The Simple Woman's Daybook - September

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it is dark and cold.


I am thankful...for life. I am glad to be given another day. I am glad to have six children and a wonderful husband. I am thankful for a healthy dose of perspective when things don't always go the way we planned.

From the learning rooms...We are moving a bit slow this week. With Gramma coming tomorrow and staying for 7 weeks, we have been a bit distracted with preparations. On top of that, we are still trying to finish putting up the 40+ pounds we got from the sheep last week.

In the kitchen...Egats! My kitchen needs a bit of help. I am taking a short sit down break to write this and then back to work. I have to make room for all the food Gramma will be bringing tomorrow. Bless her heart!

I am wearing...Denim. I need to be wearing a sweater and socks. It is cold tonight! Oh, and I actually put in a pair of earrings. I haven't worn any for probably a year. Doug thought they looked very feminine.

I am creating...a tunic length knitted vest. It is variegated purple wool, open in the front with a tie. I love having a good knitting project during Sukkot.

I am going...nowhere exciting. I can't even look forward to food co-op because I didn't get an order in this month.


I am reading...a book about food rationing during World War I, titled Everyday Foods in War Time . It's a very interesting read, outdated, but fascinating. Her understanding of nutrition at the time was uncanny. She lived in a world that had just invented oleomargarine, but also had some grasp of the importance of vitamines, as it was spelled at the time. Oh, and she knew that oatmeal should be cooked overnight, wise woman. :)

I am hoping...that my ebook will finally be available on Amazon this week.

I am looking forward to...Gramma's arrival tomorrow. She is more than a mother-in-law, but truly a friend. We have wonderful visits together.

I am hearing...the dishwasher, my drippy faucet and the clock ticking. Can't wait for a new faucet, and what possessed Doug to wind that clock again? I find myself doing everything in time with the clock. Very annoying.

Around the house...We are almost clean and shiny for tomorrow. I still have work in the kitchen, of course, but the rest is pretty good. I even cleaned my desk, ie my life, which seems to need tidying daily.

I am pondering...how to better implement Torah in our daily goings on. Can I be a better example? Is there a command that we have missed and need to be incorporating?

One of my favorite things...chocolate. Where is it when you need it?

A few plans for the rest of the week: Stuff hotdogs into casings, greet Gramma, absorb all the food she will be bringing into the kitchen, develop an entirely new daily routine, make soup, prepare for Shabbat, REST!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

 brotherly love xoxox

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Passive Solar Heater

I wanted to show you one of our summer projects. It is a passive solar heater based on the principle that hot air rises and cold air sinks. We built it with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood for the back. It has two holes on the top for vents and two holes on the bottom. We cut them so they would fit between studs. We put a frame around them, using lumber similar to 1 x 6's. I painted the entire thing flat black to absorb heat. Then we used the front loader on the tractor to lift it up the wall. Doug used lag screws to attach it to the wall of our pole barn. Then he cut holes in the wall for the vents, lining up with the holes we had cut in the back. We used a saw-za with a bimetal blade. If you don't have the right cutting tool, it will not be much fun. Here you can see the open box up on the wall.

So, once we had the holes cut right through the wall, and the paint touched up, we were able to install the clear plastic corrugated panels. We put expanding foam along the two long sides, and caulk to seal in the other cracks. We put caulk along the seam where the two panels meet in the middle, and discovered that some little bolts to hold the layers together was very helpful. The only thing left to do is put some screening over the holes on the inside wall to keep out bugs. It was an interesting project, and we plan to install a few more.

Windmill Step 3 and a backyard tour

We have made a little progress on our windmill. The posts for the guide lines are cemented in, and we picked up 600 feet of cable to use for the guidelines.

Our property has a lot of old big trees. No matter what location we picked, we had to have the tower bigger than the big trees.

Below you will see a closeup of the hinge mechanism on the tower base. We will use the bottom bolt as a hinge to lift the tower in position. Doug will be lifting it up with a cable and his tractor. Then we will put in the top bolt (3/4") and connect the guide lines to the cemented in posts.

And now I thought you'd enjoy some pictures of our backyard, where the windmill will be located. It is actually a pasture, too. When you walk out our sliding door, you are in the pasture. It is fun to watch the animals walk by while we are eating dinner. Behind the fence line, you can see that we are barely holding back the wilderness. We love it!

Our chicken coop, milking shed, and barn

The lovely willow trees that all the animals relax under

My new clothesline!

Doug has been meaning to put it up for five years, but he got real motivated when the dryer broke lol!

Cloth diapers

I am so happy to get Noah out of disposable diapers. Spending that money every week really bothers me, when all I am doing is throwing it away. You might have guessed that I'm not a fan of disposable anything. I used disposables to start with because his bum is so small and it's hard to get anything to fit. But he is growing so well that today, I was able to get him in cloth diapers. Here is a close up of what I am using right now.

Noah is wearing an infant sized prefold with pins. The cover is a fleece pull on cover, very easy to sew and use. The pattern can be downloaded free here:
Fleece pull on diaper cover pattern
In the past, I have knitted wool covers and longies. I actually sold them for awhile. But right now I like the convenience of throwing the fleece covers right in with the diapers to wash.

Elisha has a few different styles of covers. Some of them are pocket diapers, where you actually slide the prefold inside the diaper. His covers all have elastic around the legs and velcro closures. I think I will switch him to the pull on style for the summer so he can wear them like shorts.

I love the prefolds because of their versatility. I keep a pile of prefolds on the changing table, and can grab them for Elisha or Noah, and just use different covers. I can use pins, or lay them inside a cover, or stuff them in a pocket diaper.

Cloth diapers are totally doable. Give them a try!

Expert tip: Changing diapers all day can be pretty boring! Make it fun by tie dying your prefolds. Believe me, it will bring a smile to your face.  :)

"Mom, can I have my shirt back now?"

Windmill Step 2

We succeeded in getting the base set in concrete today. It will have to set for at least seven days before we can continue. If you can see in the pic, we have big bolts going through the three poles. That was the tricky part, getting all the holes to line up so we could get the bolt through. The bottom bolt will act as a hinge when we lift the windmill in place. Doug worked quite a while to get everything level, and then braced it to hold everything in place. Now, hopefully, it will remain undisturbed until the seven days are up. :)

Windmill Step 1

We are installing a windmill! We were able to get a windmill kit with all the electrical components pre-wired. (Praise YHVH for tax returns!) So our major job is to get the tower installed and connect the wires to the house. Here is step 1 of our project. We dug the hole for our concrete base. Today we will be drilling some holes in our poles and hopefully get them cemented in.

A "girlie" service project

I love cloth pads. The disposable varieties drive me crazy, so give me my flannel! That said, I came across this blog post, and thought I would pass it along. It describes a ministry of making cloth pads for girls in other countries that need them. I think this is a wonderful idea, and some time in the future, I hope to participate. I would encourage you ladies to start with your own home, and perhaps make a few to send to another girl who would really appreciate them.

Two words

Green grass

 

Happy 9th Birthday!

 

Two weeks

 

Fluffy chicks

 

 Cheap gas

 

Long driveway

Little scarecrows

 

Happy 4th Birthday!

Hippy Hair

Hi Daddy!

Shabbat Shalom to everyone.

Sourdough Adventures

This is my bowl of sourdough starter. My timing was impeccable, as I started this about a day before Noah was born. Consequently it got a difficult start, and wasn't rising as it should. I added some rye flour, and the thing just exploded! This morning we enjoyed sourdough pancakes. I poured the batter in a cast iron frying pan and baked it for 15 minutes. Delicious! Note to self: make a double batch next time.

This evening we enjoyed a sourdough spice cake. If this is sourdough, count me in!

I have messed with sourdough before, but sourdough bread doesn't excite me, and sourdough biscuits only seem to fit in a Sukkah setting. So when I found the ebook about sourdough at culturesforhealth.com, I was pleasantly surprised. They have recipes for everything from tortillas to cookies, along with bread, of course. Check out the link in the sidebar, and discover all kinds of wonderful things. :)

Fresh air project

It was nice to get outside today. Noah and I enjoyed some fresh air while we supervised the building of this:

This is our very first square foot garden and we are very excited. I do not have a green thumb or a green toe, but I hope that this year's garden will give us a positive experience. After all, I have a dehydrator that really likes to be used. :)

Water kefir, teeth, and other things

Wow, I have missed my blog. I have not been able to get on the internet for nearly a week. I still don't know what the problem is and can't get a hold of my service provider. Thankfully, my mom told me about a free dialup service and I am back in business again.

I have used milk kefir grains for a long time, not as regularly as I should. The only problem is that my husband doesn't like dairy, aside from cheese, particularly my homemade cheese. He is very supportive of healthy, nutritious food, but we all have our limits. So I was very excited to stumble upon the idea of water kefir. But then bedrest happened and I nearly forgot, until I tried to buy mesophilic culture for making cheddar cheese. (The first cheddar batch of the season is aging nicely. I love making cheese!) I stumbled across Cultures for Health. They have excellent information, recipes, etc. So I ordered water kefir culture. It came yesterday and is rehydrating on my counter right now. Doug is very excited about it. He wants to try ginger flavored kefir. I'll keep you posted on how well it is received.

In other news, I have been reading a very interesting book.







It has been very eye-opening. Okay, it has in some ways been so frustrating that I wanted to cry. It is hard to learn that even though I do my very best to feed my family well, I still need to improve. Even though I have made very good effort, my two oldest children still have dental problems. One has a problem with plaque, and one has already had to have a few cavities filled in her baby teeth. I don't appreciate taking them to the dentist, and being lectured about the importance of flouride (which is not permitted in our house) and being called a liar about how much juice I let them drink. As you can guess, I am anxious to get their teeth in better shape in a better way.
This book has been very helpful. The majority of dental problems can be fixed with improved diet. Much of the changes needed involve more steps in food preparation. My grain preparation is now a bit more involved. Doug has once again been very supportive and is helping with those extra steps. If you are struggling in the dental arena in your home, I would encourage you to glean what you can from this book. I downloaded the free kindle app for my computer, and was able to get the book for $10, instead of $26.

And a little about me! I am slowly getting back on my feet after a two week bedrest. I have been feeling cruddy, and I think it is partly my body trying to get rid of the remnants from the medication. It served its purpose when needed, but I'll be glad to be rid of it. Thankfully, I don't need it anymore, and Noah is free to arrive anytime. So I am trying to get my house back in order and ready before he does make his appearance. This is a challenge, because I work for about 20 minutes, and rest for nearly an hour, so I can get up and work another 20 minutes lol. Things are slowly coming together. My birth kit is laid out in piles just like I like it. Unfortunately, the piles found in other parts of the house are not like I like them lol.

I have also been researching in the educational department. I have been rethinking some of the ways I do things. This is still a process in my brain, so I will share more when I have things a little more concrete.

Shalom to you all!

Helpful daughters

(This is last year's milking season. We don't have green grass yet lol.)
Milking has been so much nicer with some helpers. My daughters have taken it upon themselves to go with me to the milking parlor. It is easy to underestimate what they are capable of, but they have proven very helpful.

Here is what milking looks like at our house.
The girls usually get a headstart on me while I get the milking pail and filter ready. When I get to the milking parlor (which used to be a grainery that Doug made over for me), Holly has usually caught the does and has one on the stand waiting for me. Naomi is very good at filling the grain which they get to eat while milking. Sadie likes to stand on the milking stand looking out the window. She lets me know if she sees the baby lambs. Holly can milk Pomegranate pretty well. I just have to finish her off to make sure she's empty. Then Holly tucks the goats in their stall for the night. If I decide to catch Peach, Holly makes sure her baby Magnum is all tucked in in his stall. Naomi enjoys sweeping and cleaning out the stalls. So I only have to milk Kiwi and Peach (only in the morning), and filter the milk into a big jar. When we're done in there, we make a quick trip  through the barn to check on all the babies. Sometimes the girls do this for me, too. Then I carry the milk in, and we're done!

The bigger I get, the more grateful I am for their help. Any job is easier if you don't have to take it on alone.

My 100th post!

Wow! What a special day!  This is my 100th post!  How shall I celebrate?  I know!  I'll catch a cold and tell you how I'm treating it lol!
Obviously, getting up at 4:00am a few days in a row has worn me down and I find myself with a cold and extreme desire to nap.  Elisha is also not feeling very well, so Mommy must take action.  Herbs are a wonderful thing, so here is how I have been using herbs today.  Sorry, no pics.  I'm not feeling well, remember?

First of all, I made elderberry syrup.  Elderberry is very good at fighting viruses, so everyone in the family gets some.  Here's my recipe.

3 cups water
1 cup honey or vegetable glycerin
dried elderberries, peppermint and yarrow (I don't measure, just get a good mound in your pan.)
Simmer together for about 45 minutes.  Cool and strain out the herbs.
When we are sick, I give a dose about every half hour.  You will have to determine a good size for a dose, depending on the person.

Next, I made a garlic broth.  I chopped up some garlic cloves, onion, celery, and added sage and cayenne pepper, all of which help relieve cold symptoms.  Garlic is particularly good for infection.  I simmered this for awhile and then added elbow macaroni so I could get it in me.  A little salt made it palatable.

This afternoon I plan to make my homemade version of Vicks rub.  Have you ever made your own ointment?  It is a wonderful thing to be able to do.  Here's a general idea.

2 cups olive oil
1/4 cup grated beeswax
20 drops each of eucalyptus oil, lemon oil, and rosemary oil
Simmer the olive oil and beeswax just until the beeswax melts.  Remove from heat and add essential oils.  Pour into little containers, such as a tin or baby food jar.  Let cool and rub on the chest to help relieve congestion.  I find this works very well to help Elisha sleep.

If you haven't started learning about herbs and their usefulness, I would encourage you to do so.  YHVH gave us a wonderful gift in the plants.  We do well to know how to use them.  I learned much from the book Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health
There are also many other books that will get you started on your way.

My lack of a dehydrator

I have a great desire to own a dehydrator.  I have researched and found what I feel is the best balance between low wattage and full features.  I definitely want to dehydrate liquids, so I must be able to get leather trays.  The only problem is paying for it lol.  I really want to pay for it without going into the household budget, so I wait a little longer.  In the meantime, however, my desire to dry everything in sight will not be silenced.  So, once again, necessity is the mother of invention.  Here is my solution until I get a real dehydrator.

A combination of cookie sheets, cooling racks, and my woodstove have given me rather pleasing results.  The kids left out some carrots, celery and bananas, so I grabbed them.  A stray partial onion also got nabbed.  They soon found themselves sliced thin and lined up in rows.  About 8-10 hours later, the bananas disappeared, and the carrots, celery, and onions found their way into a jar now reserved for dry soup veggies.  Next we tried canned peaches.  I put up jars of peaches last year only to discover that my kids don't really like canned peaches.  So we opened a jar and dried them up.  They tasted like fruit rollups.  Yummy!  They also disappeared.  By the way, the woodstove is also very good at drying up sprouted grains that need to be ground.  I used a few soup veggies in a pasta salad this evening, and Doug was completely sold.  "These are like real carrots!"  Well, they are real carrots, but I didn't cook them beyond the 7 minutes I cooked the pasta.  I just let them sit in good warm water for about half and hour and then proceeded as usual.

Obviously, I have big plans.  By the time the real dehydrator arrives, I might just have the hang of this thing!  In the meantime, no abandoned partially eaten banana is safe.

You're kidding!

It's that time of year again!  Our first kid arrived today.  Doug found him a few minutes after birth.  We got him up on his feet and nursing and he is doing quite well.  His name is Magnum PI, in honor of Tom Selleck.  Good job, Peach!  You're a good mommy.

Our journey to simple living

I have always been drawn to the simple life.  My mom made our own clothes and toys, and my dad grew a big garden and hunted venison to help with food.  Now, with a home of my own and 5+ kids to care for, my heart is seeking the simpler ways again.  Part is from necessity, and part is from the desire to live as the scriptures teach. 

I am currently reading the book Living More with Less by Doris Longacre.  She wrote this book thirty years ago, from a mennonite perspective, but I am amazed at how her philosophies and ideas line up with Hebraic thinking.  We must look at our life as a whole, centered around relationships.  It is far better to work together, than spend our money on labor saving devices.  The list goes on.  So I have spent much time evaluating and trying to implement change where I feel led.  I thought I'd share a few things I have been doing.  Perhaps you will be inspired to seek the simple life, too.

The reason I bought the book in the first place was because we are trying to cut our electric bill, and use alternative energy where we really need it.  So I have been going through the house, looking at wattage on the back of all our appliances.  Shocking, really!  I am thankful that I bought some appliances that are hand operated, like my grain mill.  Yes, I turn a crank to produce about 4 cups of flour every day.  I have been unplugging things, but I can't believe I didn't look inside the dryer sooner.  It takes 5600 watts to run.  In my neck of the woods, that equals about $20 a month.  Well, I can think of some better uses for that money, like more bulk whole grains.  So, starting a week ago, I have been drying my clothes on a rack by the woodstove.  I was unsuccessful at first, but here a a few tricks I learned that you might find helpful.

  ~ I put my laundry in the washer right before dinner, and hang it on the rack by the woodstove right after dinner.
 ~ I do one load a day, which fits on my current drying setup.
 ~ I hang as much as possible on hangers on metal rods Doug rigged for me.
 ~ Diapers go at the top of the drying rack, where the heat rises.  They also get folded over the rod with one end longer.
 ~ Blankets and towels get flung over shower curtain rods.  Sheets go over doors.
 ~ Before I go to bed, I flip everything over that is hanging on the rack.
 ~ By breakfast, everything is dry and it gets sorted into small laundry baskets.  Everyone in the family has one with their name on it.  All the laundry is put away and the drying rack collapsed by breakfast.  No hanging laundry in everyone's way all day!

It would probably be fun to put 75 cents in a can every time I don't use the dryer!

We do not live with less for it's own sake.  We live with less so there is more to share with others.

Shabbat Shalom!