Happy New Year to All

Here we are at the edge of another dawning of a new year. Some places around the world have already heralded in. Can the years go by any faster than they are? lol

Here is an article of my sis in law and my brother and what is happening to them.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=sandy+wierschke&target=all


They got a small settlement, I don't know if it will even cover the hospital bills :( and ongoing ones. But I think they had enough of fighting this all these years.

All we can do is pray for her and them.
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On another note it is cold today but warmer than it had been, around 14 F. right now. We have 10 inches of snow sitting outside. Been below zero at night but we are to have another warm up coming in a few days.

We are getting some of my pictures we have taken printed out, really a good price to do so at Costco. We have been buying old frames at second hand stores and putting the pics in and putting them on our walls :).

Ones like these. And a few others, like the ones in an older post, the barns and such.

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We haven't really added anything to our storage this last couple of weeks. We are mostly just trying to stay healthy and enjoy the Holiday season as well.
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Grand daughter SoSo had her tonsils out this past Monday and we are hoping she heals up quickly.

Take care all and again Happy New Year.

Wonderful Christmas

We held our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve per normal. Quite a few of our children and grands were able to attend but we sure missed the ones who were unable to do so. Hopefully some time in the future we can get everyone together again before any more of us step into eternity.
Our great grand came up with her grandma our daughter C. Little ones move so quickly it's hard to get a good pic at times lol.

The little ones table

Overflow table

Main table

Dj and his two teens left this morning to get home to their own beds and their pets. He called to say they got home safely and all were well. Plenty of food and water was left for them. They most likely thought they were having a nice couple of days vacation from their pet humans.

I made some family history books and they turned out great here is a pic of one of them. I included pictures of them, dh as a boy with his parents and the same for me and pictures of ancestors. Also included the names of the 9 Mayflower ancestors kids are descended from. As well of information of John Rolfe and Jane Pierce and their daughter (whose first wife was Pocahontas.) 

Found S's wife J is a descendant of Pocahontas and John Rolfe through their only son Thomas. Then like just under 800 pedigree sheets going back to around 1200 AD. 21 generations.

I started all this a couple of months ago.

Supplies:
There should be quite a few things on sale about now. Canned goods used only at Christmas time that you can buy and store for next year. Also warm clothing will be on sale soon to get ready for spring and summer clothing. Even if you an only afford a few things it is better than nothing.

Happy New Year one and all.

Merry Christmas and I keep on Trucken

Well theres an old saying from the 70's for you lol. That is how it feels with trying to overcome this cold dh shared with me and he still has. Trying to get work done around here. I did manage to get our little tree up yesterday and some laundry done along with things that have to be accomplished.

I am continuing to work on Christmas gifts of one kind and another, sending out cards, so on and so forth.

Looking at cookie recipes and wanting to make some but have to wait on that. Thinking about Christmas Dinner, which we hold on Christmas Eve and it will be held up here at our place this year. Trying to nail down who is coming and what they can bring along for dinner :).

It has been snowing, hailing, sleet, rain and snowing again. Cold fronts come through then it warms and melts off but our creek still isn't running. So we are still off a lot on the amount of moisture we usually have by this time of year. This first picture is what the creek normally looks like. The second is what we have this year.

On saturday dh grabbed some of our dry bean pods from the barn and started to de-pod (husk ummm?)them.

Onward I go, not much choice lol.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Lap top back put still funny

Yes I got it back, but it still has problems. Not fun that's for sure.

Nine year old grandson in AZ had his new chained up bike stolen this last week, the thieves just cut the chain on the school grounds and made off with it :(.

We have had extreme cold front change to another warm up the last few days, the snow has melted off and now we have a layer of mud over frozen ground and boy isn't that fun in the farm yard, NOT.

The warm front brought a ton of rain along with it. Not today but for the remainder of the week again. We had another fall like this and it is so hard to keep the heat regulated in the house.

Kay ended up with the flu but was home with her mom when it hit and Dave has a bad cold after having a short term health problem two weeks ago.

I have been doing a whole lot of sewing and also trying to figure out what to get others for Christmas on a shortened budget. Here are a couple of the aprons.
I also got some llama wool washed but it still needs carded and spun.

We went and got some pictures of a couple of the old old places that are close.

Dh also helped sell off extra food storage some dear friends needed to have gone, as they couldn't take it all with them when they moved from our area. We sure will miss them. Just a few of the full buckets.

Lap top in the shop

Sorry about being gone, my lap top is still in and I don't know when I will get it back. I am on a small tablet and it's hard to do anything. Will play catch up with pictures and so on when i get my lap top.

We have had some Arctic cold,a  warm  up and now another cold spell with a bit  of a warm up coming back in that will melt off the snow again.

Hubby is down with a head cold :(.

I have turkey parts making broth to can up and I love the smell.

I have read a few things that say we are headed into a major depression and yes we see the signs but I sure pray it holds off.

In the mean time stay safe.

Nasty Out Thar

Went out to open the chickens this morning shortly aer 7AM in a very stiff wind and and misting, very nasty. Don't think the cluckers will be out there long. They ran out because I had kitchen scraps for them.

We need the moisture though so I guess I shouldn't complain to much.

We found a sale at a store for blinds and curtains so for a whooping $57.00 we got blinds and light blocking thermal curtains for the large living and dining room windows. This is the dining room.

 It showed a picture of them being the Roman shade type blinds but it turned out they weren't but I can't complain about them either at $4.00 a piece.

 Halloween went fine, if not exhausting. I have seen pictures on facebook pages of many of the grand kids and they all looked great.
I had to take a picture of this guy on the sidewalk. Some folks really go all out.

Hubby picked up an illness from work it seems, he says there is a lot of illnesses working itself through the city workers. :( So he was up most of the night and home today. It is almost 8 AM and is sleeping at the moment.
I was not feeling well Saturday or Sunday and now him.

Recipe: Here is one I used to make. I can make it for others eat but can't eat it myself :(, milk allergies are the pits.

Whole Wheat - Cheese - Ham - Bread

2 tab. Yeast

2 c. warm water

2-½ c. or so of white flour

2 c. whole-wheat flour

1 c. bran or oat flakes

1 tsp. salt

6 oz. Mozzarella cheese diced

¼ pound diced ham

Corn meal

Mix first six ingredients, knead, rise, punch down, and knead in cheese and ham.  Form into one large loaf.  Put on baking sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal.  Rise.  Put a pan of water in oven with the bread. In preheated to 425 degree oven bake the bread for 10 minutes then turn oven to 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove pan of water the last 15 minutes.

Storage:

Don't forget to have extra water. I know I am a broken record on this but it is soooo very important.

Quick to cook foods for time of illness because you may be alone. With me when I am ill I have only myself (most of the time anyway) so no one to wait on me as hubby is normally at work at or gone to meetings and etc. plus I have to look after grand girl and I really need things I can just heat up for the both of us.

I canned some soups and stews and froze a bunch of chili, plus I have canned Campbell soups and so on.

Clothes:

Don't forget to look and make sure you have warm clothes fr the coming winter that fit you and yours. Gloves and wool socks wear out. Long Johns tend to do so after 20 years also, that's if you can get your hubby to let you buy him new ones instead of having to repair the old ones over and over again lol.

Resupply for Winter Thoughts

With our Indian Summer going on it has given us more time to get some of the outdoor things done that needed doing before the real cold hits and the snow flies.

The yard all around has been mowed for the last time and the leaves that have fallen mowed and raked into the ditch, still have more on the trees but now they will be half as deep when they do.

 

Here is a picture of how low our upper pond is, first time I have seen it this low. It's down like 2 feet.

Plus our very dry upper field.

Natural cleaners and disinfectants.
*Vinegar
*Amonia
*Lemon 
*Rosemary
*Oregano oil

Disinfectant in spray bottle
2 tablespoons 20 Muleteam borax
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 cups hot water
Put in your spray bottle and shake to dissolve the borax. Spray your surface and wipe off with a damp rag.

Supplies:

With flu season upon us its time to think of things we will need when out in public or when we are at home.
N95 or 100 masks or better if you can get them or afford them.
Disposable vinyl gloves or other type if you have a problem with vinyl.
Bleach and other disinfectants:

Good supply of water in bottle, gallons and other. Make sure this can last you at least 2 to 4 weeks or more. I see sites that say 1 gallon a day per person but that doesn't include ANY washing of bodies and etc. plan for more for each person per day.

Gatorade or electrolyte supplies

Re-hydration recipe:

1/2 level teaspoon of Salt
6 level teaspoons of Sugar
1 quart (4 cups) of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled.

 

Extra Supplies for babies and children:

Formula

Juices

Easy to heat foods that they like.

 

Activities, coloring books, games, books to read for all school supplies.(To keep older ones busy)

 

Make sure there are easy to cook foods for adults in case they are ill and its hard to cook.

A supply of ginger ale or 7-up, juice etc.

Do you have an alternate way of cooking like a camp stove etc. also pots and pans you can use on it?

Matches or lighters for same?

This is just a few of the things to think about.

hings You'll Need

• Spray bottle
• Water
• White vinegar

Show (2) More

Instructions

1. • 1
     Fill a spray bottle with 2 tbsp. borax, 1/4 cup white vinegar and 2 cups hot water. Put the lid on the bottle and shake gently to mix ingredients. Keep in mind the borax can be harmful if ingested, so if you want to eliminate the borax, the vinegar will still work as a disinfectant.
     
   • 2
     Spray the disinfectant over your household surfaces and wipe off with a damp cloth.
     
   • 3
     Allow the surface to air dry, and clean all surfaces around the home with this solution, including countertops, tables, bathroom surfaces, door handles and any other area that requires disinfecting.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7701565_homemade-natural-disinfectant-cleaner.html

Fire and Chores

There was a fire up here all last week, on Saturday it looked like it was mostly out. This is from this last Friday on our way home from town. That lump of a mountain on the left is where we live. It is very very dry here.

 Turkey butchering time. Grandgirl K took this one of us. I was helping hold one down in the boiling pot to get it all scalded. We only had 5 this year.

Glad another chore is finished with and the days will be simpler without the turkeys running around and having to be let out fed and put up each night.

Youngest son K and wife A had their little girl the 7th of October.

Pushing To Get Things Done

Winter creeps in and we are still trying to get so many things finished before it does hit. We have a warm front in this week and that does help BUT this is usually our rainy time of the year and we are getting nothing here.
Our creek bed and lower pond are dry as a bone which is only the second time that has happened at this time of year since we have been up here. The other time was last year when our September rains didn't come until October.

We did get the potatoes all put away in pine shavings on Saturday. So they are snug for the winter. They came to a total of 365 pounds. I uncovered a few to show you.

Apple crisp sure is good. I have enough apples for another batch.

We have just started to get our first brown eggs, the other chickens the Leghorns have been laying for about 2 weeks now. Boy did I miss fresh eggs. The Araucana's aren't laying as yet.

With the flu's going around down in the valley and that time of year coming up. (A son and his family is just getting over it and hubbys secratery had it last week.) It's a real bad one.
Seems like all times are now flu times.
Also with the Ebola now in our Country one must think about what we have at home to possibly self quarantine ourselves in the future if this does get further along.
Best thing is don't panic look over sites that have lists for home for food and drink staples, masks, gloves, disinfectants, games, books and other things to keep busy for those that aren't ill and so on.

Here is some good advise:

Motherhens advise is further down on her page.

http://motherhensstorytime.blogspot.com/ 

http://providentlivingandme.blogspot.com/2011/08/quarantine-quarantine-quarantine-by.html

Fall Is Here and Nosy Turkeys

Well the potatoes are all dug up, the garden is all done, what we had of one this year anyway.

 One of the turkeys got nosy and was looking in on us.

Wood rack is all filled and ready.

Grandson Xander had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids out today, he is 4. He is home and recovering.

Kay was wearing a dress made out of a blanket when she came over the other day. She was also trying on makeup lol.

Trying to get some projects finished to give out to grand girls.

Don't forget to stock up on sewing needs. 
I found that through the past 2 or 3 years I have gone through a lot and needed to pick up more ribbon, rick rack, white thread etc.

More Canning and now Indian Summer

Making apple marmalade today. Dave cut up the apples and the lemons. He is headed off to the Temple in Spokane in a bit. We also canned up the other box of peaches this morning. 

I got the potatoes put away we had drying in the sun, we still have over half of them to dig yet. Being in a Indian Summer will help us get the others dried before they are stored away in pine shavings for eating and seed potatoes next spring.


Speaking of storage. I just looked around and found I needed to purchase more products for cleaning. I have gone a very long time without buying some of these. Some of these are great for natural cleaners. The rest for making sure germs are not lurking around. Always good to have a few boxes and bottles of these.
Borax
Baking soda in large bags: everything from putting in with clothes in the wash to brushing your teeth.
Washing soda
Vinegar
Pinesole: ants hate this product
Bleach
Lysol
Cleanser

First Night Below Freezing

Well we know it had to happen sometime, we got up to 26 degrees this morning and it dipped to 24 just before sunrise. Water troughs we frozen and etc. So much for a low of 40 :(. So I didn't pick any tomatoes that were close as I didn't think we would have a problem. So much for thinking.

We got the apple tree picked last Saturday, along with getting the wood rack out unto the now covered deck :).

28 quarts of applesauce and boy does it taste great. There have been years we have had more on the tree, but after 3 years of late frosts and so none this was still good.

I made a applesauce cake yesterday, very yummy.

Applesauce Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1/2 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar (I used a blend of sugar and Truvia which made it 1 cup worth of that.)
Blend
Add 2 eggs, blend
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
(Or 2 cups of which ever you have)
Optional 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries(or both if you wish)
Optional 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Blend well  and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until springs back in the middle.

Roof is all Shingled

As of today the roof is all re-shingled, new metal striping and etc. on. Dh worked hard to get it finished. He took a few days vacation to get the last of it done. Roof cap going on.

 The deck is all supported, fixed and deck-overed and ready for winter. The wood rack will be moved out there to give us more room on the front porch.

Leaves are turning already.

Also as of 2 September 2014 my 3rd cousins husband Ira passed. He will be missed greatly. I was blessed enough to get to know him and my cousins the last four years. He did so much of the writing to me the first year I found them.

Storage and Kits:
Time to get those winter car kits looked through again and ready to put back in your vehicles. Looks like fall is hitting some of us earlier then others.