I haven't been on for quite awhile. The date of my last post is listed at July 12th...wow that's quite some time! Initially my leave of absence was caused by malware infecting our computer. Thankfully my good friend ChefMama has a husband with a knack for computers!
I whole heartedly wish that my lack of posting was due only to a lack of a computer, but sadly that has not been the case. On July 27th, we received a phone call that no one should ever get. My DH's Cousin shot himself. Shortly after the initial call we were informed that he did not make it. He left behind a doting mother, his two children, and scores of people who loved him. What happened was senseless and heartbreaking, and our family is left to carry on without him. I know all too well how that is, because my fiance in college, Steven, committed suicide. I know the heartache, the questions, and the search for answers that you will never find. But what hurt worse was knowing that there was nothing I could say that would help easy his Mother's pain. All I could do was hug her.
Two days later I was in my OB/GYN's office. DH and I have been trying to get pregnant since Kiddo was 10 months old with no such luck. She'll be turning three in November, and all I keep hearing is that it's time for another one. If only it were that simple. With kiddo it took us three years, little over two on our own and a few months on medications. So when we decided that we wanted Baby #2, we knew that it might take awhile. Actually I was thinking more like a year. The medications worked like a charm the first time right? The second time should be a breeze. At least that's what I told myself. But sadly that isn't the case. We've been referred to a specialist. DH and I at least agreed to see the specialist, but its all too real that we probably won't be able to afford treatment. We've talked about adoption as well, but in all likely hood that is out of our reach as well. I've been depressed and just plain angry. Several friends have had second, and third children. One is even contemplating a fourth. I am extremely jealous of her, because she has this ability to make the decision to have another child and viola within a month or two there's a baby on the way. I get so angry because I wish I worked that way, but at the same time I chuckle. Because I know that I would forget a pill and be pregnant all the time if that were that case. Insane asylum anyone? Just one, all ask for is just one. I'm not greedy, please?
If the death in my husband's family and our fertility problems weren't enough, on August 4th my Paternal Grandma passed away. Grandma Kate finally moved back to Ohio last October after years of living in Las Vegas. It's what I wanted all these years, and when she finally came home I took everything for granted. There are a lot of stupid excuses that seemed important then, but I didn't manage to see her often and didn't pick up the phone all that often. We saw her at family functions, but at the last family get together Kiddo didn't want to see Great-Grandma because she was a stranger. That broke my heart. After that I vowed that we would make time and get together for dinners and chat on the phone. But then Grandma got sick with pneumonia and was put in the hospital. The wonderful Doctors there did everything they could, but it wasn't enough. Two weeks in the hospital and my Grandma was gone. My only consolation right now is that she was surrounded by all of us who loved her. She wasn't in Las Vegas when it happened, and we could all be with her. When they took off the oxygen, I prayed to the Blessed Virgin that she would not suffer. Thankfully she didn't, in the end passing with a whisper. I feel truly blessed to have been able to say goodbye, but also blessed to be able to tell her how sorry I was. I hope she can forgive me for not being there like I should have, because it will be a long time before I can forgive myself. But my DH gave me something that made me smile. "Kathleen is such a pretty name. If we ever have another girl, she should be named Kathleen..."
At this point, I will trying to be throwing myself more into homesteading and blogging. Better days are hopefully on the horizon soon, and I can't wait to share them after the gloom.
Cheers! Mama Homesteader
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The joy of Kittens
I have a few fond memories of being a young child, and experiencing the joy of having newborn kittens in our home. It was a rare event in our house, but we lived in the country. We didn't have our cats spayed and neutered, mainly because the crusade to prevent overpopulation wasn't in full swing. Secondly, well there were no funds to do so. But in the end, I remember two sets of kittens being born into our home.
There is something absolutely sweet about kittens. Soft fur, tiny ears and tails, little meows. Although the logistics of finding homes for kitties these days is extremely hard, mainly due to the economy, I would rather have a house full of kittens than seeing kittens homeless and in danger. That is why we decided to bring in Dandelion, the pure white stray that adopted us and became our outdoor cat. We knew that she was VERY pregnant, but realised as well that we had six raccoons wandering our neighborhood. We enjoy our furry neighbors, but it was a very real possibility that harm would come to small kittens if they were discovered. So in came Dandelion on the 6th of July, bringing the cat population of our house to seven....
Indeed we knew she was very pregnant, and had pondered bringing her in for sometime. But that day I just knew that if I didn't bring her in now, then she was going to have those kittens outside. I didn't know exactly how true that was! Within an hour she was extremely clingy, wanting me to follow her around and be with her. That lasted until four in the morning. I finally had to shoo her away because she woke up Sarah as she was laboring on Sarah's bed. As Sarah and I fell asleep, several new members of our family were being born into our home.
We woke up and went about our morning routine, and Dandelion was right there yowling at me. Turns out I wasn't paying attention quickly enough and she nipped me on the leg. Shortly after that I found a kitten crying on the basement floor, and after cleaning her up, gave her back to Momma- who in turn took her under the couch. I later moved the couch and discovered five little kitties! Three white and two black, but unfortunately two of our kittens did not make it.
I can see the excitement in Sarah's eyes every time we spend time snuggling her baby kitties. They've been a valuable lesson on life (and death), on gentleness, and on responsibility for her. As they get older, I'll be able to give her the supervised responsibility of feeding them,socializing them, and playing with them.
All of our cats, except for Dandelion and Snowy, are fixed. As soon as possible they'll both be spayed to prevent any future kittens. There won't be anymore kittens, so we'll be enjoying every second of our time with ours before they find new homes to spoil them rotten.
Cheers! Mama Homesteader
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hidden Treasures in the Garden
When taking walks around the garden, it always seems as if new treasures are always being found. When we first viewed this home, we found wild strawberries in the backyard. They are small and seedy, with no flavor- but Sarah loves to pick and snack on them! I've uncovered hostas and ferns that I transplanted to a shade garden on the side of the house. I've found daffodils and crocus that I will later transplant to the flower beds. We've discovered hidden roses and dainty ivy. All sorts of beautiful gems gleaming in our garden!!
In my latest walk, I looked up at a thick green canopy in a nearby tree. It suddenly dawned on me that we had wild grapes growing along the property line! Certainly I knew they had been there last fall, but I hadn't viewed them as a potential resource for our family. As I looked at the large leaves that day, I saw visions of stuffed grape leaves and it reminded me of my college roommate Alana. She had also been my bridesmaid, and these days we live states apart and I miss her. Part of her family is Lebanese, so I sent her an e-mail requesting her recipe for them. It's wonderful to be able to share something so simple as a way of bringing people together! I've collected, processed, and frozen several dozen of the large leaves already. I can't wait to be able to cook with them! I also have plans of making grape jelly for Sarah when they are ripe, and maybe some grape juice.
Lo and behold though, the grape vines were not the only gem hiding in the back yard! As I studied the large tree on which they were climbing, I realised that it was a large mulberry tree. Mulberries are edible, and I can't wait to collect some ripe ones for tarts and jams!
What hidden gems can you find outside your house?
Cheers!~ Mama Homesteader
In my latest walk, I looked up at a thick green canopy in a nearby tree. It suddenly dawned on me that we had wild grapes growing along the property line! Certainly I knew they had been there last fall, but I hadn't viewed them as a potential resource for our family. As I looked at the large leaves that day, I saw visions of stuffed grape leaves and it reminded me of my college roommate Alana. She had also been my bridesmaid, and these days we live states apart and I miss her. Part of her family is Lebanese, so I sent her an e-mail requesting her recipe for them. It's wonderful to be able to share something so simple as a way of bringing people together! I've collected, processed, and frozen several dozen of the large leaves already. I can't wait to be able to cook with them! I also have plans of making grape jelly for Sarah when they are ripe, and maybe some grape juice.
Lo and behold though, the grape vines were not the only gem hiding in the back yard! As I studied the large tree on which they were climbing, I realised that it was a large mulberry tree. Mulberries are edible, and I can't wait to collect some ripe ones for tarts and jams!
What hidden gems can you find outside your house?
Cheers!~ Mama Homesteader
Counting Blessings
Lately it seems as if everything that could possibly break, pretty much has broken (knock on wood!). This has left our small family in need of replacing the refrigerator, the washer, the dryer, as well as repairs to our only vehicle. Some days it seems too much to bear. Especially when you factor in the other things we need for our home! This is our first time managing an actual house. Before our four year stint of living with family, we lived in an apartment. Meaning that such basic supplies such as garden hoses, weed whacker, gardening tools...were all items that we were /are without. It can be nerve wracking when odd jobs around the house and property need done and you don't have the tools to accomplish them!
I'll fully admit that I find the ongoing, and lengthy, list of things that we could really use to be a major irritation. For once though I've decided that instead of focusing on what we don't have, that it was time to write down our blessings!
1. With our 2009 Tax return, we paid off most of our outstanding credit card debt and caught up other bills. This wise move paved the way towards our Independence!
2. We were very lucky to have Mark's 401K, from which we were able to borrow the funds to pay the initial rent and moving costs! Without this, moving to our current home would have been impossible!
3. Having a wonderful family friend, Dave. When the moving truck company made a mistake, and we had no truck to haul our belongings, he saved the day with his pickup truck and trailer!
4. With a lot of praying we've been able to manage the finances of running our own household.
5. My mother in law, Pam, kindly bought us a new mattress/box spring/bed frame so that we no longer had to sleep on a mattress on the floor.
6. When Sarah was ready for a big girl bed, her grandpa kindly gave her the bed from his guest room that he made. She now tells everyone that "Poppa Harry made it for me."
7. My mother bought an air conditioner for Sarah. That was she could sleep comfortably in her big girl bed when it got hot.
8. My friends Julie Ann and Jules, gave me a pressure canner. Which is something I needed. I was able to put the money I saved for one towards other things our family needed!
9. Freecyclers gave me a garden hose and quart canning jars.
10. I have an Aunt that is willing to let me use her canning supplies. This means that I don't have to buy as much.
11. When our car was broken down last summer, My dad, Aunt Patty, and my husband Best friend Bret, gave us money so that we could get it fixed. Without them we would have been vehicle-less for a long time!
12. My Aunt Sharyn gave us a working lawnmower to replace the two broken down ones in the garage. She also gave us a pool ladder for the inflatable swimming pool my mother in law gave Sarah last summer.
13. My dad and father in law gave us shovels, hoes, and rakes for the garden.
14. My Dad gave Sarah and I a wheelbarrow for the garden.
15.A family friend, Dave tilled the beds for the garden.
16. Our washing machine is ancient and dying. My mother in law decided that she would get us one for our anniversary. But before that happened, the refrigerator started dying. So instead, she put a new refrigerator in layaway. By the end of July/ beginning of August our new fridge should be delivered and installed. We are also blessed to have had dad's mini fridge still in the garage. That way we can store the dairy safely.
17. With careful financial planning we will still be able to get our new washer in August, as well as fix the remaining problems with our vehicle by September.
18. Warm sunny days have made it so much easier to live without a dryer!
19. We have a garden that is now thriving. Which means putting up food for future use, and which means more Independence from having to be on state benefits.
20. Last but not least, having family that is willing to help when possible. And Having a wonderful family of Mommy, Daddy, and Kiddo. This makes life sweet!
Cheers! ~ Mama Homesteader
I'll fully admit that I find the ongoing, and lengthy, list of things that we could really use to be a major irritation. For once though I've decided that instead of focusing on what we don't have, that it was time to write down our blessings!
1. With our 2009 Tax return, we paid off most of our outstanding credit card debt and caught up other bills. This wise move paved the way towards our Independence!
2. We were very lucky to have Mark's 401K, from which we were able to borrow the funds to pay the initial rent and moving costs! Without this, moving to our current home would have been impossible!
3. Having a wonderful family friend, Dave. When the moving truck company made a mistake, and we had no truck to haul our belongings, he saved the day with his pickup truck and trailer!
4. With a lot of praying we've been able to manage the finances of running our own household.
5. My mother in law, Pam, kindly bought us a new mattress/box spring/bed frame so that we no longer had to sleep on a mattress on the floor.
6. When Sarah was ready for a big girl bed, her grandpa kindly gave her the bed from his guest room that he made. She now tells everyone that "Poppa Harry made it for me."
7. My mother bought an air conditioner for Sarah. That was she could sleep comfortably in her big girl bed when it got hot.
8. My friends Julie Ann and Jules, gave me a pressure canner. Which is something I needed. I was able to put the money I saved for one towards other things our family needed!
9. Freecyclers gave me a garden hose and quart canning jars.
10. I have an Aunt that is willing to let me use her canning supplies. This means that I don't have to buy as much.
11. When our car was broken down last summer, My dad, Aunt Patty, and my husband Best friend Bret, gave us money so that we could get it fixed. Without them we would have been vehicle-less for a long time!
12. My Aunt Sharyn gave us a working lawnmower to replace the two broken down ones in the garage. She also gave us a pool ladder for the inflatable swimming pool my mother in law gave Sarah last summer.
13. My dad and father in law gave us shovels, hoes, and rakes for the garden.
14. My Dad gave Sarah and I a wheelbarrow for the garden.
15.A family friend, Dave tilled the beds for the garden.
16. Our washing machine is ancient and dying. My mother in law decided that she would get us one for our anniversary. But before that happened, the refrigerator started dying. So instead, she put a new refrigerator in layaway. By the end of July/ beginning of August our new fridge should be delivered and installed. We are also blessed to have had dad's mini fridge still in the garage. That way we can store the dairy safely.
17. With careful financial planning we will still be able to get our new washer in August, as well as fix the remaining problems with our vehicle by September.
18. Warm sunny days have made it so much easier to live without a dryer!
19. We have a garden that is now thriving. Which means putting up food for future use, and which means more Independence from having to be on state benefits.
20. Last but not least, having family that is willing to help when possible. And Having a wonderful family of Mommy, Daddy, and Kiddo. This makes life sweet!
Cheers! ~ Mama Homesteader
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Love Thy Neighbor
Many people know the commandment, "Love thy Neighbor." In this day and age, our neighbors come from all different religious, political, and cultural backgrounds. There has never been a bigger need for the commandment "Love thy Neighbor", than there is nowadays. But I want to point you towards a different kind of neighbor, one you may not even think of as a neighbor. They are indeed our neighbors, and we MUST respect them as we would any of our human neighbors and extend to them the same common courtesies. I'm talking about our local wildlife.
Native peoples around the globe have a deep understanding and respect for wildlife etched in their cultural roots. This is something that seems to be lacking in modern society. Often these animal neighbors are treated little more than playthings, tormented, wanted as pets, or simply something that is an inconvenience.
In this instance, it's a family of Raccoons in my neighborhood. They live right next door to us in a hollow tree in our human neighbors front yard. My family had known for quite some time that an adult raccoon was living nearby. We affectionately named it, and like any of our outdoor strays ate happily at the food bowl on our porch. She never caused any trouble. Having access to the cat food ensured that our trash cans remained undisturbed. I've had many a happy evening sitting on the opposite side of the screen door, talking to our furry neighbor. Odd, yes, but I respect this neighbor of mine.
Our neighbor is a single mother of five toddlers, god bless her! I'm not sure how she manages! We've been overjoyed at seeing them play in the front yard or explore toys in the backyard. They forage and frolic- everything baby raccoons are apt to do. We've done our best to respect these animals and behave as good neighbors.
But unfortunately others do not. One of my human neighbors is a photographer, and was taking pictures of these sweet fuzz balls. We chatted awhile, when it came up that her mother had been babysitting recently. She saw a man pick up one of these babies and try to stuff it into a sack! At first she thought it was a cat, but then she realized that it was a tiny raccoon. After some hissing and screeching, the man threw it out of the car and sped off! Sadder yet, middle school aged children (who should know better!) have run around the tree chasing these babies and tormenting them! I've seen people standing by the tree with cat carriers, claiming to be looking "for their lost cat." But tonight was by far the most shocking behavior I have ever seen. Two grown men circling the tree when suddenly a baby fell out of the tree and fell across both pavement and grass. One man picked it up and shook it, then it started toddling off. He kept chasing it, it shook as it climbed the tree. A third man jumped down from the tree, grabbed it by the tail and hind limb and shook it up some more. He quickly let go and the baby fell, this time headfirst onto the sidewalk. The tree is a few yards from my porch and yet I still heard the sickening thud of its skull hitting. It's a small miracle that it got up again and climbed its tree out of reach. These were three GROWN men tormenting a bunch of helpless baby raccoons and laughing about it!!!!
I have to find it in my heart to pity these men, because obviously they weren't raised with the idea of loving and respecting ALL your neighbors. My husband and I have both taken to watching the tree closely and doing what we can to protecting them. I have been communicating back and forth with a wildlife rehabilitation specialist from Canton. We are hoping that they can, or can send us to, someone who will relocate our small neighbors. At this point we fear for their safety, and fear that if they are not moved soon something terrible will happen to them.
I'm asking you to search your heart and extend the idea of "Love thy Neighbor" to your animal neighbors as well. Learn to respect them and cherish them. Be kind to them, defend them, love them.
Cheers!~ Mama Homesteader
Watermelon Rind Pickles
In my previous posts, I managed to use everything but the pit for apricot jam, syrup, and pie filling. It really struck a cord with me. Looking around our refrigerator I found another item that could go through this same kind of process: the humble watermelon. We all have favorite memories of eating this sweet summertime favorite. Juice running down our chin, who could spit the seeds farther. All that sweet red juicy middle. But what about the rest of the watermelon? You know, that white part that everyone tells you not to eat. I knew that some southern cooks pickled the white rind, and that in some circles it was fairly popular. But was it worth it for me to try the same technique? Yes that rind can be pickled. But did it taste any good? So with the rind of one watermelon on hand, I chose to find out!
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Wash your watermelon. Make your brine solution. Mix 3/4 cup salt with three quarts of cold water. Stir well. Prepare the watermelon. Remove all the red flesh. Peel off the skin (throw it in your composter!), and chop into 1x1 inch cubes. Place cubes in a non metallic bowl and cover with the brine solution. Chill overnight. After soaking overnight, drain and rinse. Add to pan. Cover with fresh cold water. Cook 10 minutes or until fork tender. Prepare your pickling syrup. Combine sugar, vinegar, Spices, and water in a pan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rind and add to the prepared syrup in a non metallic bowl. Add lemon slices. Chill overnight. Heat the mixture and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook 1 hour. Prepare your jars and lids. When mixture is done, ladle hot mixture into hot jars. Leave 1/2 inch head space. Using the water bath method, heat the filled jars for 10 minutes at 200F for pints, 20 minutes for quarts. Honestly I was surprised by the outcome. These are a sweet pickle, with a slightly different taste, not at all a bad one either. After sampling some of them, I have to admit that I do like them. Albeit not enough to make a TON of them, but the few watermelon we eat this summer should supply us with a few nice quart jars. I consider this project a success! My batch made one quart of rind pickles, and two quarts of pickling syrup- which I will keep on hand for the next watermelon that comes our way! Cheers!~ Mama Homesteader |
Friday, June 17, 2011
Strawberry Jam
In light of my recent apricot jam making session, I decided to follow suit with a batch of homemade strawberry jam. Strawberries are coming into season here in Ohio, but for this purpose I went with Driscoll strawberries from California. Driscoll berries have a reputation for being fairly consistent as far as flavor is concerned. I still intend to go berry picking, but those will be for the freezer.
Strawberry Jam
makes about 9 half pints
4 cups hulled and crushed ripe strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid pectin
In a pan combine strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Cover and let stand two hours.
Remove the cover. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the butter. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Stir in the pectin. Return the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Remove the pan from heat. Skim off any foam.
To prevent the jam from separating in the jars, allow to cool 5 minutes before filling prepared jars. Stir every minute or so to distribute the fruit.
Ladle the hot jam into hot jars. Following proper canning procedures, process in a 200F water bath for 10 minutes for half pints and 15 minutes for pints.
When I made my batch of jam, I ended up with two problems. One, my jam separated. Two, my jam never jelled up as it should. I ended up reprocessing my jam. I added a second pectin pouch, and left the jam to cool 10-15 minutes before ladling into jars. The end result is considerably thicker (and more distributed) than previous, but still not a fully jelled jam as I would like. The moral of the story is: pay attention to your fruit to sugar to pectin ratio. Carefully measure everything. Somewhere I miscalculated and my jam didn't become the consistency I wanted. It may not be as thick, but its far from being a failure. It will still serve the purpose satisfactorily.
Cheers! ~ Mama Homesteader
Strawberry Jam
makes about 9 half pints
4 cups hulled and crushed ripe strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid pectin
In a pan combine strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Cover and let stand two hours.
Remove the cover. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the butter. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Stir in the pectin. Return the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Remove the pan from heat. Skim off any foam.
To prevent the jam from separating in the jars, allow to cool 5 minutes before filling prepared jars. Stir every minute or so to distribute the fruit.
Ladle the hot jam into hot jars. Following proper canning procedures, process in a 200F water bath for 10 minutes for half pints and 15 minutes for pints.
When I made my batch of jam, I ended up with two problems. One, my jam separated. Two, my jam never jelled up as it should. I ended up reprocessing my jam. I added a second pectin pouch, and left the jam to cool 10-15 minutes before ladling into jars. The end result is considerably thicker (and more distributed) than previous, but still not a fully jelled jam as I would like. The moral of the story is: pay attention to your fruit to sugar to pectin ratio. Carefully measure everything. Somewhere I miscalculated and my jam didn't become the consistency I wanted. It may not be as thick, but its far from being a failure. It will still serve the purpose satisfactorily.
Cheers! ~ Mama Homesteader
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