Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #8

Hello, it's Meaningful Monday.

This Monday will be made meaningful by

*Writing out a menu plan for four weeks, that I can keep on hand to grab and alternate as I need it in a pinch.

*Write down our short term and long term financial goals, they have been in my head spinning around but it's time to get them on paper so we can act them out. I am praying that 2011 is the year we are finally out of debt.  We have not used debt for 3 years but are of course paying off and paying for those past mistakes, or stupid tax as Dave Ramsey calls them.

I am eager to be financially free so we can help others!

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #5

Hello, it's that time again, Simplicity Saturday.

Before you post, Please be sure to link back to here, I have a button on the right here to make it easy!!! :) Just copy and paste the code below it and it will link back to here! :)

Ahhhh! I believe today is going to be a wonderful day. My spinach arrived from Baker creek Heirloom seeds, so today I'm gonna do some diggin' and some plantin'. But...... first things first.  The sun is shining and it's a simply marvelous day so I'm going to open up the windows here in the cottage and clean away before I get to have fun in the dirt.

On the note of simplicity I would love to mention an amazing book that we discovered this week, it's called Compact Cabins, you may have seen my link on the right already or you know about it.

My dream: to purchase a piece of land and build one of these compact cabins, there are so many ideas and possibilities in this book.  And I was thinking about larger families using compact living, possibly you can put two designs together to double your space. Now when you look at this book you'll think oh my thats small! The smallest cabin design in the book is 162 square feet. Can you imagine? Well, as the purpose of the book is mainly for get-a-way cabins, lake houses, or camps....however I think you could still apply it to homestead living as each design is either composed to be off grid or adaptable to such!

It even has designs to make a "cabin" from a shipping container and in one part puts them together to "double" your space.  Unique ideas on storage, sleeping, and storage closets for your solar batteries or camping gear.

I found the design that would best work for my family on page 88 it features the Clerestory windows (which I fell in love with) and the other reason I fell in love with it as unlike most of the designs it actually had 2 separate bedrooms. Most of the cabins have open floor plans so eating/sleeping/living is all in one room. 

It also mentions front porches could later be closed in for more additional space. Start small and build up as you can afford it.  Great ideas, wonderful book, fun read! I completely enjoyed it, and I don't even own it yet, a customer of ours discovered our similar interests and let us borrow it. Definitely on the list of books to buy!!! :)

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #7

WELCOME!

To the Seventh Week of Meaningful Monday

Today is meaningful because

I am free

God is Good

and in the words of Dave Ramsey, "I'm better than I deserve"

I made baked oatmeal for breakfast this morning and I am going to enjoy a wonderful school filled day with my daughters. Thank you Lord for all your blessings.

Share your meaningful Monday, it can be a poem, new book, meaningful thought, Scripture, recipe.......one reader once had a meaningful Monday (Modern Vintage Homemaking I believe) by having "phone coffee" with her mother, I thought it was sooo special.

Link up to the link tool below and please be sure to link back to here, I have a convenient Meaningful Monday button on the right to make it easy. :)

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #4

Welcome to the 4th week of Simplicity Saturday........share your simple Saturday with us. The link up tool is at the bottom of this post.

This includes: new recipes, a new favorite tea, ideas for a simple life, and more. Be sure to link back here to us, we have a button available on the right here to make it easy. :)

Today I would love to share that our Big Berkey arrived today with much excitement from us.  We have been buying water at the store, or people were filling up jugs for us.  This was both expensive and inconvenient. Right now the Berkey has a special with free shipping and you can receive for free the shower filter or the sports bottles. We chose the shower filter.

I was so excited to take a shower tonight, and my skin did feel different (softer) when I was finished. Hubby was able to install it very quick and easy, and the same for the Berkey light, before I knew it we had four jugs of filtered water ready, I cannot believe it filters four gallons per hour. That is amazing!  

To read even more about the amazing Berkey click HERE or click the banner on the right.

For a few days now I have been enjoying my Resolution tea from Bulk Herb Store.

The tea is so reasonable priced.  There is also a fiber mix which I ordered but have not tried it, it says it is best with orange or cranberry juice and as I do not have either right now I don't really want to try the fiber mix with just water.  Mom is trying it and says it works really well.

I love that the resolution tea contains nettles, alfalfa, corn silks, green tea and more.  I love the energy I get from green tea and nettles. The benefits in nettles is quite amazing. As mentioned at Bulk Herb, Nettles: are a significant source of vitamin C and vitamin A, bio-available minerals, including calcium, silicon, and potassium chloride; protein, and dietary fiber. 

They also have a new full color brochure which tells all the health benefits of all the herbs they carry, I take this on long car trips and read up on all the uses for different herbs.  Did you know Hawthorne is great for your heart? I didn't until I started reading their pamphlet.....just one of many gifts from God! :)

Multi-grain Bread using hand crank mill

As I mentioned in my earlier post I got my hand crank family grain mill in the mail. This is my first grain mill ever so I was pretty elated.  I got it used on ebay for $80.  Last night we all took turns, we ground some wheat berries and some flax seed.

After the kids went to bed I cracked some wheat and this morning we enjoyed hot cracked wheat cereal.  It was very tasty, I added some ground flax and butter, and threw in some chocolate chips too. :)

I was wanting to try out a multi-grain bread with the flour I had ground, and actually tried out a recipe I found on All-recipes, it is for a bread machine, but since I don't own one (we don't get along) I adapted it for my oven.

It makes a very small round loaf, so you will want to double it if you have several to feed.

Hearty Multigrain Bread

(Source: All-Recipes)

• 3/4 cup water
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons instant dry yeast
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons ground flax
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 tablespoon milk

I simply dissolved the brown sugar and yeast in warm water and added the rest of the ingredients, kneaded some and let rise for an hour and a half.  Then I shaped into a round loaf, let rise 30-45 minutes and baked @ 350 for about 30-35 minutes.

We enjoyed this as a wonderful afternoon snack with butter, the kids really liked it, and I did too!!! :)

• 
  

You can also purchase organic flax seed from the Bulk herb store for $5.95/per 1/2 lb. Click here

Hello! Cabbage :)

(our cabbage plants)

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

~Genesis 1:12

How wonderful are the seeds that God has given us, how wonderful that something so small can come to life and grow..........from the tiny seeds that develop into plants and trees that we eat, to the seed of life, the beginning of human life, all very precious.

Today when I noticed the cabbage plants were making themselves known I jumped for joy. The amazing gift God gives us to reproduce food for ourselves and others. I cannot express enough my thankfulness to Baker creek and their heirloom seeds. 

Another Scripture verse brought to mind when I am watering my precious seeds and taking care of them, nurturing and loving them is found in Psalms..."He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Precious seed here is speaking ones coming to Christ.....it is a time of rejoicing to see your sheaves (bundle of believers)........just like the excitement when we bring in the produce from our garden.  One is temporal and one is eternal and both important here on this earth. Random thoughts through my mind as I admired my seedlings today.

This week we have been clearing a little path to a big tree in the pasture. Future home of two tire swings for the children.  Great time to clear the way before annoying weeds and such take over! They are very excited!

I said I'd let you know how the soaked buttermilk biscuits turned out, recipe compliments of Prairie Homestead, oh they were simply amazing!

Wonderful flavor and soft texture with a flavorful crispy bottom from the butter!

You can check out her wonderful blog and get the recipe by clicking the button below:

I had mentioned that we purchased the family grain mill used off of ebay. We set it up and had fun grinding tonight.  First we did wheat flour, then flax seed, and then I cracked some wheat for breakfast in the morning. Honestly, it isn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I really like the family grain mill because 1. the burrs are replaceable, 2. it doesn't overheat the wheat and damage it, 3. the kids can even operate it, and trust me, they all tried!!!  I noticed that when you buy them new they also come with a lifetime warranty, all of this info really makes me feel that I made the right decision. And even though I don't have an instruction manual it was very easy to figure out. Schwew! :)

I pray you all have a blessed day, thanks for stopping by my little Cottage Homestead. I am happy to link up to the Simple Lives Thursday this week, always look forward to it!

~Marie

Oh yes, and before I forget I also received my Resolution tea and fiber mix this week from the Bulk Herb Store!  Mom and I went halves on it, and I really really love the tea, smells lovely steeping because of the cinnamon chips in it.  Full of goodness to give you energy, help in weight loss, and more!

You can check out there site by clicking HERE.  Just type resolution tea in the search box! :)

Sprouting Seeds

Calling all smart seed sprouters.....what is the most economical seed sprouter? I would love to hear your tips? And where do you recommend getting seeds and what are the most nutritional seeds? The best healthy bang for my buck?

There are so many different kinds out there that I feel overwhelmed and I really don't know much about it except that it's fairly easy and good for me.

Thank you all for your input!

~Marie


Okay well I was reading around the awesome Morristribe blog tonight and I think Kelly answered a lot of my questions about seed sprouting, check out her youtube tutorial if you would like to learn too!!! Thanks Kelly

You can also visit her blog by clicking the button below:





Here are the lids she was referring to:

And organic Alfalfa seeds

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #6

Join us for the sixth week of Meaningful Mondays.

I adore poetry, going to share a couple poems here from 'The Book of a Thousand Poems'.

I feel this one is very appropriate with the time of year approaching!

(a recent sunset here at the Cottage Homestead)

Spring Work at the Farm

What does the farmer in the spring?

He sows the seed that harvests bring;

But first he wakes the earth from sleep

By ploughing it well and harrowing it deep

And busy must be the farmer's boy!

To care for the lambs that leap for joy.

To feed the calves so tender and young

He rises as soon as the day's begun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks to the Prairie Homestead I will be trying out these
Soaked Buttermilk Biscuits too!! I'll you all know how they turn out!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And Mondays here always require lots of "washing-up" after a busy weekend and the day of rest.  Love this little poem below.

The Washing-up Song

Sing a song of washing-up,

Water hot as hot,

Cups and saucers, plates and spoons,

Dishes such a lot!

Work the dish-mop round and round,

Wash them clean as clean,

Polish with a dry white cloth,

How busy we have been!

~Elizabeth Gould

I also want to share that my family grain mill arrived Saturday, looking for tutorials or youtube videos on how to use it, etc.  

We also lost a chicken this weekend to a raccoon. So sad!!! Her name was Tina and we loved her, it is always very heartbreaking when we lose one of our dear sweet ladies. She was a Polish hen.

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #3

Welcome to our third week of Simplicity Saturday.

A couple of years ago I took several photos using scrabble letters with phrases like simplicity, love, and more....never knowing that one day it would be a button for Simplicity Saturdays.  In-fact as I was going through my photo albums I spotted that picture and it sparked the idea for this link up.

This week I wrote in my 'Farm Journal' of some things we are wanting to do this Saturday.

1.  Call a local farmer for free poop (found on craigslist)

2. Call and set up time to get some barred rock chicks

3. Call two farmers here locally, I found selling chemical free chickens to eat. :)

Healthy Breakfast

This morning I made my favorite whole wheat oatmeal pancakes, recipe found here.

I served them without syrup, I usually make homemade syrup but I am trying to cut out the sugar.  They topped them with peanut butter, and I didn't get too many complaints. :)

I'd like to tell you about my cheap kitchen island. I purchased an antique sewing machine cabinet for $8 at a thrift store, the machine doesn't work. My hubby bought me a Paula Deen dough/cutting board and it fit almost perfectly. I have a super small kitchen so this is the perfect size for an island. I've always wanted one. The kids keep a little chair by it to help me cook.

~*~*~THE SCOTTS REEL MOWER~*~*~

IS HERE!!!

We have yet to assemble it. Hubby is showing if off here for you...ha ha ha.  It's not a John Deer but it's green. :) We cannot wait to use it!!!

It has an easy adjuster to set the height you want to cut the grass!!!

Tell me about your Simplicity Saturday, be sure to link back here.. please. I have a beautiful button on the right with the code underneath so you can easily add it to your post. :)

Blessings,

Marie

Tonight I planted seeds

I enjoyed a wonderful day today and ended it burning the midnight oil. However I was planting seeds so maybe you could say I was turning the midnight soil....okay okay I know, that's corny! :)  This is the first time I have started my seeds indoors in my own home.  When I was a teenager I worked in a greenhouse but it is a bit different in my own house.  I don't own any special peat pots, so I just used my egg cartons, and I suppose if I need to transplant to a larger pot I can do that.

Tonight I planted onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes. As I have mentioned before I purchased  these heirloom seeds from Baker Creek, found here.

Shipping was very low only $3.00 and they ship out very fast!  Even though I am only an hour or so away I had them delivered to save on time and gas. :)

It was tempting to try so many different varieties, but I really wanted to keep my cost down....I'll share with you a few of the varsities I am trying out.

The Earley Jersey Wakefield Cabbage..........according to Baker Creek "Introduced in the 1840's, with tasty 2-lb. sweet and flavorful conical heads. This very early variety was sold commercially by Peter Henderson in the late 1860's."

and a reviewer said the heads were incredibly sweet and made wonderful slaw....that is was sold me! :)

Stuttgarter Onion

Baker Creek says..."A tasty old favorite that sets medium-large, yellow onions with a good, pungent flavor. This variety is among the best keepers and produces well. Plant some of these for winter eating and store them clear through to next spring. "

The fact that these store good sold me on this one!!!

Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli

 An Italian heirloom variety that provides many more shoots after the main head is cut.....looking forward to eating this soon!!! I truly cannot wait.

Green Macerata Cauliflower

 Another Italian variety as well and it caught my eye because of its bright apple green heads, baker creek says that it is a vigorous plant.....my friend makes a wonderful chicken, cauliflower, rice dish that I cannot wait to try this in!!!

Amish Paste Tomato

I only wanted to purchase one tomato variety this year, I just want to keep it simple. So I asked my intelligent neighbor what she would recommend and she said she always goes with the Amish Paste from Baker Creek. This one is perfect for paste or canning, comes form an Amish community in Wisconsin. I pray my tomatoes make it this year, I have had issues with blight in the past.

So there you have it, this is what I am starting out with.  I can always do more but for now I want to start small and work my way up. I don't want to undertake more than I can handle either.  In a week I will place another order for my beans, pumpkin, sunflower, and corn seeds.  Looking forward to trying out their strawberry popcorn variety. It looks beautiful!

What are you planting this year?

3 things on my list

I got several magazines in the mail this week and have been drooling. My Lehman's catalog and the newest catalog from the Bulk Herb Store, I always learn so much every time I look at their website or read their catalog.

There are three things on my list that we are planning on getting soon, these things will not only save us money but help us prepare for simple living.

1. The Big Berkey water filter......we have a well with hard water and the berkey is going to save me a lot of money, it is so convenient, and most importantly...healthy!  The berkey removes E. coli, pesticides, aluminum and so so much more. That's just what I remember off the top of my head. The berkey is also used by missionaries in foreign countries.  It's ability to filter "raw" water is absolutely amazing! So I'd love to know..."Do you have a berkey, do you love it"?  I have a friend on facebook that has had one for 12 years and LOVES it! Cannot wait to get it!!!

2.  A hand crank flour mill, I know there are hand crank mills out there for up to $2500. That is NOT in my budget, I really can't even afford the ones for $100-$500.  I have seen the Victorio and the Back to Basics mills......I have read some good reviews and some bad ones.  Can I get by with one of these that run around $69?  Please comment if you own one, or tell me about your flour mills, I would love to hear!!! Personally I really want to go with a hand crank to really be prepared for living off the grid!

And then there are these ones as low as $19.99....I can't help but wonder if they really make a fine flour.  Several reviews I have read say they are good for cereals or cracked wheat.

3. The next thing is a wood stove, my dream stove is found over at Lehman's, the baker's oven wood stove, oh my what a dream that would be, but the price tag is $2500.  This wood stove not only heats your home, but has an oven rack in the bottom and is large enough on top for 4 large stock pots!

Isn't she beautiful???

But for now I have a simple wood stove, we just need to purchase the steel pipe and my Dad is going to help us install it, we are so excited!!! It will be such a good feeling to know, that if the power goes out I WILL have heat!


P.S. I'd like to also add that my seeds came in today from Baker Creek, and I will be planting away indoors tomorrow, cannot wait! This is my first year to order from Baker Creek, and I love the fact that I am supporting a local business!

P.S.S. This year we will also be trying out a reel mower. After reading several reviews we settle on this one...the Scotts 20".  With free shipping it was quite a steal!

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #5

Sorry for the delay, because I am posting this so late, I am leaving it open until Wed. have fun.

My Monday is very meaningful today because I'm spending it with my sweet Mother. We always have soooo much fun together, laughing till we cry usually!!

We are going to make my favorite brownies EVER today!! :)

This recipe comes from my favorite Betty Crocker:

To view Betty Crocker Cookbook click here: BETTY CROCKER'S COOKBOOK

Best Brownies EVER

(my version below) Source: 1971 Betty Crocker

12 Tablespoons Cocoa

2/3 cup oil plus 4 Tablespoons oil

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1-1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingred. together. Heat oven to 350. Spread in greased 9 x 13. Bake 25 minutes, do not overbake.

Sometimes I add a handful of choc. chips or white choc. chips to the batter. But they are divine even without it, fresh from the oven with hot butter on them....

Please kindly link back to here, tell your friends, fb, or twitter. I have a lovely button on the right for meaningful mondays if you would like to grab! Blessings

~Marie

This is also linked up to Fat Camp Friday

and

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #2

Welcome to the second week of Simplicity Saturday

I am also linking up to the awesome Barnyard Hop over @ Homestead Revival

I hope you'll join us....here in the Ozarks we have had some extremely nice weather and it has me thinkin', and a plannin', and getting oh so excited for Spring!!! :)

Today I am planning things to make my life run simpler.

1. Planning a simple menu for two weeks worth of meals, that is frugal and uses several same ingredients.

2. Planning my garden: my goal is to can and freeze enough fruits and vegetables for my family for the entire year, while I may not reach this goal, I am going to aim for it. Looking forward to the garden this year (even if though it may be a smaller one) and checking out my local farmer's markets!!!

(Cleaning out the chicken coop for the garden, Maci is overseeing the whole process!!!)

3. As you know and have seen on my earlier posts I do not use our dryer much (only for towels and Steve's work rags), so I am enjoying hanging laundry on the line with this unusually pleasant weather.

(I know it's crooked :), I got this for $10 on craigslist, thankful for my clothesline!!!)

How are you enjoying a Simple Saturday, please share with the link up below, include a link back to here (I really appreciate that), tell your friends, FB, twitter to your hearts content. 

Above all, have a blessed day my friends!

(This is our cat Chipmunk, I think it's funny how cats think your doing things just for them, oh they crack me up!!!)

Don't forget to grab my button on the right!!! :)

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #4

What are you doing to make your Monday meaningful???

Will you be doing something special for Valentines?

Something unique for your children? A few years ago we bought ingredients for everyone to make their own Ice cream Sunday.........it was so much fun and the kids still talk about it!!!

This Monday I thought about making a special meal and having the girls put on apons and pretend to be hubby and I's waitresses, have them make out little menus, etc......I mentioned it to them and they really want to do it, so maybe we will. :)

Share with me on the inLinkx below what you are doing to make it a meaningful day, rather that be read a new book, do something special for someone, make something new, or study a new Bible verse!! I'd love to hear, I'm needing ideas today!!! :)

I have a button on the right for you to put on your post, feel free to grab the code underneath and kindly link back to here, tell your friends!!! :)

My love print available in my etsy shop