I just don't like throwing money away.  If I can make it I would rather do that.  I'm happy I didn't throw anything into a landfill.  I didn't spend money unnecessarily and I have a practical and cute clothes pin bag.  Make sure you have a blouse (or shirt) with buttons on the front so you can open it wide enough to get your hand inside.  If you don't have any children's clothes, you probably have a family member or friend who does, you can ask them for an old blouse/shirt.

Have a great and blessed day.

Rain and Plans

So today is the first day of Fall and it's raining.  Good for the plants but not so much for those who have to feed the animals.  Oh well, I'll just think of it as a big shower, with the clothes on.

So the garden is loving the rain.  I don't care what you may use on your garden, it just seems rain grows plants faster than anything.  Though I like rainy days, I'm hoping we don't have too wet of a fall this year.  A few years back we had so much rain, a lot of gardens drowned around here.  I know it sounds funny that a garden can get too much rain, but it really can.

So sitting here with a cup of tea and listening to the rain, I'm thinking of what needs to be accomplished this week.  Finish rearranging the animals.  Put more veggies in, (I plant every two to three weeks to stagger harvest.)  Hopefully the apples will come in so we can make our applesauce and apple butter.  Take stock of animal feed and hay.  Drain the kids pool.  Build new shelter for goats and don't over do so I don't re-injure my rib.  Oh yeah take care of anything else that might pop up.

I know it might sound like a lot of work but it's a different kind of work.  When homesteading you have a lot of peace.  You are more in control of your life and circumstances.  Remember  you can do anything you put your mind to.

I will start adding more pictures in the very near future.  Just trying to get a few things in order.

Have a great and blessed.

Make it Yourself

So what kinds of things can you do for yourself?  Just about anything.  In the evenings after dinner sometimes I just sit and crochet dishcloths.  They're very easy to make and very practical.  Something you need on a daily basis and add a splash of color to any kitchen.  Ok, so, maybe the splash of color isn't your concern, but they are nice and you do need them.



 When you can make something for yourself, it's nice knowing you won't have to run to the store for every little thing.  Of course you will have to keep some things on hand, like the 100% cotton yarn.  I keep things like that on hand so when I need a dishcloth I can knock one out.  They also make nice gifts.  I usually make two solid color and two variegated, if I'm giving them as gifts and I make a couple of potholders that match.  I don't know about you but I love homemade gifts.  For me, receiving a homemade gift says the gift giver thought enough of me to give their time.  I can't think of a nicer compliment. 

I crochet scarves in the evening as well.  They take little time to make and they too have a practical function.  There are many beautiful yarns these days to use, but if you are on a tight budget you can use more inexpensive yarns.  As I said before, you are giving two gifts, the actual gift and the gift of your time. 

The gift of time is something we have forgotten to appreciate.  One of the best things about homesteading, is the time we have with our children and grandchildren.  Sharing the beauty of the land, water and most of all life.  Though there is much ugliness in the world, it still holds a tremendous amount of beauty.  Sharing that beauty with loved ones is what memories are made of.  Someday long after we are gone, another generation will share what this world once was like.  In doing so they can also share the precious gifts of time and memories.

Make sure if you decide to make or get 100% cotton dishcloths you follow the care instructions.

Have a great and blessed day.

Time

Talk of costumes are running amuck at the homestead.  I want to be this or I want to be that.  "Grandma can you make me this costume."  Seems the grandchildren have much confidence in grandmas sewing abilities.  So out will come the fabric, pins, threads and sewing machine.  This is a wonderful feeling to have someone see a potential in you and ask you to meet the challenge of creating.

So the new challenge, four costumes.  The biggest obstacle is grandma doesn't know all of the characters that are being asked for; maybe we can talk about cowboys and cowgirls.  Whatever the costume may turn out to be, I'm very happy to see they are making the change from can I buy, to can we make. 

The creative process is just as important to develop as is the work ethic.  Remember that old saying "all work and no play makes John a dull boy", well that's as true as all play and no work  makes John an irresponsible boy.  Balance is necessary in all aspects of life.  When placing more importance on one aspect of life than others, we lose; it doesn't matter what it is we still lose.  Remember if you have children in your life you are always teaching them, more so by your actions than your words. 

So on this homestead we have time to learn, time to work, time to play and time to listen.  Of all the things I spend time on, listening is the one I wish I had more time to do.  You'll never know all that you miss if you don't take time to listen. 

Today, go, talk with a generation that is younger than yourself and create something.  A small garden, a rabbit hutch, a jar of preserves, or a costume; the greatest thing you can give is your time.

Have a great and blessed day.

Conversations and Preparing Children

Today was a very busy day on the old homestead.  Chainsaw in hand, the son-in-law started removing unwanted foliage.  Unwanted only in the sense we need the area for the goats and they get to eat it.  So they're happy, I'm happy, it's a win, win for all who live here. 

Having busy days with the whole family can lead to some interesting conversations.  Especially with the younger members of the family.  We talk about how come some animals eat grains and others eat veggies.  We discuss how to care for them and when they're old enough to mate, but the biggest topic of discussion is, who do we eat?

All know we raise animals and veggies for our daily sustenance and of course the girls try to negotiate who lives and who, well, comes to dinner.  The younger of the two girls has a unique way of determining who reaches the dinner table.  Should you hurt her, like one of the roosters did when he spurred her, you're up next.

Funny little story, she was feeding the chickens when one of the roosters flared up and spurred her. That's not the funny part.  Now he got her good and she was crying.  Of course grandma saw what happened and immediately told grandpa to prepare him for dinner.  Not having a problem with that at all, she refused to eat the first bite of dinner until said rooster was cut up and put on her plate.

The next day she was helping with the goats and one of them challenged her by rearing up at her.  She firmly stood her ground and looked right at the goat and said, "do it again and see what happens."  It seems if you hurt or scare her, you're ripe for the picking.  To dinner you will come.  I'm very happy to report, the goat backed down and those were the only two unpleasant encounters she's had thus far.

Now the youngest of the grandsons who is here, likes not having to go to the grocery store for food.  Sometimes he'll announce he wants chicken for dinner, so go get one from the yard.  I'm happy they know where their food comes from and even happier they're okay with the process.  Too many times I think we coddle our children, wanting to protect and shelter them.  In doing so, I believe we send them out into a world that is not always safe and warm.  The more we teach them about life the more we will send out into the world prepared, self-reliant, hard working individuals.  What better thing can we do for our children?

I would also like to report, number two granddaughter now goes into the chicken coop with a large shovel in hand.  I believe she is prepared.

Have a safe and blessed day.

The Joys of Life

When homesteading one of the things you should always remember, take time to enjoy life.  There are always chores to do and reasons to not do one thing or another, but remember we only go around once in this world so have some fun.

This weekend was busier than usual but so enjoyable.  Saturday we went to two birthday parties and had a wonderful time.  Both were held together for two beautiful cousins.  One for a six year old little girl who wanted everyone in costumes.  I must say she made a beautiful princess and the other for a lovely young lady who turned fourteen.  Going made my heart happy.  Seeing two girls with such a gap in age both enjoying the day.  The parties were held in their church hall, with half the room in pink and white with balloons and the other half a little more sophisticated, white, black and green.  Each had their own time with a meal in between to give a nice interlude.

Today we had a wedding to attend.  A very lovely event with much joy and happiness.  The young man is a very long time friend of our son.  He and his beautiful bride had smiles so big on their faces they could have lit the world from the glow.  How much it reminded me of our own wedding day and the happiness we felt. 

Another unexpected joy happened by a chance encounter.  Later this evening we met with some family to sit in the breeze by the water.  When we arrived we saw two friends who live out of town.  They unexpectedly decided to pack up for a few days or so and come into town.  So a chance meeting gave even more joy and laughter to an already fabulous weekend.

Times like the past two days give us time to pause and refocus on what life is really about.  Two wonderful days of family and friends celebrating life's joys will always be to coin a phrase, the best of times.  So for tonight we go to bed with joy in our hearts and love in the world.

Have a great and blessed day.

When Life Has A Different Plan

Thank goodness for having many hands.  The other day as I was working in the garden I reached for a 40 lb. bag of humus.  That's when it happened, the loudest pop I think I have ever heard.  I popped a rib.  I believe the pain is only second to child birth.  So after the family came running over to see what the scream was for, a lawn chair was brought to grandma and I was helped by some of the sweetest medics (grandchildren) I have ever had.

So what do you do when you can't help?  Write a book..  A how to book.  I will attempt to help you put thought to how you will start and what to consider before you begin to homestead.  I'll talk about how even those living in a city as well as those in rural or suburban areas can do this.  That's what I plan to do, but who knows... 

So there you go.  When something happens and your plans are quickly changed, look for options.   There are always options.  One of the options will allow me time to do a little research on the solar and wind we are trying to put on the house.   Speaking of which we thought we'd have all that up a couple of weeks ago but finding some of the connectors we needed is proving to be a little harder then we thought.  So like I said time for research.

So for the rest of the family chores go on, schoolwork, feeding animals, collecting eggs, gardening, next week canning etc.  As for grandma, I'll do what the doctor says and rest the ribs, take 10 deep breaths an hour (to prevent pneumonia) and write. 

Have a great and blessed day.