A new plan

I think I need to come up with a new plan to get my ducks in a row or at least in the same pond. OK here's the scoop. I have been doing a blog for a few years now. I enjoy it, not good at it, but like it none the less. It gets tricky trying to share your life and methods with others (the world) and not give out every detail of your life and your goings and comings to be used to some criminals advantage. I have had lots of long absences in my post over the past year and with good reason. It was a very busy year with seems like lots of traveling. Early in the year, April a road trip to Nevada for the birth of our lil man Liam and not really wanting to "advertise" that we were away from home, I feel like I short change my readers sometimes when I hesitate to post pics and sights from these type adventures but its to try to have some peace of mind about things back home. I know you all can understand that. Then later in the year several extended trips to west KY when my sweet aunt Ann was sick. Then starting in September with working at the hunting lodge for Snipe Creek Outfitters cooking for the hunters. Then the time away when my aunt passed away. Gone again in October for 3 weeks to house sit, gone most of November for another hunting season, back in December for yet another and home for a while. When I posted last date on here I had comments waiting moderation, comments go to my email box and I then post them to the blog. I had readers that had ask questions and dammit I cant find em now. I did locate one and posted my answer in the comments for my sweet reader. I feel bad when I don't get back to someone who has ask something because it is usually someone who is making a recipe and has a question. Makes ya kinda feel like ya sittin in a room an someone ask you a question an ya ignore em. Well I didn't, I promise. So if someone has posed a question on here in the past few months, please post it again and tell me which post of mine it pertains too and from now on one day per week I will do a post with nothing but answers to readers questions. Maybe I will call it "questions and answers day". Real creative don't ya think.  I think I can do that even if I am not at home. I am so grateful for all the sweet folks who read and comment both here and on facebook, Thank you so much for taking time to read about my life of organized chaos.

Now if I can just get over this stinkin flu, it will be time to be off and running again. I had been trying hard to think where the heck I caught such a nasty bug. And ya know when the old folks use to say, "don't get out in the cold, you will get sick". Well they are right and here is my take on why. I felt bad, just tired, sluggish, like I had a bug or something going on in my body for a week or more. Even when the kids were home. But I never got really sick, I kept going. Then on Tuesday when I got outside and got cold, really cold, I think it lowered my body temp and let the bug attack full force. That is when I knew I was in trouble. Within hours of getting cold I had the fever and chills, aches and all the things flu like. Folks I have not been this sick in many years. I actually do feel somewhat human today. So I guess maybe my immune system is stronger than I thought. I feel hopeful today that I just might survive this thing. So many folks have had the flu and the strain that is going around is keeping people sick for a month to 6 weeks. I have no complaints if I can function after less than a week of it. Our Rob had the flu about 2 or 3 weeks before they came home and he probably had it long before that till it really knocked him down. Down to the point where they did a spinal tap because he had symptoms of meningitis. Thank God that was negative but scary as hell for his momma 2000 miles away from him. Just glad he had a wife that made him get seen at the doctor and taken care of. 

As for how I have treated this bug here at home. And don't laugh. I have antibiotics. I got them at the farm store. Yeas its the same ones ya give animals. And its the same stuff you get at the drug store only not in the neat tidy lil capsules. I have tetracycline and 1/4 teaspoon is about 500 mg of medicine. I mix with a lil juice and down it. I have kicked the sinus infection with it, do don't knock it. I do have prednisone that I take as needed when I have an arthritis flare up so I have taken that for about 4 days now. We also keep Sambucol which is made from elderberries and it works great for the runny nose, burning eyes deal. All natural. Just wish I could beat the dang birds to the wild elderberries here on the farm in fall and save a chunk of change. And lots of chicken noodle soup. I also take extra zinc supplements too because it helps block viruses from multiplying. I had a lot of deep congestion in my lungs yesterday that was not breaking up so last night I made a cup of plantain tea sweetened with honey. My friend Rosie told me long leaf plantain is good for deep congestion and after the tea later in the night I did finally feel the junk breaking up and am not nearly as congested as I was yesterday. I have had a more productive cough today and that sure helps the breathing.  Lots of fluids and rest keeps the body hydrated and is critical in a speedy recovery. This may not work for everyone but it has worked for me thus far.

Do you remember my post from a good many months back on water Kefir? Way back on February 5th, 2013. That is some tough Kefir right there. Mine has been neglected and went unfed for long long periods of time. Until today. After taking antibiotics for this sinus infection I think my belly is gonna be in need of some kefir. My jar of kefir grains were sitting on the counter where they had been for well over a month unattended. My first thought was, I bet its dead! I picked the jar up and it still has lil bubbles rising out of the water. It's alive!!! I strained it and gave it some sugar and molasses and put the grains back in to get then rejuvenated and making kefir water again. I really need to keep these things going for my own well being and in case anyone else here has to take meds and make a mess of their gut flora like I have this past week. So yep, so far, its been a good day.

Not much else happening here on the farm, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

The weather is unpredictable, as am I

I guess since I don't get up every morning like most hard working folks and leave the farm to go off to my job I don't keep any kind of schedule. If I do set times for thing they are kinda vague. The time frame of usually a week, give or take and few days. I got started on the baby cocoon that I had told you about and posted pics on my last post of the finished product. Later that night, couldn't get to sleep so I started on the lil hat to match. I got it all done the same night but too late to add to the post. So here is a photo of the lil hat. I have no pattern for this either, I just started at the top with a chain of 6 stitches and linked them together and did double crochet to increase till I got the the size that would fit over my fist then started the single stitch to decrease a lil bit and finish it off. Then made the lil poofy ball for the top by wrapping the yarn many times around my fingers, tied it in the middle and clipped the loops. Then with the ends of the string used to tie it together I put those thru the top and tied it off.

So what do ya think? I like it and I think its cute. Just long as it keeps a lil boy warm and happy is all that matters. Now on to the next project. Not sure what it will be just yet tho.

I have a doc appointment tomorrow to get meds refilled and I am mailing some kefir grains out to a couple folks. One package will go to my good friend Deb in MS and the other will go to my reader and new friend Lisa in Wyoming. Had intended to get those out today and it has not been a good day. I have felt like hammered crap all weekend. So I stayed lazy and stayed in. Rodger picked up lil padded envelopes today on his way home so I will bag up the grains tomorrow and mail them on my way to the doc. These things grow something ferocious.

When I put the grains in fresh sugar/molasses water 48 hours ago the level of the grains was at the line. You can see how much they have grown in that time. So ladies when you get these grains they will grow. I am sending enough for both of you to start 2 quart jars of Kefir just in case you happen to kill one. That is how I did the first bunch I got. I usually put about 1/3 cup sugar(white, brown, just nothing artificial) along with about 1 tablespoon of un-sulfured molasses in a quart jar, add water about 4/5 the way up the jar and stir to dissolve the sugar and molasses and add the grains along with any liquid that is with them. I cover the top of my jar or jug now with a coffee filter and put the ring only on the jar to keep out "stuff". Let sit for 24 hours and taste, it should be slightly tart. After 48 will be more tart and at this point you can strain the grains out of the liquid, save the liquid, that is your good for-ya kefir water, and mix a new batch of water, sugar/ molasses and put the grains back in there to continue the process. Tonight when I made the water for my grains I used maple syrup instead of molasses. Just to change up the flavor a bit. When making kefir water you do not want to use chlorinated water. Only spring or good well water. We have well water here so I have no issue. Also if you want extra calcium in the kefir you can add a piece of clean, organic egg shell. This stuff will almost dissolve the eggshell in 48 hours. Makes the shell really brittle. And we know us girls need our calcium. If you want to make a batch of flavored kefir that is a lil fizzy after you strain out your grains you can take the jar of kefir water you have made and add some pieces of fruit to it and let it sit on the counter with a lid on for another 24 hours to ferment. I have so far made raspberry and strawberry and I used my homegrown frozen berries. It tasted great. So get creative and enjoy your new science project.

I love getting free stuff in the mail. I tinker around online and sign up for free product samples just cause I can. Today in the mail this is what I got and just for filling out a simple coupon online.

Kinda neat, eh? I can do 2 loads of dishes, 2 of laundry and have lots of coupons and travel size shampoo and toothpaste, all for free. And free is good, yes? Yes it is.

Our weather is as unpredictable as I am this month. Dang over the weekend we had probably an inch or more of snow, it melted the next day, then some rain and cold, now they are giving more snow for tomorrow and by Saturday it is pose to be in the 60's. What the heck! If it is that warm this weekend we will be outside pruning grape vines, planting trees in the orchard. I finally got the trees I had ordered a month or more ago and they are nice for the cheap price I paid for them. I desperately need to get my asparagus bed mulched to keep the weeds down so I don't have to weed so much this year. Dang I don't have time or energy for that stuff. We have 30 plus new grapevines planted near the orchard that need to have stakes so they will develop straight trunks for a couple more years. I am sure the trees in the orchard need some trimming too. And here it is March again and we don't have our grapevines here at the house pruned back yet. I need to get the building ready for baby chicks too. Not sure when they will be here but very soon I hope.

Not much else happening here on the farm, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Its March already

Where the heck does time go? Seems like just a few days ago I finished up canning the last of the  garden stuff. And here it is almost time to start more seeds for another crop. Or maybe its just that I have gotten older and times just seems to go by faster. Not sure, but this new year has took off to a running start. And just when I thought winter might be behind us, we get snow. It is snowing here as I write this. Big ole flakes too!! It most likely wont amount to much but we have a lil on the ground from it. It is cold out and with the snow I guess we can say March is coming in like a lion. So we can hope it goes out like a lamb. Not much gets done around here when the weather is cold and nasty. I have stayed in and puttered in the house. I did finally get started on the lil cocoon I was telling you about in earlier post. I guess you could say I cheated. I used a knitting loom. I makes really pretty stitches and a nice pattern. This is what it looks like.

 The loom has 2 rows of 18 pegs. I made the back panel of the cocoon using all 18 pegs for the correct width. Then made 2 more panels using only 9 pegs and the same length as the back. You can use a crochet hook to finish off the piece once you have the panels made. I wanted the front to be open a lil bit at the top. So here is what it looks like finished. (sorry I didn't take pics as I progressed) You know how well I remember to do that stuff.

With wrong sides together you crochet stitch the sides and bottom and up the front leaving about 1/4 open at the top center. I just put it on the floor to get a pic so I had dark contrast. I really did not follow a pattern for this. I looked online for ideas of cocoons that I liked and would not be hard to use  with a wiggling wee one and started knitting on the loom. I think I would like to have a round loom to make the lil hat to go with this cocoon. This cocoon measure about 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. Just right for a wee one. I made a "tool" to cast on the knitting loom with. I am sure you can use prettier ones but this did the job for me. It is hard to weave the yarn around those lil pegs with your fingers. This makes it much faster.

Yes I took apart an ink pen, fed the yarn thru the pen barrel and it was much easier to cast stitches on the loom. Made for faster work too. Thas called hillbilly ingenuity right there. Or skin flint for not buying the "tool". So my lil grandson will at least have his cocoon.

I checked on my vinegar start today and it had got invaded with some strange mold. So I had to toss it. I did save the mother and placed it in some apple juice for now. I am really just toying with this vinegar making idea as I have no clue what I am doing. All I know is I inoculated the first batch of apple cider with raw apple cider vinegar and that is where I got the mother to develop. That part is pretty easy. I think maybe it needs to be warmer to work better. It is warm enough in the house for us but not for making vinegar. Any who, we got the mother in juice for now till I get some apple cider.

I also strained my Kefir grains and put them in new sugar/molasses water to brew. I have Kefir grains all over. I have 1 quart jar stored in the fridge for if and when I manage to kill the ones that I am using. The jar on the left is extra grains headed for the fridge, the jar on the right is kefir with added strawberries for flavor and added nutrition. This will probably be my saving grace this summer as I usually lose all my potassium if I sweat the least lil bit. Hopefully the kefir water will add back the minerals that I lose.

This is the kefir grains that will go back in fresh water with sugar, molasses and a piece of clean egg shell (for added calcium) and allowed to ferment for a couple days. This is how much the grains have multiplied since I received them from Ivie.

I started out with grains about to the line on a quart jar and compare to above photos to know how they have multiplied. They seem to grow by leaps and bounds if you give them extra calcium such as egg shell. Fun to grow and good to the body. Me thinks me kitchen has become a science lab of sorts. Next I want to try to start sour dough starter. Don't laugh, I will do it just to see if I can.

I went to close up the chickens this evening and to gather the eggs. They are such pretty colors.

A whole range of color from white to beige to brown to light green and occasionally some that look light blue. I love getting colored eggs. I also have 2 lil hens setting on nest. They had been having problems with other hens laying in the nest box with them. So last evening I out a "fence" of sorts around the 2 nest boxes they are setting in so they can still get off the nest to eat, drink and do their business and not have other hens hopping on the nest to lay. And the others still have 4 other boxes to lay in. I should have babies in about 3 weeks.

Not much else happening here on the farm, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Oh they do grow fast

Remember the Kefir post a while back? Oh my they grow so fast its hard to keep up. I now have lots of grains to share if anyone who reads here is interested. You can Google "water Kefir" and learn all about it and its great health benefits. If this seems to be something you would like to make for your family I am willing to share the grains with you. Most of you already know I don't work anymore so if you would be so kind as to help with the postage it would sure be much appreciated by my hubby. I have to ask him to pay to mail this stuff for me. If you would like to have grains, email me at stellasplace62@gmail.com and let me know. Leave me you mailing address in the email please and I will send them. I have enough to share with about 5 people right now and they reproduce rapidly so in a few days I will have more. Just to let you know how active these grains are, even the ones I put in the fridge when I left for Nevada have worked and reproduced in the cold of the fridge. Normally they slow down and almost stop fermenting but these did not. So you can be assured they are healthy.

It has been one of those wet dreary nasty days outside that makes the body hurt a bunch. The forecast is for snow tonight and all the way thru this time next week. You would think it is March out there. I am looking forward to spring here. Really getting tired of this cold wet weather. But it is good for the ground and gardening so I should not complain about it.

Not much else happening here today. So till next time blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

My best lotion recipe

I have had a decent day today. The weather has been nice out and I have the door open to let in some fresh air. I somehow got motivated today to try a new lotion recipe altered from one I found online. I really altered it a lot and I love it. It was not hard to make. Now I cant wait to shower and try it out. But here is how I did mine. I did use my normal herbal blend to make the tea for this lotion. ALL organic stuff too.

Lotion

2 1/2 cups water (I have good well water)
a blend of herbs (calendula, golden seal, round leaf plantain, rose buds)
3/4 oils that are solid at room temp (coconut, mango butter, Shea butter)
3/4 cup oil that is liquid at room temp(almond, Castor, apricot seed oil)
1/3 cup bees wax pellets

Heat the water to boiling and stir in the herbs, cover and let steep over night. In the morning heat to almost boiling again and set off the heat to steep more.

In a large measuring cup fill to 3/4 with your choice of oils that are solid at room temp. On top of this add your 3/4 cup oils that are liquid at room temp along with bees wax. Melt in microwave till all is melted. Take out and stir often to get things melted together.


Strain 2 cups of the herbal tea into your blender container and put lid on without the hole cover in the middle.
Turn the blender on and stream the oils into the tea. It will emulsify pretty quick. Keep the blender on till all the oil is in and well blended. You may have to turn the blender off and on and scrape down the sides to get it evenly blended. Once it is blended scrape into the containers you want to keep your lotion in and let sit un-capped till it cools completely. Enjoy. The neat thing about this blend  of oils is that it will absorb into the skin well and will keep your skin moist all day with just one application.

 

You can tell from this photo how thick the lotion is after its blended. But not as thick as a creme type moisturizer would be.

My Kefir is growing like crazy. I put this in fresh sugar/molasses water yesterday evening and today it has grown a lot.

The line is the level of the grains yesterday and you can really tell how much they have increased in just 24 hours. Today I strained the grains out, made fresh sugar water for them and added them back and marked the level of grains on the jar again. Not long and I will have some grains to share if someone is interested.
This is very healthy stuff to consume. You can read about the benefits of Kefir here. I am sure hoping that will steady drinking the kefir water that it does make me feel better. So far, so good. If you think you have an over growth of yeast in your body you will want to consume a small amount of kefir water each day and work your way up or you may get a good deal of gas as the kefir kills off the yeast. I do know that just from a couple days of drinking the water kefir my belly don't feel so bloated. I can live with this.

Not much else happening here, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Finally finished

I got finished with the second rug at about 4 this morning. I know I should be sleeping but when my hands got busy my mind took a vacation and I lost track of time. Normal for me tho. But any way I did get finished with them. I had some readers ask some questions so now I can answer them and let you see the end result. I cut my strips about an inch and a half wide, I highly recommend if you use a heavy weight fabric like denim cut them no more than an inch. It was tough working with the blue jean material on these rugs. I had a brain fart and put them on the porch today when I swept off the last of the melting snow and forgot to take pics till the rugs had been used. But none the less you can get the idea. Also when I was crocheting these I started just doing single crochet but it will start to curl after a few rounds unless you switch to double crochet. And with heavy fabric like I was using to keep them flat you may have to increase a stitch occasionally to keep it smooth too. I learned this making these. Ya probably ain't gonna believe me but I had to look up "crochet stitches" just to be able to tell you what the stitches were called that I used. Also instead of going thru just one loop in each stitch I went thru both just to add extra strength to the end product. The rugs are oval shaped when they are first put down but with feet wiping goin on they get disheveled and look roundish.

 

Working with heavy fabric will also make it fairly obvious where your stitches stop too. But a good learners project. Would be a great project for kids or someone learning to crochet. And functional too.

In this rug you can see the different shade of blue in the middle. When I was stitching the strips of material together I purposely turned some of the denim wrong side our just so it would vary the colors. Not a good idea if you want a neat pattern. I was just tinkering. Bet you could have guessed that knowing me. But it was a fun project to do. I will do more in the near future as I want a rug on the front porch under my willow chair for summer. Now to raid the closets again. Oh and I read that old tee shirts make great yarn for crocheting things like this. Hmm, that would make a great bath mat. To make tee shirt yarn you cut the tee shirts into 1 inch or half inch strips and then pull them and they roll up like yarn. Cool eh?

An online friend sent me some Kefir grains today in the mail. Have you ever made Kefir? It taste good and is good for ya. It helps put good probiotics back in the gut that is lost with age, taking meds, taking antibiotics, being sicky or just to keep you healthy. With all my issues I will take all the help I can get. I know my routine meds mess up my belly. So thanks Lina for the kefir grains. Gosh and are they lively. When the mail came today I opened up the baggie and made my sugar and molasses water and dropped the grains in there and within 30 minutes I had bubbles in the liquid. Now I will taste it tomorrow and see how it is and maybe wait till the day after to start another jar. It has a tart taste when it is ready. I have had it before and would mix it with juice or just drink it straight. I don't like the taste of plain water so maybe, just maybe I can make me drink more water this way. When I strain the grains out of the liquid I will try to remember to take some pics so ya can see what they look like.

Not much else happening here, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella