Homemaking on the Homestead

    Well after several very cold, dry and sunny days the moisture rolled in last night in the form of snow! Our first for the season. It did stick some and there was not a whole lot of it and by this morning it was just slushy.  But it was pretty and sure does make it feel more and more winter like.    We had a real nice Thanksgiving with my bil and his wife and kids. We went to their home. It was the first time either of them had ever put the meal together and they did a fantastic job! My new sil is a great cook!! I was totally impressed by it all.    Tobin had most of last week off which was nice. He spent about 2 days with Emily in town shopping for a lap top computer for her. She has been working and saving money to go to school in the fall but wanted to also get herself a lap top. After tons of searching and researching they settled for a Sony Vaio and it was pink.. that was the part that Emi...

  I have added a few more new things to my store ..   I have a new goat milk soap scent that is my current favorite! It is Fruit Slices. The smell combines an assortment of citrus fruits along with apples, plums, peaches, nectarines and pears. Plus Fruit Slices Lotion is now available to match.. -     To go along with my new Christmas Spice soap I am offering Christmas Spice Lotion for a very limited time. It will be available through the month of December or until my supply runs out, whichever comes first. -     Emily has been busy making a new assortment of rice pad fabric choices . These rice pads make great gifts!  -

  Come and take a peek in my Country Store I have 2 new soaps for the Christmas season!   Frankincense & Myrrh   or Christmas Spice        

  If you are looking for a slightly sweet and salty treat that is easy to make look no further!   This was just way to easy and tastes delicious!   - ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup cane juice crystals ½ cup pop corn kernels 1 t salt   In a large pan that has a lid heat the olive oil until nice and hot. Add the popcorn kernels. As soon as the first ones start to pop sprinkle the cane juice crystals over the kernels, put the lid on and start shaking up the popcorn in the pan while the pop corn pops away. When all the popping has slowed way down, dump the popped corn into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. One warning.. when the popcorn it hot and coated with the sweetener it is VERY hot to the touch. So let it cool a minute before serving.

  The days of the year rush by, the months come and go before I know it, life is always busy. My days are filled with the basics of life, projects, and endless to-do lists. I am sure it is the same for many of you. When do we take the time to stop, reflect and truly be thankful to the Lord for His blessings in our life? Hopefully it is often; but maybe not often enough. To me November becomes a special “season of thankfulness”.   It is the time of year to stop, slow down and truly focus on giving God thanks. This year I have started a ‘thankful list’. I am writing down all that I have to be thankful for. I have asked my family to do the same. We are discussing our lists together and reflecting together on the goodness of God. You may discover, as I have, that the more you add to the list the deeper you will search your heart and the more your list will grow.   No matter what the circumstances in our life...

  Here it is Wednesday and the week is going by quick... my day was very productive. I got my house in nice shape and ran a few loads of laundry. Yesterday Tobin had jury duty. He was not picked so after he got home we had some lunch and then later in the afternoon headed into town. We had some errands to run. We picked up a new xbox for Jacob. He had ordered a refurbished one on line that last 4 days.. we sent it back and he was feeling pretty bummed about this. He had spent his hard earned money from working this summer on this and was out of money. We gave him the extra needed and then picked a brand new one up for him. He was so happy.. gotta have some reward for the hard work!   Tobin and I then went out to dinner at the Outback Steak House.. I like that place.. it was nice. We then and went and did more shopping and looking, mostly. It was just nice to go out and spend some time together. We got home a...

I love pumpkin! This time of year is the perfect time to use pumpkin. Besides pumpkin pie I share other yummy recipes with you. Holiday Pumpkin Bread Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (very yummy!) Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes Pumpkin Pie

  I am sitting in a nice and quiet home this morning listing to the rain outside and doing a little web work.  Several times over the last week or so I have sat down to make a blog entry and something has come up and I did not have the time. Life seems rather detailed oriented at the moment!  With the holiday season here I am filling more orders from my country store and making more products to keep up.      Life on our homestead has been very busy. Our dryer died on us a couple weeks ago and with a long string of dry days I was still able to hang out laundry. Tobin and I discussed what would be the best choice in replacement. After lots of research we decided to replace both our washer and dryer with a new front load set. We spent more time shopping until we felt we had found the best choice. I have to say that we are both extremely happy with this choice. Not only does this washer save on water but electricity too. Our ...