I married a hunter.  I had to take some time to get used to that because well, before we were married I couldn't even stand the thought of a gun around.  My husband however has owned his own hunting rifle since he could just about walk and has been shooting game since about the same time.  It also took me some time to get used to the idea that he fully intended on our children learning to hunt from an early age.  Those lessons were to include not only gun safety but hunting and proper dressing of the animal once it was killed, he even goes so far as to teach them how to properly cook the wild game too.

I consider myself a good sport.  I will try most everything he brings home, he is not wasteful and if he shoots and kills it...we eat it.  There is a now infamous story about me while we were yet dating and my espousing the hatred I had for the idea of deer meat...all while going on and on about how good the spaghetti he made me tasted.  Do you know where I am going with this one? Yup, he had me eating deer meat ground up in the spaghetti and I was totally unaware.  However, there are some wild game animals I just do not like the taste of.  Dove being one of them, my kids love mourning dove wrapped in bacon and bbq but to me it tastes like liver...I hate liver.  There are a few others as well but many I have come to enjoy, like pheasant.

Most recently my husband was invited to a friend's home to hunt geese.  This was a new endeavor for him as he had not hunted geese before.  My son was very excited to go along as a hunting date with dad often includes a stop at some sort of fast food that mom has outlawed.  This recent trip I think the two of them had the time of their lives.  My son still has not stopped talking about how his daddy got not one but two geese with one shot.  What surprised me most though was that when they returned home my husband advised me that later in the week we were having dinner guests and he would be preparing goose.  What???? I tried to tell him that you do not just invite guests over and serve something like that but he would have none of it, besides, his friend was a hunter too so the family coming was used to wild game.  Secretly I thought I should probably thaw out some chicken.  I didn't though and I just let him have at it (he really is a good cook).

So the evening arrived and my husband had been preparing the goose meat for 2 days...seriously.  He marinated it for 2 days and pounded it, then marinated and pounded some more.  Goose meat is tough meat if you aren't careful.  I have to say, when we sat down to eat the smell was divine and the meat even looked really good.  But, the taste....it was so unexpectedly delicious.  It was just like a good steak.  This is one wild game venture that I will be happy to support in the future!

The proud hunters...

 We have gotten to a place in our culture where we often do not value the wisdom of older generations.  Our culture has gotten to the point where we feel so superior in our accomplishments and our daily lives that as a whole we don’t give much credence to the way older generations did things.  I believe this is because we are so pious as to think that the ways we do things now are superior to anything that came before.  I believe we are wrong.

If you take a look around, and you look really hard, you can see what I mean.  We have industrialized almost every aspect of our food production.  We no longer can trace where our food comes from nor do most of us care as long as we can run to our local grocery and pick up what we need for dinner.  We no longer have relationships with neighbors and local produce growers. This leads to innumerable problems as our industrialized way of life lends itself to overpopulation of animals in factory like settings which is a breeding ground for diseases (look at all of our e coli and salmonella outbreaks, not to mention the recent avian flu issues).

When it comes to our skills, most of us can wield a smart phone like a multitasking guru going from email, to Facebook and shopping on Amazon all while texting a friend.  However, most people today have no idea how to can and store farm fresh produce.  Most people have no clue how to re- purpose items that break into new things.  No idea how to mend and sew.  Little if any knowledge of animal husbandry or natural remedies.  Honestly, if our power went out and our smart phones no longer worked, most people in this country would be at so much of a loss that they would be unable to function.

We are failing to learn some of the older ways of doing things and the people who have this knowledge (our grandparents, great grandparents) are dying without passing on the information to us.  Not because they are hoarding some type of carefully guarded secrets, but because we are too busy to sit down and ask.

I recently had the privilege of visiting with my 85 year old grandmother.  She was born around the time of the Great Depression and she knows a lot about farm life and how to be self sufficient.  However, I realize that even though I do seek information from her on occasion, when the time comes that she is no longer here, there will be so much information lost, as will with most of her generation.  

While grandma was here visiting we were in my kitchen while I was processing apples that a friend had allowed me to pick.  I was questioning grandma about her memories for how to make homemade apple cider vinegar.  However, the juice from these apples was so sweet and good it seemed like such a shame to turn it to vinegar when it tasted more like an expensive cider from an apple orchard.  She shared with me memories of her family’s orchard and of taking apples to the local cider press and then returning home with fresh pressed cider (though by today’s terms we might think it juice).  She also shared with me memories of her mother canning apple juice for use later in the year, I hadn’t really thought to do that before but I imagined that a hot cup of this deliciousness infused with some fresh cinnamon sticks would be amazing come December and January.  So with her guidance and lots of taste testing, we canned some apple cider-juice.  

I will so miss these visits when the time comes that my grandmother is gone.  I will also miss all of the stories of not only how things were in a more simpler time of doing things, but also the stories of our ancestors and the anecdotes that grandma has a special way of sharing.
Let me encourage you, no matter what age you are to seek out someone who is at least a generation older than you and ask about how things were done differently when they were young.  Go back as far as you can and ask someone to teach you a skill from how things used to be done.  You will make someone’s day by being interested and you will likely learn a new skill, recipe, or thought process for how to do things.
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Here is a picture of my grandmother on her most recent birthday; she is beautiful, talented and so full of life.  I thank you grandma for all you teach me.

A few blog posts ago I shared the pictures of our barn demolition (post here), what is even more impressive is the barn rebuild.  We went through a local lumberyard that employs the Amish to build its barns and I am more impressed then I ever thought I would be.  I am told that our project would normally only take 2-3 days but that since there was another customer's barn also being built at the time ours began it might take a bit longer then normal...a whopping 4 days. (note sarcasm here as that is very little time to build a barn).

The first day was the slowest as the workers (only 7 of them) arrived and set the posts.  There was another man not part of their crew who dug the holes but then the Amish workers set the posts and that was the end of day 1.

However, day 2 the excitement really started as we watched the barn take shape.  I have to say that the Amish do make me a bit nervous as they walk along 2x4 beams with ease 15-20 feet up on a roof.  They make it look easy and the entire set of all the trusses for the roof went on in less then 2 hours.

My husband and I both commented on how quiet the work was.  You never really heard much talking and it was just the hammering of nails and the sawing of boards.  The seamless teamwork was amazing, no one stood around, they all worked efficiently and quickly.  It was kind of like if you have ever watched ants working, they just make a line and work.  After the trusses for the roof were up I timed the amount of time it took to put insulation and metal on the roof...ready for this?  45 minutes and my whole roof was covered in insulation and metal.  Only 7 guys...I stand amazed!

So the posts were set on Monday, and the men finished up around 2pm on Thursday.  There are a few more touch ups they will be back to do next week but seriously, a 30x50 barn in essentially 3 and a half days!  We could all stand to learn something from the work ethics of men like this!

A couple of my homeschooling friends had taken their children to our local veterans museum last year and were very impressed by the vast amount of knowledge that the curators had regarding the lost art of bringing history to a personal level by telling its story through the eyes of those who lived it.  This lasting impression led these mamas to ask the museum curators if they would be interested in teaching a class for our homeschoolers.  The response?  An overwhelming YES!  The local museum which houses artifacts from thousands of soldiers across the United States has offered to have hands on learning for our public schoolers but has found that with so much testing and test preparedness, the students don't have time to do extra supplementary learning...WHAT???  

So, enter my dismay...this is why I HATED history in school.  It was so textbook BORING that I could barely keep my eyes opened.  It was like flying in a plane and looking down, you see an overall picture of what the terrain looks like, but you have no knowledge of the intricacies that make up the land...ie the stories of the people who lived through and fought our wars are liking walking on the nature path and seeing the plants and animals versus the flying plane overhead and getting an overview...that would be like reading a broad summary from most textbooks...make sense?

Well, not only did these curators agree to do a class, but they agreed to make it a weekly affair for a whole year!!!  They are covering the beginning of our country through the current state of affairs for 32 weeks!  We had our first class a few days ago and the children were advised that they would see re-enactments, get to try on civil war uniforms, get to meet holocast survivors and really get immersed in the study of our American History from historians and first hand accounts of veterans.  To say that I am excited is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

Our first class was an overview but the children were also taught about proper handling of our American Flag, we reviewed the colors and symbols on the flag and the children were instructed about flying the flag at half mass...which was occurring on the day of our first history class- September 11.

We did receive an amazing compliment as well for our group, the speaker let us know that a few weeks ago a group of boy scouts came in and they were rambunctious, disrespectful and loud and that our group was very pleasant to have...way to go kids!

A few of our kids volunteered to help learn to properly fold a flag too.

Even the littlest ones were intrigued.

Yes, I know you may wonder why in the world someone would bother with making their own deodorant.  I mean, just one more thing to make right?  Well, I have always been intrigued by natural deodorants, however, I have not been intrigued by the fact that many of them do not seem to "work".  I want to be all natural...but I do not want to SMELL ALL NATURAL if you get my drift.  I had never really had someone tell me about a natural one that worked well, (lets face it if you are a true farm girl, you sweat when you work) until recently.

So, again with the why.  I recently read a statistic that said the average woman exposes herself to over 100 chemicals before breakfast.  We are amassing a vast cocktail of substances on our bodies and in our homes.  I don't believe that it is possible to eliminate them all, but I do want to reduce the amount of harmful toxins by as much as possible.  Our skin is our largest organ and many substances applied to the skin are absorbed directly into our bloodstream, so, I decided that would be an area worth working on.

My friends who make their own deodorants (thank you Stacy and Mandy) even assured me that their husbands did not stink...okay I decided to try it...I was WAAAY impressed!  It works!  I mean, I went out in the garden, worked all around the farm, weeded, helped demolish the barn, etc.  I DID NOT STINK!  The only down side that I have found is that some people do have a sensitivity to baking soda, this can cause redness or irritation under the arm, weird thing is this only happens to me if I apply immediately after shaving.

The other bonus is that the ingredients in this deodorant are also many of the same used for homemade lotions and salves so I have everything I need on hand to keep on making our natural products!

I purchased most of my ingredients from Amazon but since a batch of deodorant can last 2-3 months and I clearly have enough ingredients for about 2 years worth of deodorant, salves, lotions, etc I think I did pretty good.  The only thing I would change is that next round of making my deodorant, I would not bother with putting it into a roll up deodorant style tube like pictured above, I will just scoop out a pea sized amount and smooth it on (works better that way).

So, here is how to do it:
·         1 T Beeswax

·         1T Cocoa butter

·         1 T Shea butter

·         1 T Coconut oil

·         2.5 T arrowroot powder

·         1 T clay, (I used bentonite, but Kaolin or french green would be fine also)

·         1/4 t vitamin E oil (2-4 capsules) or 2-3 drops if you have a bottle

·         2 T Baking Soda

·         Essential Oils– aprox. 10-25 drops

I use Lavender and Melalueca. The Melalueca is good for its anti-bacterial properties and the Lavender is soothing for sensitive skin.

Method: Use a wide mouth pint mason jar set inside of a sauce pan.  Fill the sauce pan with about 1-2 inches of water and set the mason jar inside of it.  Then on medium heat melt the ingredients in order (beeswax first, then cocoa butter, shea butter and coconut oil) being careful not to get it too hot as shea butter doesn't like to get too hot.  I mix the ingredients while I am melting them together by using a wooden popsicle stick.  Once melted add in your dry ingredients and your vitamin E oil.  When it is all mixed together it is about the consistency of warm peanut butter.  Then put into the container of your choice.  It can be used immediately but it does take up to a week to reach its final consistency of firmness. It has a green tint to it but it does not stain my clothing at all!

If you need any of the ingredients, head on over to Amazon, that is where I usually get mine, or even bulk Herb store.  These are affiliate links which add nothing to your cost but do help maintain this site.  Thanks!

In an effort to continue to battle the excess baby weight I have been carrying I have been really trying to keep to a healthy low calorie diet.  However, lunches seem to be the most difficult meal for me as I am usually running around like crazy and I often let myself get too hungry before making something healthy and therefore I begin stuffing my face because I am too hungry.

Recently a friend shared this recipe with me and it has become my new go-to favorite for lunches.  It is super low calorie, filling AND delicious...what more could you ask for?  I love to eat it on tortilla chips or even just plain with a spoon...enjoy!

Ingredients: (my pic is missing the corn & diced tomatoes)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cucumber (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup spicy salsa
salt and pepper to taste
optional...a few squeezes of fresh lime juice

So that's it!  You just mix the above ingredients together and let stand in fridge for a few hours before serving.  I have been making up a batch and eating it for a whole week at a time, fast, easy and delicious!

Since we moved to our farm we have loved our barn for its looks...but that is about it.  It is not water tight, the roof leaked horribly and it was not ideal for animals.  Though we wanted to repair what was there in lieu of a total replacement, we discovered that the frame of the building was not sound and no one would repair the roof for us without a completely new frame going up.  What that translated to was more money then a demolition and rebuild.  So, we decided to start over.  And before you ask...yes we saved that beautiful aged barn wood...I am hoping when thing slow down a bit to do some crafts for sale with whatever is left after hubby builds a few more things out of it.

So, we decided to do as much of the demolition (or at least stripping the barn wood off) as we could by ourselves.  Here is where we started:

I was so very thankful for a beautifully cool day when we did this project, you would never believe how hard that was, even with the kids help it was a tough all day job!  But the next day is when the fun started.  It always helps when you are friends with your excavator, kids get an up close view that way! We got to sit on our back deck and watch the excitement.  Better then any field trip I can think of and the kids ate it up!

One of the really amazing things to me is just how easy our modern equipment makes things.  Like cutting the drive to the new barn...the grass looks like crumpled carpet with a bobcat doing the work!

So here sits the blank slate waiting for the barn raisin'  I think that too will be a fun and interesting day to watch as well!  More pics to come...

I have to share an amazing remedy that I just used. I was a friend's house the other day when my 3 y/o found a mess of wasps. The ear piercing scream was enough to make any mama's heart stop and he was stung at least 2x's. Immediately my friend grabbed some plantain leaves from her yard and began chewing to make a quick paste, I did the same and we slathered my son's stings with the paste (yes may sound icky but when your little one is in extreme pain you will do anything!) I also had some of my essential oils with me and I added a few drops of lavender too. Within 3 minutes he had calmed down and the angry red wasp stings were calming down. Later in the day there was no evidence of the stings and my son never complained again.

Seriously, this stuff is AWESOME! If you don't spray chemicals on your yard for weed control you likely have this stuff right under your nose. It acts as a drawing agent and draws the poison out of the skin/sting.

I believe that over time we have lost so many of the tried and true remedies that worked for our grandparents and great grandparents and I fear that one day, without this knowledge we may find ourselves in a world where there is little to no knowledge left about what can be treated with just plants and substances that God gave us in nature.

It is times like these that I want to continue to pump my grandmother for information as it is the older generations who gift this knowledge to us.

So today, here is your challenge...go out and see if you can spot some of this Plantain, you never know when it might be useful to you!