More changes than just the weather!

   

    Today we got up to a wonderful temp of 37 degrees.  I guess Father Time forgot to let Mother Nature know it's only OCTOBER!  LOL  I don't care, I'm loving it!!  I got to turn on my heated mattress pad and snuggle in the warm blankets.  We have had a fire for the past 3 mornings.  I made Zack and Alex hot chocolate with marshmallows and Andes candies before I got them up.  I was a nice momma and fed all the animals before they got up too.

     Well, I decided to go back to school.  It's not like I don't have enough to do, or that I get bored.  I just feel like there's more I need to know and more I need to do!  I chose to go back to Colorado Technical University Online.  I excelled in their school with their format and it is A LOT more accomadting to my life and activities than Georgia Perimeter College was.

     My classes begin Nov. 17, 2013.  Classes ALWAYS begin on Sundays. I explained to my advisor that we do NOT do work of any kind on Sundays, including school.  I will begin either on Moday or get a head start on Friday the 15th when they open classes for us to look at the syllabus and task list.  Nothing can be submitted in those first 2 days, but I can DO the tasks and then submit them on Monday morning.

     I actually grew a new part of my brain.  Our internet usage is quite high due to schoolwork, research and the fact that we do not have cable means we watch our shows through Netflix or HuluPlus.  We had AT&T's biggest residential package which was $45 a month and said it was unlimited access.  Well our second month here we exceeded our allocated bandwith.  Apparently "unlimited" to me is not unlimited to the company.  It actually was 150GB with up to 50GB available in chunks for $10 for each "chunk".  We have consistently used 2-3 chunks a month for a year.  That made my internet bill $65-75 a month instead of the advertised $45.  Well I checked into their "small business" accounts.  Guess what??  They have a small business account for $45 a month and it TOTALLY unlimited!  Plus it's a direct-dedicated line!  :)  I put in the order and set it all up.  We have had great access, no more dropped signals and NO overages!!

     On the farm side, Dwayne was here for the boys' birthday weekend.  His family raises pigs and rabbits.  He explained that my pigs are not breeding simply because they live together and my boar cannot detect the elevated hormones because he's literally side-by-side with her 24/7.  So now Zack and I are going to work on the other garden fence and then move him over.  It will give them some space and hopefully he will get a little more sensitive to her.  Plus, we are getting 2 more pigs from Dwayne's grandpa in about a week or 2!!  These will be just for the freezer ;)

Fall is HERE!!

     With a full day of rain the day before, Autumn came whispering in.  I have to say it was very welcomed!  Autumn means sweaters, boots, hot chocolate and soups!  Our highs for the next 10 days are not supposed to exceed 81 degrees.  <3  Now for a bit of perspective...a friend woke up to SNOW on her porch this morning!  (Of course she does live in Alaska...LOL)

     Last week I successfully built a PVC chicken tractor.  Cindy-Loo said I could have her hens, and I wanted something to keep them safe in.  I wanted something I could move around the goat pen by myself, if I needed too.  My original design was using 2 x 4's.  I needed it to be 100 sq ft to hold a maximum of 10 full size chickens.  The wood design would be wayyyy to heavy for me to move, so it became PVC.  Zackary and I made a couple of trips to Lowes.  Alley came along a time or two.  It actually took a few days to get it done and that frustrated me!

     Well, the chickens seem to be happy and that's all that matters!!  Happy chickens=many eggs!!  I have been able to move it several times already by myself.  We have 7 Rhode Island Red hens and 1 Silkie rooster ;)  

     I was also able to use the last piece of fencing and patch a hole in the goats' pen.  It was nice to go out there in the morning and find them still inside and griping!  LOL  I love their little bleeting sounds <3

     Today I was able to get some Fall Cleaning done.  I scrubbed my back hall walls and floor.  ANyone who has kids, dogs, and cats AND lives in red clay can see where this is going.  My walls were orange from the floor up about 3 feet.   The dogs loved when it rained and filled our little duck pond...unfortunately they did NOT like staying outside!  Tail swishes and full body rubs along the walls, plus the kids that were chasing them and mid-wall collisions!  However, God bless Magic Erasers!!  My walls and floors are sparkling white and I did NOT have to repaint!  ;)  It is a good day in Georgia <3

Ordered new SOAP stuffs!

     I'm so excited you would think it was Christmas! Thanks to my wonderful husband, I was able to place an order for more soaping supplies.  I am trying out "Essential Depot".  I have seen several soapers using this company.  When I opened it up this morning after watching another beautiful soap creation made, I was in heaven!  They are having a great sale right now!  Any orders over $100 will get a $10 discount at checkout AND their essential oils are up to 30% off until midnight TONIGHT!  (Some I ordered were closer to 50% off!!)  I was able to greatly expand my scent collection.  I was having yummy smelling ideas as I was adding them to my order!  I can't wait to share with Alley!!

See what "Essential Depot" has to offer!!

This is what I ordered this time:

Essential Depot Items
        1 2 lbs Potassium Hydroxide Flakes KOH  @ $3.49 = $3.49
        1 Zinc Oxide Powder 1 lb.  @ $10.58 = $10.58
        1 Grapefruit Essential Oil - 1 oz  @ $6.24 = $6.24
        1 Lavender Essential Oil - 4 oz  @ $10.91 = $10.91
        1 Lemon Essential Oil -  4 oz  @ $10.11 = $10.11
        1 Lime Essential Oil - 4 oz  @ $15.01 = $15.01
        1 Pine Essential Oil - 4 oz.  @ $8.36 = $8.36
        1 Pumpkin Seed Oil - 1 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Cedarwood Essential Oil - 1 oz  @ $5.14 = $5.14
        1 Cinnamon Essential Oil - 1 oz  @ $7.51 = $7.51
        1 Apple Green Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Berry Breeze Fragrance Oil - 4 oz.  @ $5.35 = $5.35
        1 Bubblegum Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $6.83 = $6.83
        1 Clean Cotton Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Floral Bouquet Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Floral Garden Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Fresh Cut Grass Fragrance Oil - 4 oz.  @ $5.35 = $5.35
        1 Fruit Fantasia Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Honey Dew Melon Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $6.54 = $6.54
        1 Jasmine Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $6.54 = $6.54
        1 Mango Madness Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $6.54 = $6.54
        1 Musk Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Sandalwood Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $7.73 = $7.73
        1 Water Melon  Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Sun & Sand Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Strawberry Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Rose Garden Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $8.32 = $8.32
        1 Grape Fragrance Oil  - 4 oz.  @ $5.94 = $5.94
        1 Stearic Acid - Triple Pressed - White Flakes -  1 lb.  @ $4.99 = $4.99
        1 Almond Sweet Oil - 1 Quart - Free 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide (YES - ADD FREE Lye) @ $14.97 = $14.97
        1 Glycerin Vegetable KOSHER USP - 1 Gallon - Not eligible for any promotions  @ $16.47 = $16.47

The possible smell combos are almost limitless!!  Plus I was finally able to order KOH flakes...to make liquid soap, like castille!  My house is going to smell heavenly from now until Christmas!!  Hahaha  It's just a matter of deciding on scents and mixtures then the fun part...making the soap!

Pressure Canning...Ahhhhh!! O.O

     Ok, so I have never pressure canned before.  As a matter of fact, the only canning I have done was making blackberry jam.  O.o  Well I got up today determined!  I made sausage gravy...A LOT of sausage gravy, just so I could can it.  Zackary had to get my canner down from on top of the big freezer.  He started laughing because i have had it for about 15 months and it was still in the shipping plastic.

     I opened it, had Alley was it all really well and I started reading the directions.  While they were amazingly simple, they were extremely scary and kinda confusing for a brand new novice!  I read the directions and warnings 3x before I actually touched the canner.  (In the meantime, Alley was in the kitchen helping herself to homemade bread and gravy!)  We washed and sterilized my jars in the dishwasher.  I left them in there until I was ready to use that specific one, so there was no risk of people/dog contamination.

     It wasn't too scary until I had to close it up and turn on the burner.  Everything had a warning about making sure the pressure is right so the food doesn't spoil, but you have to make sure the lids on right or it could actually blow in your kitchen!  Plus, when you take it off the burner, you have to let it cool slowly and release the pressure BEFORE you attempt to open it...or it can BLOW!

     So, as it sits now, I have about 20 mins left of the pressurizing before I remove it from the heat!  I just keep watching it.  The little weight on the top is just a rockin' and rollin' on the top...like it's supposed too!
So now I wait..and wait...and wait... (90 mins).  I took it off the heat and let it cool down and depressurize.  Nothing BLEW UP!!  :D  I consider that a MAJOR success!!

     Then I took the lid off and realized it wasn't quite the success I had hoped for.  My gravy escaped the jars.  It was down the sides and IN the water.  :(  I either filled them too full (probably) and/or didn't have the lids on tight enough (very possible).  So the canner got washed and put back together to try again on a new day.  I am very happy it wasn't catastrophic, but seriously wish I had been able to watch/help someone else.

     I keep hearing people say that their grandmother used to do it all the time!  Now it's just easier to walk into the grocery store and BUY something.  The world has gotten so busy that basics are being steamrolled under by technological advances and our instant gratification lifestyle.  I want my children to be able to say, "Oh I know how to do that!  My MOM does it all the time!"



Now: Tools of the trade :)

16 Qt Presto Pressure Canner

                           

1 1/2 Pint Ball Jars (what I used this time) & Utensil Set (not required, but VERY helpful!)

Limited Edition Ball "Blue" jars (Beautiful! I WILL come up with something to use them with!)

This just tickled my fancy!  Mostly because it's my birthday!!  LOL  Hoping to maybe do it in 2014!

Homemade Dishwasher Powder

$$  I may not be out in the world making money, but I sure help the world and SAVE it! $$ 

    So, in a house of 8 people we use A LOT of dishes.  I hate walking into the kitchen with dirty dishes.  Yet my kids always fail to mention when we are RUNNING out of dishwasher soap...until it's GONE!  Of course in their minds they can't clean the dishes without the dishwasher...yeah, right!
     Well I have been making my own laundry soap for a year now (LOVE IT!)  Can you imagine how tickled I was to figure out I could MAKE dishwasher soap?!?  The next best part...I already have all the ingredients at home!!  Another major plus is that it's safe for septic systems.  Plus I have a big plastic container from when I bought the store brand "pods".

Dishwasher Powder

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Kosher salt
• 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing soda
• 1 Cup Borax

Mix it all together!  *You can add a tsp of white rice (like in your salt shaker) to help with the clumping.

You only need 1 Tablespoon per load.

Use white distilled vinegar in your "JetDry" spot for a sparkle that's truly NON-TOXIC!

This recipe washes about 30 loads!  That's a month of dishes (washing a full load a day!)

I have Kosher salt for cooking, washing soda & Borax from making laundry soap!  I personally would make enough to use the box of each (washing soda & Borax) which means I would have ANOTHER 5 gallon bucket (like my laundry soap)!

*Kosher salt is on the baking aisle,  the washing soda and Borax are on the laundry soap aisle.

You can label your container with a printed label, a hand written label sealed under clear packing tape, or use chalkboard paint!  Your limits are only bound by your creativity!

Here's a site that has FREE downloadable printable labels! WorldLabel
                     
*(Feel free to hit up GOOGLE!)

Homemade Greek Yogurt...SUCCESS!!

     So Tuesday (the 6th) I found a site that showed how I could make Greek yogurt at home!  Now, I HATE yogurt, even the smell!!  *Gagging*  However, I don't mind cooking/baking with it.  Oh, and I LOVE fro-yo!!  A couple of my best friends made it for Aaron and I one night.  I was VERY leery!  O.o  He had fresh strawberries, kiwis and mandarin oranges to go on it.  I was in LOVE!!  <3  I came home and the next day I went to buy the stuff to make some at my house.  I went into sticker shock!!  Greek yogurt must think it's equatable to GOLD!!  I bought enough to make for my family of 8 and it was over $20 to make a single batch!!  Sadly I haven't made it again.  :(
     So anyways, I found this recipe and I had everything I needed except the single serving of Greek yogurt.  (I could handle paying $1 for this one!  LOL)  So here's how I did it!  (I even have pictures!)

Ingredients:
1 Gallon WHOLE milk
3 Cups Dry milk
1/2 Cup (or single serving size cup) Greek yogurt PLAIN

Equipment:
LARGE crockpot
Thermometer that reads over 180
Jars (Mason/old spaghetti jars/etc)

1. Pour the gallon of milk into the crock pot, turn it on HIGH.  I added the powdered milk to it when it was cold and it took FOREVER to dissolve.  Next time I will wait until  the milk is warmer!  The powdered milk is simply there to add proteins and help thicken the yogurt.  Heat the milk to 180 degrees.  
2. Then turn off the crock pot.  I actually took the pot out and sat it on the counter to help it cool down.  You want it between 95-115 degrees.
3. Once its temperature is in that range, take some of the milk and add it to your yogurt in a separate bowl until combine.  (This helps temper it.)  Add the yogurt to the milk.
4. Once it's been mixed in, pour the mixture into your jars.  ( I used 6 "Pint & Half" wide mouth jars)  I sat the lids on the top to prevent anything from falling in...I did NOT screw the rings on.
5. Place in the oven with only the light on for 8-10 hours to allow the cultures to do their work.  I put mine in at 9:00 pm and they were all thick and yogurty at 6:00 am.  
6. Tighten the lids down and chill before using.

*Should be thick enough that draining is not necessary.

                                           

                                          

                                         

     Now you can add any flavorings if you wish...like vanilla or honey.  Zackary wants me to try and make the key lime version.  I'll add some sugar to a couple of the jars with vanilla extract then the kids can make parfaits!  :)

*The Greek yogurt adds/grows all the healthy bacteria our bodies need.  By bringing the milk to 180 degrees it kills all the bacteria in the milk, which in some cases I guess is a good thing.  Fortunately the yogurt puts the good stuff back in!

**I bought my milk at Aldi's for $2.49 and I already have powdered milk in my food storage.  I bought the yogurt at WalMart for $1.  By this morning I had 1 gallon of Greek yogurt for $3.50!  I seriously saved over $20!!

2nd week of August...School starts

     So the second week began with school starting!  It did NOT make me happy that 4 out of 6 of the kids went back to public school.  :(  Mackenzie, Kay, Maggie and Bug are now gone for over 8 hours a day, 5 days a week!  My mom keeps telling me how the first day of school for her was always a PARTY day!  I truly don't think she realizes how it makes me feel.  Too many people are perfectly happy being part-time parents.  I'm not!  I don't see them in public school as my only time for freedom.  I see it as a small failure on my part.  I do NOT believe that the government run school system is the best educational choice for ANY kids, especially mine!
     Everyone wants to talk about how people are individuals and each person has a different style of learning.  They agree that students need to be TAUGHT best how the LEARN best.  However, when it comes to actually applying this in school systems they are overruled based on budgets and time restraints.  So children are "programmed" in a very confined box and then tested on what they retain...not LEARNED.
     I have heard repeatedly that home schooling keeps kids from the social interaction they need.  Mackenzie went to school for the last 3/4 of the school year.  He got ALL the socialization he NEEDED and FAILED every single class but PE.  Do you know what the school did??  They PLACED him in 10th grade anyways.  So my son, who did NOT pass 9th grade has been moved into classes that are supposedly building on the information and skills from the previous year.  Even a blind person can read the writing on this wall!
     Zackary has started his home schooling.  I found all of his books on Amazon, in their Kindle store.  He has Algebra 1 for the first semester, reading "The Jungle Book" for British Lit, has Earth Science for first semester, World History and governments rounding off with creative writing and daily reading reports for composition.  Alley's classes at GCA begin on Monday.  :)
                                     
     So, I'm all sorts of depressed after I drop everyone off at their schools (a tradition they wanted me to keep).  I came home and baked for the rest of the day!  I made treats like sugar cookie bars, jello jigglers, and chocolate syrup.
                                         
                                         
  Then I made 2 more loaves of sour dough bread and even calzones for our lunch and for the kids to take to school today.  I had cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms, Alley had cheese and pepperoni on garlic butter, Zackary had just cheese and pepperoni.  I made the kids pepperoni and pineapple for school.  Just as I was getting done, I received a phone call from Mackenzie that Bug was not on the bus home!!  O.O  We called the school and they said they put him on the right bus.  (Obviously NOT!!)  I jumped in the van with Alley making all the calls so I could drive.  It's when I'm 1/2 way to the primary school that I find out Kay's not on the bus either.  Her school gave me the same sing-song!  It took an hour for me to find out that they were indeed on A bus, but not the right bus, and fortunately they were on the SAME bus!  They got home at 5:00.  :(  By this point, I was drained!  :(  We had baked BBQ chicken, rice and cucumber salad for dinner and I didn't last much longer.  ( I did get their bedtime story read though).  :)