Snowed In...

It is just the beginning of a snow storm that is SUPPOSED to be pretty huge... The boy's school canceled, and the snow keeps comin' down.

In our trip to the barn this morning, we spend about 20 minutes in there, and by the time Deklyn and I went back to the house, our footprints from before were already gone! I had hoped to make it to the grocery store yesterday, but I had a boy that had too much spicy food at a church Super Bowl party and sick... So, I guess sit is a good thing I am pretty stocked up.

The boys, of course wake up EARLIER when there is a delay or cancellation, because they are SO EXCITED... SERIOUSLY. Me? I'd rather catch up on some zzz's. But, I am a mother, so I guess that means I don't get what I want... until kids move out???

Animals are all happy in their homes, fresh water, food, some treats!, and a some attention... Now it's time to sit back for a bit and watch the snow come down... well, until lunch...

The Great Depression... What Can WE Do to Change?

In the 1920's & 30's, this country went through the Great Depression. I have heard for a little while now that WE are AGAIN on the verge of a Depression. What does that mean?

According to the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, during The Great Depression, 25% of all workers were completely out of work, and 37% of all non-farm workers were out of work.

Here are what our rates have looked like for the past year, according to Historical Labor Force/Unemployment Data for
UNITED STATES :

   MONTH..........LABOR FORCE.......EMPLOYED.....UNEMPLOYED..UNEMP RATE/SA RATE*

2008  November      154,349,000      143,350,000   10,999,000      7.1%    7.2%
2009  January       153,445,000      140,436,000   13,009,000      8.5%    7.6%
    February      153,804,000      140,105,000   13,699,000      8.9%    8.1%
    March         153,728,000      139,833,000   13,895,000      9.0%    8.5%
    April         153,834,000      140,586,000   13,248,000      8.6%    8.9%
    May           154,336,000      140,363,000   13,973,000      9.1%    9.4%
    June          155,921,000      140,826,000   15,095,000      9.7%    9.5%
    July          156,255,000      141,055,000   15,201,000      9.7%    9.4%
    August        154,897,000      140,074,000   14,823,000      9.6%    9.7%
    September     153,617,000      139,079,000   14,538,000      9.5%    9.8%
    October       153,635,000      139,088,000   14,547,000      9.5%   10.2%
    November      153,539,000      139,132,000   14,407,000      9.4%   10.0%
2009  December      152,693,000      137,953,000   14,740,000      9.7%   10.0%

Good news, we are not yet to the unemployment levels of the Great Depression. Bad News, we definitely aren't getting any better. Where I live in Indiana, we were basically the RV/ Manufactured Home Capital of the US! About a year and a half ago, that all started to change. Many people I know, lost jobs. In fact, we are also a few minutes from Michigan, and Michigan's unemployment rate is at 14% unemployment.

I am not usually the bearer of bad news, but this is a topic that I wasn't totally aware of. According to some news sources, I heard things were getting better. Then others said, we were getting worse... I guess, when it all comes down to it, you need to go digging yourself! Find your own information.

So, as to not leave this all doom and gloom... What can WE do to change this? How can we keep ourselves to falling pray to a falling economy?

In my opinion, it all comes down with what you are WILLING to do. In this country, we are totally reliant upon our jobs providing a stable income, then taking our checks to the bank, getting money, then going to Wal-Mart and spending our little hearts out on boxed meals, beverages, and cheaply made clothing. We jump into our vehicle that we still owe an arm and a leg for. We take it all home, throw it into our houses that we are still paying for. And then we stuff ourselves full of this non-nutritious "food". We depend on others (government, grocery super stores, banks, etc) to provide FOR US what WE NEED.

What are YOU willing to do to change the way you live? Are you willing to do anything? Are you content with the way things are now?

What if it all changed? What if Wal-Mart went out of business? What if China stopped sending food and cheaply made clothing to the US? What if the banks ALL went under? What if you could NO LONGER purchase anything on a credit card? What if you had to have cash???

I know there are a lot of "what if's" in that, but it COULD happen! What if it did? Back to the question, are YOU willing to change? Are you ready to STOPPING being reliant upon someone else for virtually everything?

I'm not saying to go all crazy, grab your tents and hide out in a dense forest somewhere... I am saying there are small steps that we all can make, that don't hold us so dependent upon something that could crumble and fall (quickly!).

Here are a few things, I THINK we should all do(or at least work at!):

• Pay off those bills! Do you have a car payment? House payment? Payment on a TV? Pay those bills off! And if you can't pay off that payment on the Television, ask 'how important is this?'. If it isn't really THAT important, get rid of it! Getting debt free will not only free us from owning someone else, but will also free us from bill after bill each week. What if you just had to pay 2 or 3 bills a month? WOW!
  
• Grow something! Even if you don't want to take care of a garden! Go to you local green house, and get a few things like a tomato plant, a watermelon plant, a pepper plant or some herbs. Plant them in a container on your patio, or in a flowerbed in a sunny spot. Water them like you would water the rest of your landscaping. And watch your plant(s) grow! Gardening doesn't have to be a huge undertaking! Growing SOMETHING is better then nothing! And if you DO want to have a larger garden, go for it! Make sure to plan ahead, and leave your harvest times open to can and freeze! You will be glad you did. There is NOTHING like eating something you (and God!) grew!
• De-clutter! Walk through your house, and take out what you don't want, what is just taking up unnecessary space, or things that are broken or stained and you KNOW you will never fix. Then start a box of things to either giveaway or garage sale. Also start a trash bag! Things taking up space actually do take up energy. Energy to clean, energy to look at and stress at the mess it is making! Make sure to do this in your kid's rooms too! Especially after Christmas! And remember Spring is a great time to have a garage sale and get rid of some of those unwanted items! The you have $$ to apply to bills or making a good investment...
• Make Good investments! Investing in a new couch, when your old one works just fine, is probably NOT the best investment. Investing in something that will help you in the future- GOOD! Examples: Replacing your old, broken appliances with new, energy efficient ones. Invest in some garden tools, to start a garden so your family can eat out of this summer. Invest in a chicken coop, so you can have free eggs! Invest in more insulation for your attic, so all of your warm air doesn't escape into the great outdoors.
  
• Shop Local! When possible... It is sad to drive through a once thriving town, and to see all of the neat old buildings empty. At one time, this town was a proud, functioning town, full of life and commerce. If possible, shop your small town shops, instead of making a trek into "the big city". Doing this for fresh fruits and veggies in the summer and fall are a great idea too. Keep those farmers and families growing!
• Help your neighbors! In this age, we don't know many of our neighbors. We stick to ourselves. And unless something goes wrong (I always thought there was something wrong with that family!), then no one cares to know anyone else. Sadly, the only people who care to know their neighbors are the "older folks". In this also, we need to support our local food banks. Make it a family challenge to donate a grocery bag full of food each month. In helping other people, God WILL bless you! Plus, it is a great lesson to teach our children.
  
• Waste less! Look in your refrigerator right now. I mean it! Go look! Now, tell me what you see. Is there anything expired in there? Moldy food? Of course there is SOMETHING bad in there. Now how much money did you just waste? We need to be at least WEEKLY checking out our refrigerator situation- eating left-overs, finishing up that jar of sauce before it grows mold, eating those carrots before they dry out... Wasting less food is going to save us $$ in the future! If for lunch, I go and fix a box of mac-n-cheese, instead of eating last nights left overs, chances are that last nights leftovers will never get eaten. You could have saved the mac-n-cheese for another day, and ate something that will go bad first...

These are all small steps that, if everyone worked at, I think our economy would even improve! We are a spoiled, SPOILED society. Let's stop acting like we're spoiled, and taking responsibility for those things that God has entrusted us with. Are YOU willing to do anything to change?

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens...

I am going to have chickens on the brain this week... First, we need to move our sweet little Mille Fleur babies to the barn. They have been in our basement since they were born. And now they are 2 monthes old, we need to make room for NEW babies...



We have gradually decreased the temp in their box, it has been in the 60's which is a FAR cry from the current 8 degrees outside, but I think I will leave them in the box with a heat lamp in the barn... At least for a little while.

I don't want to get TOO excited about these, but I HAVE been incubating a NEW round of eggs. Remember the cooking of the last eggs? Well, now we have a new set of 18 eggs...


Well, we have tried to keep the "cooker" away from the eggs... A LOCK! GENIUS!


They SHOULD be hatching in about a week, maybe Saturday or Sunday... These will be Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island Red/ Barred Rock. So, some good egg layers! I hope we have some that hatch!!!

AND FRIDAY, we are supposed to be getting our 30 broilers!!! Hubby asked where we are going to put them... good question.

CHICKENS, CHICKENS, CHICKENS!!!

***Tomorrow and Wednesday we are supposed to get slammed by snow storms. I was hoping to get out to the grocery today, but I have a sick boy at home. (I think he had to much "spicy" last night at the super bowl party...). We will see if the weatherman is ACTUALLY right this time, and pray that our little baby broilers make it through the mail OK!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my husband and mine's 11th Anniversary! According to traditional Anniversary gifts, this is the year we give steel! Sweet! I've always wanted... steel.

So, anyways... Happy Anniversary to the most wonderful man in the world! Here is your gift of steel...
Careful! It's still hot....

New Farm Members- Coming Next Week!

Black Broilers... 30 of them coming at the end of next week... :)

Praying that our FRIGID Indiana weather won't kill them all before they get here! Now, where to put them all....

Question: What is Your Favorite Garden Vegetable?

Just seeing if you all are awake out there on this cold, COLD day...

What is your favorite garden vegetable? This can be something you grow yourself, or something you just like to buy... I don't mind if you have 2 favorites... or more. Whatever. You can also share if you DO like to grow it in your garden. You can even share the variety, if you'd like!

Hmmm... I will have to think a while on my own question. I will have to narrow it down from like 15 things... yikes! :)

We're Divin' In...

When I was younger, I did 4H, but I didn't really DO 4H... like I did gardening. And all I was allowed to do in our garden was to pull weeds. And I ended up taking some green beans that were my aunt's because ours weren't ready yet... So, I'm glad I got THAT off my chest!

But, NOW! We are knee deep and getting deeper FAST in the 4H hoopla! This is the first year Deklyn will be able to take the "real" 4H. Austin is still in Junior 4H. Deklyn is taking Sheep, Goats & Poultry. Since we know NOTHING about Goats, and very little about sheep, this is going to be fun! ;)

But, for the sake of my kids learning about the animals, they (and I!) are going to learn!

This should be fun and a good learning experience!

Trying Something New- Sprouts!

My mother-in-law will REALLY think I've gone off the deep end now, but I am trying to grow sprouts! (I say that in love! She knows I love her!)

I have read MANY places on the healthy benefits of sprouts and how there is a huge concentration of vitamins and nutrients, packed in the tiny little sprout. These sprouts you can throw in a salad or on a sandwich.

Sprouts are the only plants that after harvested, actually INCREASES in vitamins and nutrients! Because it continues to grow! Even after you stick some sprouts in your salad and put some salad on your plate, they are growing right there in front of you! Well, maybe not so you can see, but it IS growing!

I ordered some sprouting lids with my seed order, but you can also MAKE your own lids with a screen cut to fit the top of a jar.

Basically with sprouts, this is all you do:

Soak them for several hours (depending on the type of seeds you have).
When they have soaked, drain off the water (why you need the screened lid!). Then rinse with water.
You then leave the jar tipped upside-down, so it can drain.
You rinse the seeds/ sprouts 2 times a day for a few days.
Then, depending on the type of seeds, harvest (after about 3-5 day) by taking out of the jar and refrigerate and eat!

You can also save the "extras".

***Depending on the type of seeds you have, you need to follow specific instructions on soak time, grow time, etc. These will usually come with the seeds when you purchase them or any screens that you purchase for your jars. Info can also be found via the Internet!

I have chosen alfalfa sprouts. They are said to have a VERY high amount of several types of minerals, protein, Vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, & K.

I will keep you posted on how these turn out!!! This is something new to me! But, I like the fact that I am growing something that there are no chemicals & hardly any work needed! Plus, they are PACKED FULL of the vitamins and minerals we need, naturally!

Seed Starting Information

I am excited about starting my new seeds indoors... Did I mention before that I was excited?

Anyways, I found some info that may be helpful to anyone who is interested in saving some $$ this year and starting your own seeds indoors.

First, HERE is a great article by Nancy Bubel at Mother Earth News. It is Seed Starting Basics. It give good, simple info on starting your little seeds right the first time!

Second, before you start your seeds you want to know an approximate date of the last frost in your area. I searched with my Swagbucks toolbar and entered "last frost date". I was actually able to come up with several answers. Unfortunately, all different. I had looked up that info last year, and for my home, the last frost date was something like April 25th. According to last year (as far as I can remember), this date seemed accurate. But I was trying to find a good source to post here, and got dates from May 1st, to May 23rd! Quite a difference! But, if you find a reliable source that you think sounds about like the last frost date in your area, figure back 8- 10 weeks. That is the date you will want to plant your seeds. I remember a woman at a local greenhouse telling me once that they start planting their things on Valentine's day. So, if it is good enough for a successful greenhouse, it's good enough for me! If you are unsure of a frost date, you could call a local greenhouse (if they have hours this time of year OR call your local county extension office. I'm sure they would have info for you.).

Third, don't buy a bunch of expensive equipment! This probably should have been first... but I had to fit it in here! It is definitely NOT needed, especially for doing small scale! The only thing you may need to do is set up a lamp for extra light. A seedling needs about 12 to 13 hours of light a day. Which in Indiana, this time of year, we DEFINITELY don't get that. so, last year I set up 2 desk lamps, I turned them on first thing in the morning, and turned them off about an hour or 2 before I went to bed. I had them in the warmest room in our home (there is a corn burner 10 feet from where I had my seed table). And this year the only thing I am going to do different, is I actually purchased some plastic trays to start them in. Last year I started them in egg cartons. This worked but with very little soil, it was hard to transplant when they needed more for their root systems...

And lastly, keep your small children away from the seedlings. I learned this quickly when I found my then 1 year old in the middle of a dirt/ carton mess... SEVERAL TIMES. I know. You can hardly believe that my littlest angel would do such a thing. I did too. But, I will never make THAT mistake again! :)

So, I challenge you this year! Plant some seeds! Start some garden plants, flowers, or herbs in your home! It is fun (well, not like PARTY fun...) and rewarding to see those little seedlings pop through the soil... then to pick tomatoes from the vine of a plant you started from seed...

Linked to Frugal Fridays on Life As Mom!

SEEDS!!!

If it weren't a chilling 28 degrees outside right now, I would almost think it were Spring! The sun is shining and I got my seeds today in the mail! Woot!



Along with MANY variety of Heirloom seeds, I also got seeds and Sprout topper to try my hand at growing sprouts... We love salads around here, and I guess they are a good additive to sandwiches too... I will let you know how that turns out! Just another way of getting extra vitamins into your meals! And I got a book with a lot of recipes for homemade natural cleaners, and many other things for home and garden... Sweet!



In case any of you wanted to know, here is a list of Heirloom seeds that I got:

• Kentucky Wonder- Pole Beans
• Golden Bantam- Corn
• Boothby's Blonde- Cucumbers
• Australian Yellow Leaf- Lettuce
• Giant Noble- Spinach
• Delicata- Winter Squash
• Vegetable Spaghetti- Winter Squash
• Pruden's Purple- Tomatoes
• Zucchetta Pampicante Tromboncino- Zucchini
• Red Russian- Kale
• Wild Lupine
• Honey Rock- Melon (for my mom)
  
• Moon & Stars- Watermelon (for my mom)

The 2 that are for my mom, I may see if I can keep a seed or two to try... ;) The Kale is mostly for our animals, but I am willing to eat it also. I have never tried any winter squash before, but an excited to try it, and see how long it actually DOES last in the winter. The Zucchini (with the really long name), well these are going to be fun. They grow about 3 feet long (sometimes longer!). And the rest, well, I can almost taste it now....

For fun, we also got these non-heirloom seeds:

• Grey Stripe- Sunflowers
• Bird House- Gourd
• Luffa- Gourd
• Strawberries!!!
  

Sunflowers for eating, Birdhouse gourds, well for birdhouses! And Luffa gourds, to make actual Luffa out of! You know the stuff you can use to scrub your dishes or yourself in the shower! Strawberry plant will be sent after the frost! I can't wait!

We are very excited about starting all of these new varieties!

This is our first year ORDERING seeds. Usually we will buy the standard seeds from an Amish greenhouse or last year I wasted my money on seeds from a farm store. It was horrible. I planted my green beans 3 times, and in the end, only about 3/4 of them came up. I have NEVER had that kind of trouble before. Grrr!

SO this year I ordered from Pinetree Seeds. My aunt has ordered there before and said she liked them. The prices are GREAT for heirloom seeds, and I got my order in a week from ordering them (I called in my order). The corn and cucumbers I ordered are on back order, but should be to be in 30 days, it says.

Well, off to stare at the box of seeds again and dream of Spring... Kidding. I wish I had time to stare at a box of seeds... I will keep you updated on on of my EXCITING (ha!) seed stories! :)

Less Sugar, Less Processed...

Food. Especially 'convenience' food can be cheap and free many times with coupons. But have you ever looked at the nutritional value of these convenience items? Straight out of a horror movie, I tell you! Well, maybe not THAT bad, but still... pretty bad.

Sodium levels are always terrible! Most the time I get canned veggies, I make sure they are 'no salt'. They don't taste bad at all, especially if you are making them in a casserole you'd never be able to tell.

Sugar levels are also crazy! I cannot believe some of the food items, that have High fructose corn syrup or other sugars in them. (Some Baby Formula has as much sugar as soda does!)

HERE is an article by Doctor Mercola, he always has wonderful, informational articles on health and wellness. This is an article about the crazy amounts of sugar in food... and at the end, what YOU can do to reduce the levels of sugar in your diet. Do you know how much soda an average American consumers per year? 60 GALLONS... (gag) 41 percent of that is sugar... The average American also consumes 141 pounds of sugar per year... :( Yuck.

There is a LOT of info on this subject at Dr. Mercola's site.

Some substitutes for sugar? He says to use these in moderation:

• organic cane sugar in moderation
• organic raw honey in moderation
• raw stevia (I was reading about this the other day, and leaves from a Stevia plant are 200-300 times sweeter than sugar!)

I know my family has been trying to reduce the amount of sugar in our diets for many years now, even more in these last 2-3 years. We RARELY buy soda, usually only if we have company. That doesn't seem very nice does it? I can try to make our company sick from feeding them more sugar! This many have to change! I have been trying to stay away from "processed" foods. I have been trying to find ways to make my own things from scratch. When you actually LOOK at what all is in those packets of gravy, taco seasoning, baking mix, pizza mix, muffin mixes, pancake mixes, ETC... there is a lot of stuff like TONS of sodium, sugar and many thing I have NO idea what it even is!

One of my goals, even more this year is to make sure I am growing and making more, that will bring health to my family. I would be very upset if someday one of my children developed Juvenile Diabetes or cancer, and I could have actually prevented it my limiting the sugar more in their diets.

How about you? Have any of you resolved to reduce sugar in your diets recently???

Snow's Gone... But Not for Long!

Friday night, almost all of the snow melted from around us. I was hoping it would, even the thought of muddy didn't bother me half as much as the thick layer of ICE all over everything did.

SO, it all melted away, and I can't say it FELT like Spring, but I have been dreaming of Spring EVEN MORE (is that POSSIBLE!?) these days. I see the snow all gone from my gardens, that soon will become one BIG garden (muah ha ha ha!!! - Evil laugh... ) I am from the safety and warmth of my home, planning my garden areas and animals we will have, where they will pasture, etc....

I will be even MORE impossible to live with when I get my SEEDS IN THE MAIL ANY DAY NOW! Oh my goodness, I can hardly wait! I have some little indoor plant starter container thingies to start some of my seeds SOON.... I will probably TRY to hold myself off until Valentine's Day, but I don't know if I can make it that long. I once heard a greenhouse owner say that is when she started planting all of her stuff...

Well, last week I was going to tell you that I had put more eggs in an incubator to hatch until the morning I was going to post it (day #2 in the bator), I went to turn my eggs and found that SOMEONE who shall remain nameless...


... had turned the knob and had it 10 degrees hotter than it was supposed to be. It was that way ALL NIGHT. Yes, you guessed it, cooked eggs. They were so HOT. I let them go until yesterday, then I candled the eggs (shining a light through them to check the progress of the baby inside). There was NOTHIN' in 'em. SO! I will have to start the process AGAIN, but this time put a baby gate up so MR. NAMELESS won't turn any more knobs!!!


Well, today we are supposed to get more snow... I will enjoy this while I can...


...while I dream of....


Ahhhh....

Is This The Life I Wanted?

No. No it isn't.

If you would have asked me as a child, if I wanted to have a farm where poop on my boots was "all the rage" and a constant thing, I would have said, "I don't think so!". If you would have asked me while I was in high school, if I wanted to be a "farm girl" and raise animals, I would have said, "Ew! No way!" If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I wanted to shovel poop and deal with "farm smell", I would have said, "My husband will do it...".


Now, what has changed? Obviously my heart. But what has changed my heart? Why have I went from being just a stay-at-home mom, to a "farmer"? Well, I stopped trying to forage my own way. I started trying to listen to God speak in my everyday life. What has He said to change my heart?

Simplify.

Having to go see the latest movies in the theater, doesn't interest me much. Same as 'going out to eat'. Sure I like to have a night off every now and then. But I like to have nights when I can just sit on the swing in the back yard, watch the moon rise, and sit in silence holding hands with my hubby. Where we can sit and play board games with the boys, and fight to try to win, because they are little "smarty-pant's". When a good day's work actually makes you relaxed and ready for a good night's sleep.

I love the slower pace of our life. I love being able to serve things I have made from scratch for supper. I love the smell of fresh baked bread. I love simmering a whole chicken (that we raised, naturally), and then making so many things from it to feed our family a super healthy dinner. I love going into our barn and gathering eggs. I love the warm ones. I love the soft feeling of a chicken's feathers (they are WAY softer than you think!). I love the thickness of our sheep's wool. I love pushing my fingers down to their skin and hardly seeing much of my hand! I love the new goats and their friendliness. I love how they NEED you. I love to garden, and yes, I love to pull new veggies out, that first harvest...


Is this the life I would have chosen? No way. But, I am so glad that this is the life God has blessed us with, because it is WAY BETTER. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us this Spring... new turkeys, meat chickens, more egg layers, baby animals... Poop, mud, animal sounds, laundry, warm tomatoes from the vine, country wind, so quiet you can hear bees buzzing in the flowers, boys laughing, happy family. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Adding to Our Family?

Seems like several times lately, I have posted about adding to our farm family by hatching some new chicks, getting new sheep, goats, etc. But this addition is still a hope and a prayer.

We have 4 beautiful, smart, healthy boys. They are a total joy and my husband and I love being involved in their activities. They keep us "hopping" and I love it.

Now though, we want a daughter. I want someone to have a relationship with like my mother and I had. So, we have started to look into the adoption process.

We are just at the beginning stages, so we need lots of prayer. Prayer that wherever God leads us, we will follow without question. That if He stops this whole thing right now, that my heart would be OK with it, that if it DOES proceed, that we are able to adopt a healthy daughter. There are so many emotions that run with this process, and I guess you never realize it until you have your heart running in that direction.

Thank you ahead of time, for all of your prayers. I know God is in control, and He will do what is the best for all of us.

New Additions to the Farm...

We have some unhappy sheep... WHY? Well, because yesterday, we added to our Muddy Boots Farm Family....













We got 2 goats! Rose & Riley...



They are (hopefully) bred and will have babies (??) for us in the Spring. Then we are planning on milking them, I mean I am planning on milking them. They will provide us with milk for about 8 months out of the year.

Mmmm.... healthy, yummy milk. And maybe some cheese and soap.....





Welcome Rose & Riley!!!

New Things Happening on the Farm!

There are a few things happening on the farm! And I can't wait to show them to you!

BUT YOU HAVE TO WAIT! :0)

Sorry! But, after I get pics today, I will post to show you... Promise.

So, I guess I will see you all a bit later, with our new farm happenings!