Happy Mother's Day

Her children rise up and bless her;
         Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 
"Many daughters have done nobly,
         But you excel them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
         But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands,
         And let her works praise her in the gates.

~ Proverbs 31:28-31

Preparedness Challenge #7

Each week, those participating in the Preparedness Challenge hope to add at least one thing to our pantry or homestead that will help our families be prepared for some of the "what ifs" in life. While we can't do it all, forward progress is always better than no progress, and hopefully we'll gain momentum over time. Would you like to join us?


This week for the Preparedness Challenge, I purchased two replacement filters for my Big Berkey water purifying system. This product is great for every day, but if the water is ever cut off for some reason, I can filter rain water off the roof (if we were to get any!), lake water, or even water from a mud puddle and make it safe to drink! Often in a crisis, such as a hurricane, water supplies become contaminated and outbreaks of disease occur as a second wave after the initial crisis. This is exactly what they're facing in Haiti right now. You can only store so much water, so a purifier that really works should be a high priority for anyone seeking to be prepared. 

I also purchased a couple of books to help us on our homestead both now and in the event of a crisis. The first is Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables by Make and Nancy Bubel. I shared this book with a friend who is a mason who read through it and then we talked about where my family could build a root cellar and how. The only thing holding us up is money for the supplies. Eventually we'll get to this project and knowing in advance our plan will help us when it's time to put it into action. 

The second book, Gardening When It Counts by Steve Solomon, who was the founder of Territorial Seed Company, wrote this book specifically for growing high nutrient vegetables with little water on a very small budget and during hard times. I had picked up this book at the library about a year ago, but was put off with his introduction. Thanks to Gina at Home Joys, she encouraged readers to plow on through and find the gems in the book. I'm only about 30 pages into the book and I'm already glad I did! Rather than expound on it now, I hope to write a review of it when I'm done, but let me just say that he makes some excellent points and he has a lot of experience to go with it!


The potatoes are going in the ground today (at least some of them) and a friend helped us do a little more investigating into the natural springs on our property. Finally, I did a bit more sleuthing around on my property for more native plants. I can't say I found anything great, but there is tons of that nettle everywhere! Silly me, I had capri pants on when I went up the mountain and my leg is telling me about the nettle as I write since there was a small gap between my boot and the pants. Just enough space for the nettle to get me! Where is the plantain? I really would like to have a good crop of this on my property, but I'm not finding it anywhere! Perhaps it's to arid and dry here. Apparently you can buy the seeds and plant it, so I'll probably have to do that soon. Seems like I need it often!


Please share how you Prepared this week by leaving a comment below or write a blog post, add the Preparedness Challenge Picture with a link to Homestead Revival™, and then come back here and add your post to the Linky. Be sure to click your title and copy the URL that will link directly to the appropriate post on your blog so friends can find it easily.


Don't feel like you have to do a bunch of things; just one is great! The goal here isn't to out do each other, but rather to DO SOMETHING! 

Al Fresco Dining For The Summer

AL FRESCO DINING Definition: Italian for "fresh air"; eating outside, especially in temperate climates during the summer months when moderate temperatures and weather are favorable. Originally a practice to escape the indoor heat and dine in the cool air and shade of the outdoors. Often a casual meal where one lingers.

Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

Ever since we moved into our "forever" home, we have practiced al fresco dining all summer long. Our back porch area was non-existant for years until we could add a patio, so we placed an old rustic table on the front porch of our farmhouse. Anyone in the area could see us, but I really didn't care. For me, dining outdoors is such a treat that I just wave and go on with my meal, telling myself that they all wished they had a porch to dine on, too.

At first my husband didn't like eating "in public" very much, but it quickly grew on him and he was a convert as well and soon every meal in the warm months was taken out on the porch; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know the girls will have wonderful memories of this! When the brisk autumn weather returns each year, there is a bit of sadness as we realize we are eating the last meal of the season outside.


Time has passed and the back patio was finally put in place about three years ago, but we've continued to eat out front because we didn't have the back area set up for dining. If you remember, I recently moved the outdoor dining table to the school room for the girls, so now I have no dining area at all! With warm weather is upon us, I really need to come up with a frugal solution - fast!


Next weekend is the Community Rummage Sale and although I will have a booth, I plan to leave the family in charge a while so I can scour the other wares for a possible table and some chairs; rustic but comfortable and easy to store for the winter months. Pray that I score! I'd settle for just a great table this year and I'd use folding chairs (that I already have) until next season when I could add some new seating. But it would be awesome to find enough items to pull together a charming dining set.


The internet is wonderful for getting the creative juices flowing! Since I'm not normally an out-of-the-box thinker, I often need some inspiration to help me think of the possibilities so that I don't get my heart set on just one thing (which I often can't afford or find). Pinterest is always wonderful for lots of eye candy and heart stopping, artistic vision. Since frugal is a key word in this situation, I picked a few favorites that might fit that bill to inspire... 

 We don't get super fancy every night, but it's good to have something special like a candle or a small centerpiece. I keep a couple of items handy such as short glass vases that will hold birdseed with a candle, flowers, or fruit; an antique roasting pan with planted herbs; an old sugar mold with votives.

It's amazing what a few linens from inside the house can do to help transform a space. A large piece of fabric that is frayed on the edges and set at a diagonal works for color. Just add some cloth napkins and voila!

Another thing that creates ambiance is lighting and plants. A few potted items go a long way for softening a space. Don't forget that shrubs are excellent for this kind of application as well as flowering beauties. Christmas lights are cheap and add a touch of sparkle or try hanging a non-electric chandelier and add candles! One of my favorite items are the big strings of white carnival type lights.

These would be romantic for two. We have french doors just off our bedroom onto an area of the patio... perfect!

I don't have an orange grove, but I'm seriously thinking about some type of table in my vegetable garden so that we can dine out there on occasion. And why not? It's one of our favorite places! I love these retro industrial type metal chairs. They would hold up in the sun and weather but stack nicely for winter as well, although I might add a cushion on occasion.

{Sigh..... } 


Please share some of your outdoor dining tips so we can all get ready!

Keeping The Coop Tidy

Yes, I'm going to post on dealing with the poop in the coop today. And in exchange for your patience with the whole messy business, I'm going to throw in some cuteness as an extra... pullet chick pics! 

But you have to wait until the end to see more. So I apologize in advance for the less than lovely photos that are to follow beforehand! 

First we need to talk about the not so cute stuff. A messy coop means messy eggs and not so lovely chickens. While the coop will never be perfect, it can either be fairly clean or a breeding ground for disease. And who wants to go into a coop that always smells and is full of droppings? With a little care each morning and a bit more time once a month, your coop will be the pride of the county! 

Here is the drop pit where the big girls roost at night. I use pine shavings and pile them up deep. I've tried the hay, but it was just too messy for my liking, the droppings seemed to go right through it to the floor, and it was harder to clean up on a daily basis. The pine smells good and is easy for daily maintenance. I only have 6 layers right now due to the coyote who came for dinner... but that's another story.

My favorite tool for daily maintenance is a dog pooper scooper. I invested in a two piece set that is well made so it will last. As you can see in the photo below, it's easy to just push the droppings into the scoop with the hoe-like tool.

But it's even easier to use the tool to just scoop and lift it out. All this goes into a pail until I'm done with the clean up. After the drop pit, I always check around other areas to get anything else that's been left behind before the girls went out for their daily spa treatments... you know, dirt baths, sun, etc.

Next, I take care of the nesting boxes. Somebody usually makes a mess in here a couple of times before the week is out - at least! 

I use a spackling tool for this job.

Since it sometimes gets on the wall of the box, the flat edge is handy for scraping it off. Then I just lift the droppings out and into a pail...

At the end of the cleanup, I just carry it to the composter and add it to the heap.

And the chickens live happily ever after... well, pretty much. It stays nice for the most part, but once a month in the winter, we pull out the shavings, add them to the compost pile, and add fresh shavings. During the summer, the chickens are out all day, so it can go a bit longer between big clean outs. (Remember, it doesn't rain here much, so sun and outdoor time for chickens is the norm).


So, on to more pleasant things, like cute baby pullets...

I haven't named any chicks since my first batch 4 years ago, but these 8 girls seem a bit special. If you remember, this group was the first that I raised in a brooder that had a view to the outside. We placed it in the laundry room and handled them a lot. It's really paid off as I can handle them easily. They're in the chick section of the coop, separated by a screen door from the current layers, and the new girls are doing great out there!

Someday, they'll graduate to the big room. You can tell they're a bit anxious. Over achievers, I'm sure!

Before we brought the chicks into the coop, we deep cleaned it, which is a good idea to do each spring. Jill at The Prairie Homestead wrote an excellent post on the subject of Naturally Disinfecting The Chicken Coop which was a wonderful help. 


Can you share any tips for keeping a coop clean that would help the Homesteading Community?

Dear Daughter... Letter One

This May, my husband and I will celebrate 27 years of marriage! Next January I will be almost half a century young (does that really make me old?). And now my hair really is getting very grey! (I like to think of it as natural highlights). Thankfully, I have walked with Christ for 29 of those years! Perhaps, just maybe, I qualify as an older woman in the Lord who might speak to the younger in years and impart some wisdom from having traveled through a bit of life. 

I do not think of myself as an expert on any topic and others could certainly qualify more than myself, but I keep thinking... what would I do differently if I were 21 again? And thankfully, not everything I did was wrong. I really did get a few things right, so I've also been thinking of what I would do again if I were 21.

Really... it's all about what I would like to pass on to my daughters. Truths I want them to know; ideas that worked better than others; things I wish I had heard as a young woman years ago. So, with Titus 2:3-5 in mind, I will occasionally be writing a blog post specifically with my daughters (and perhaps some of you!) in mind.


Shall I begin?

Dear Daughter,


There are things in life that you must experience yourself to truly understand, but my heart would have you seek and hear wisdom in order to make the most of the days ahead of you. Some women gain profound wisdom in the dawn of their life while others remain fools until the sun sets in the end. Perhaps you would consider a few thoughts on what I would do differently if I were young again, but with the hindsight of wisdom; things that you can apply to your life early on while the sun is still rising.


It's hard to know where to begin because it would seem that I would address the most important thing first. I find that very difficult because so many things seems to be a priority. Perhaps it would be better if I write as the Holy Spirit leads; as things come to mind and as I meet them face to face on a daily basis.


Which leads me to thoughts of pride, humility, and a teachable spirit...


If I were young again, I would listen more and talk less. I would ask more questions and ponder the answers. I would withhold my opinions unless asked, and when given, I would try to do so in only one or two sentences! While young, I would save my soapbox for journals and prayer before God, asking Him to sort out those things that seem unjust and to guide me in actions more than talk! (While there is a time and a place to speak and be bold, let it be for the biblical truths that are clear in scripture; the black rather than the grey areas, and always covered in love.) 


It's easy to think that you see the whole picture on a subject, but so many times I gave such strong opinions on something, only to find a few minutes later that I did not have all the information or had not even considered some related thought! And then there were the uncomfortable moments when I allowed an opinion to escape my mouth to suddenly realize I had said something directly about the person before me!


Do you always feel you are the one who is right? Does the inner soul claw to have the last word? Can you only see your own view on something? Do you always feel you must add your own thoughts to every conversation or lesson? Is your way the only way? Is pride not at the root of all these thoughts and emotions? 


Pride has a way of stripping you of joy. It robs you of the wonder of learning and seeing new things. It destroys love, kills kindness, and drives others away because it lays your heart bare for others to see the ugly places of the heart. It hurts and destroys rather than edifying and building up. "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands" (Prov. 14:1). Could this not have also been written "... the foolish tears it down with her own opinion? pride? mouth?"

Humility is the counter balance to pride. It is not a debasing of one's self, but rather knowing you are a daughter of the King and as such, a servant of His people! Your royal position is one of service and graciousness, rather than entitlement and scorn. As a princess, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought... but think so as to have sound judgement" (Rom. 13:1). Hear others, listen to their thoughts, and consider their ideas for at least five full minutes before giving your counter. Guard your mouth that you only use it to build up others rather than the giving of subtle comments and opinions in an effort to build yourself up. 


Without a teachable spirit no amount of counsel I give (or anyone else!) will every penetrate your soul; it can only be obtained when pride and humility have their proper place within the heart and when you've cultivated a desire to grow in the Lord. I pray that this will characterize your life throughout your entire life. 


Dear daughter, put off pride and clothe yourself with humility every morning! Wear it throughout the day as a covering. Ask the Lord to set a guard over your heart so that your spirit is teachable to the things that are true and profitable. Practice these things first and foremost with your own family, especially with your husband. He will respect you all the more for it and treasure you as a queen; your children will see and believe!


Whole books could be written on these three things, but it's not our minds that need convincing... it's our hearts! Oh, to have the years back to live these truths out when I failed to do so! I pray you have fewer regrets and more joy as you walk humbly with the Lord in this world.


Love, 
Mom

This post has been added to Raising Homemakers

Barn Hop #11

Hard to believe it's Monday again! Seems like it was yesterday. The days go by faster and faster now that spring is in full swing and it's actually warm enough to get outside and do some yard work. 


Because we live in a high risk wild fire area, we are required to clear any weeds, brush, and dead trim limbs within 100 feet of any structure. So we spent quite a bit of time this week mowing, using the weedeater, and cleaning up everything after the winter snows and rain. Not very exciting homesteading stuff, but it's the kind of thing that has to be done. The reward is how nice everything looks when it's finished!


I went into my hive again this past weekend (no bee stings!!). I needed to see if the bees were actually drawing comb on those hive frames I rigged with an extra bar and stip of beeswax. Take a look at the very first frame in the box...

Woo hoo! Look at that beautiful comb! Nicely done, bee girls. And that's not all! The bees actually filled out three other frames that I didn't remove because I wasn't sure if I should break it apart or not. Since it's foundationless, sometimes the bees get a little excited and build up comb where you don't really want it. 


I'm still learning, but apparently, I need to break them apart at some point and either wire the comb in or not break it apart and move them to the outer edge. I didn't see the queen this time, but I'm fairly confident she was in the middle of that big comb area. I could use some sage advice from anyone who has been beekeeping a while and done it foundationless. Be sure to share your thoughts.


What's happening at your homestead? Join me and the other Homestead Barn Hop hostesses and link up to help cultivate the Homestead Community. 

Jill @ The Prairie Homestead

Kendra @ New Life on a Homestead
Megan @ A Blossoming Homestead

and Me!

1. Write a blog post about what's going on at your homestead or a post on something you're learning or an item of interest that will benefit the homesteading community. Be sure to add the red barn button and link back here so others can join in the fun.

2. Come back here and enter your information in the Linky. Please be sure to link to your actual post (click your title and then copy the URL above) and not your home page so those participating later in the week can find your post easily.

3. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment and tell us what's going on at your homestead!

I'm so thankful for everyone who has prayed and contributed to help the Lee and Crawford families who have been a part of this very blog hop. Who knew just a few weeks ago that we'd need each other in such a dramatic way? Having a loving community, both local and via internet, is truly a blessing! (If you would like to help, click here).

Please Note: As hostesses of the Homestead Barn Hop, please understand that we reserve the right to remove any links that are not family friendly. While this may be subjective, we will err on the side of caution in order to keep our blogs appropriate for all readers. Thank you for your understanding!

Sunday Blessing

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come? 

Photo Credit

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth. 

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep. 

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand. 

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night. 

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul. 

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

A favorite Psalm of mine that I had my children memorize when they were young. Meditating on the Word brings such comfort to the soul.