Homestead Conference!

Sometimes I just get blown away by how things happen... I was contacted a few weeks back about being a part of a Homestead Conference! They were looking for small holding homesteaders to talk about what they know and how they manage their homesteads and I was asked to be involved. Talk about EXCITED and SURPRISED! 

A great thing about this conference is that it is VERY affordable, only $9. And you can attend AT HOME! You can be in your pajamas with your cup of coffee and watch over 40 different homesteaders talk about their passions and how they make things happen around their farms. 

Look there! In the middle on the bottom row! It's me! Hooray! 

And here's the first image I saw floating around Facebook... talk about squealing when I saw it... I totally did!

If you would like to be a part of this please click the link below! 

I hope you can join us! 

Homestead Conference Virtual Summit

We had to make a super short intro video that they are going to compile together... here's mine if you would like to see! 

Welcome to the Farm, Mack!

Abram has been wanting his own dog for a long while now... he has been patient and has saved his money and waited on a long waiting list to get exactly what he wanted. My Sister and her family raises quality Labrador retrievers, and Abe put his name on the list a long while back. 

Abe is eager to be able to teach and train Mack to be a good, obedient dog and finally last week, he was able to bring him HOME!

Everyone is already completely smitten with him. He's so funny, playful, and sweet. 

He's learning his commands... learning to stay when he is told and to wait to go to the bathroom. He's a smart little fellow. He's only about 6 weeks old, but look at that head and those paws... we believe he may be a bigger boy than Muck! 

I've become such an old softie that I am gaga over him. EVEN when the little rascal hops into my garden beds while I am doing some clearing. ;) 

Welcome to the farm, Mack! We love you so much! 

SNOW

Yesterday morning, I woke up a bit disappointed... I had really hoped I would wake to a beautiful blanket of white. 

It did not happen.

BUT... as the morning progressed the snow started to fall and before long the ground was gloriously white with humongous flakes!

It was only a light dusting, but everything looks so magical in the snow. 

Carlie Jean and Muck even wanted to get outside a little!

The pigs ventured out from their straw beds to get some treats!

I loved the view I was able to have while doing dishes. So pretty! 

The cats that were all piled up together decided to take a walk around the farm with me to see all the snowy sights! 

Shannon had a personal day, which was perfect! He was able to stay inside and be warm and rest... but he just had to do a few things to help out. He knows how much I love watching the birds, so he filled up my feeders! Acts of service and words of affirmation are TOTALLY my love language and he does his best to speak those to me every day. 

Even the dried flowers and muddy parts of the yard look beautiful with a little dusting of SNOW! 

I know many who got much, much more snow than we did... I would love a little more, but I am thankful for what we were able to get! There is a smallish chance for a bit more tonight! I will say I am excited about that! 

Brrr... winter is HERE!

It is so very cold here in the south...   I know Northerners would read that and flat out laugh! Our cold is like autumn temps for you guys, but for us, it feels VERY cold! Especially, with the wind that is howling outside! The front that is moving in this week was supposed to hopefully bring us a little snow, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I still have a little hope though. 

The wind is so strong and cold that the animals are staying cozy in their shelters more and munching on the hay in there, the cats are piled up in heaps on the porch and sometimes under the porch, and Muck(the dog), he wants to go out, but comes back in fairly quickly after he's made a quick jaunt around the property. 

This afternoon is probably going to be the coldest day so far this year and so I have plans of beef stew for supper.Yesterday was my son-in-law's birthday, so I'm looking forward to enjoying some time with the WHOLE family this afternoon with warm food and games. 

 I've had requests on instagram to share how I make my beef stew, so I plan to take pictures and notes along the way so I can share a post for that this week on here as well. For now, I need to go feed the sourdough, strain the kefir, pull out the beef from the freezer, and tend to the animals. As I gather my gumption to face the cold, I'm wishing you warmth no matter where you are today!

Homemade Burger Buns

Hello Friends! I've been quite busy around here as we prepare for what is supposed to be one of the coldest fronts we have had here in a while... so while I am a little early breaking out the vibrant table runner and flowers, I am really looking forward to some of the white stuff! I LOVE snow! I love when the family gets stuck home together... we usually end up having such a fun time. Games, warm drinks, rest, it's my favorite! 

Being that Valentine's Day is just right around the corner, I was thinking about what I should make for my sweetheart for that day. Occasionally we go out for a "date night" but with everything going on in the world right now and trying to save money for our homestead, a "date night in" sounds just perfect. As funny as it may sound, his favorite thing in the whole world is a good ole hamburger. So I'm gonna share with y'all this delicious and easy peasy recipe for making fantastic burger buns for your "date night in" or your next burger night!

Here's how to make them!

2 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour 

2 cups all purpose flour

(OR, you can use 4 cups of all purpose flour) 
2 Tbsp yeast
Combine in a large bowl and set aside

In a small saucepan add the following:
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
Mix in saucepan til warm but not hot!
(Remember you are adding this to your dry ingredients and the yeast will not activate if it is too cold and it will die if it is too hot)

Add the wet to dry and mix
It will begin to get thick, once it does toss it on your floured counter and knead briefly.
This is a quick bread recipe so it doesn't take but just a couple of minutes.

Sprinkle some flour back in  your bowl and add your nice smooth ball of dough back in, cover with a tea towel and set somewhere warm for about 10-15 minutes.

Once you see that the dough has at least doubled and maybe tripled, plop dough back onto your floured surface and knead a few more times.

Your dough should be smooth and elastic.
Roll out on your counter (NOT TOO THIN!)
Remember! These are going to be buns, so don't make them too thin or small.
Grant it, they are going to rise, but still... keep this in mind.

(as you can see here, I got some a little bigger than others... it's ok) 

Once they are cut out, place on your baking sheet and cover with a tea towel again.
You want them to puff up and rise, so leave them for a bit.
They will only rise just a tiny bit more in the oven, so make sure they are about as big as you want them while they are rising on the counter.

Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until browned and not doughy on the inside.
I hope you enjoy!!!
Have a GREAT weekend friends!!

My Grandson is HERE!

Last week my world changed in such a way that I cannot even explain... I have been overjoyed to know that my grandson was on his way these past nine months, but I finally was able to see his face last Thursday night. And he literally took my breath away. He is the most beautiful child I have ever seen... maybe that is Grandmoma Chassy talking, maybe it's just the facts! He is an absolute dream! 

Cameo was having contractions Wednesday at her dr appt and she was already moving along and was in early labor. So the doctor recommended that she go home, get ready and be back at the hospital that night. They would have a room for her and expected her to deliver sometime Thursday. Talk about exciting! The time had finally come! 

I don't believe I have ever been less productive. I literally sat and stared at my phone just aching and waiting for it to ring!

Due to hospital restrictions, and 'the virus' (I changed that because my post was flagged... ugh), there was no one allowed to be with her except Houston. Which broke my heart, cause she had told me early on she wanted me there with her. But Houston is a fantastic husband and new daddy and he did an outstanding job supporting her in every way she needed. 

It was hard labor for her, but Thursday night Baby Denz was born, and Cameo did an exceptional job of carrying and laboring for him to be with us.  

With bright eyes and a head full of hair, this piece of heaven entered the world weighing 7 lbs 2 oz. 

They were able to come home Saturday night and I was finally able to meet him face to face. 

Friends, the fact is, I LOVE being a mother. It is one of the grandest things on this earth. To be able to raise, love, and nurture my four children has been a such a blessing to me, I love it. I love each one of them and their uniqueness. 

But being a grandmother has absolutely rocked my world... and it has been less than a week since I have known him outside the womb and my heart is so unbelievably full. 

This love is so different but so very, very good. It just makes me praise the Lord for His blessings on someone so very unworthy... because I am unworthy of such wonderful gifts... I am humbled in such a way, I have been in tears at least once a day since it all happened. 

When I look at his beautiful face I swell with gratefulness and love. I look forward to him getting to know me and me getting to know him as his personality emerges. I look forward to getting to sing to him. To hold him. To rock him. To introduce him to the farm... to teach him what the piggies and chickens say. To make him laugh at all my goofy ways. To grow food for him and let him work with me when he comes over. To bless him and his parents as much as I can,  as I try to do my whole family. To pray for him. To encourage him. To be there for him. I hope to be one of his favorite people. This love.... this love is intense. It is amazing.... and I will never take it for granted. 

To say that I am proud of Houston and Cameo would the understatement of understatements... they have been and are doing things beautifully, and I have been so blessed to be able to be there some and witness the support and love they have given to one another. 

My life has been forever changed. Thank you Lord for that. Please let me live up to the grand calling of grandmotherhood. 

Avocados! For now and later!

Have you ever been in the grocery store (they do not grow around here) and found avocados at an exceptional price and thought, "Man! I sure wish I could buy these to save for another time!" I know I have... 

Well, you can! 

With a vacuum sealer, bags, and a freezer, you can do just that! 

I recently found avocados on a sales paper saying they were 2 for $1 and I knew I wanted to take part in that sale! I asked my husband to stop by on his way home from work and he brought home $15 worth of avocados. We were having a big taco dinner over the weekend and I knew I was going to use quite a few for guacamole, but I wanted to save the rest for the freezer!

Give your avocados time to ripen, and once they are soft to the touch WITHOUT being mushy, slice and remove the pit and the peel.

You can leave the avocado in half like I did, I think it helps with the texture to leave it as a half instead of mashing it up. 

I then place them in the vacuum seal bag. One side is sealed and one side left open for adding the avocados.

Once you have as many as you want in the bag (I recommend doing it in batches)

I had several bags already cut, so I was only able to add 2 avocados in each. 

But I also wanted to make a larger batch because we usually use 4-5 when making guacamole for the family.

Set the open side bag in your vacuum sealer and allow the machine to suck as much air out as possible. Then seal and you are ready for the freezer! 

I've found these are great for using in smoothies, baked goods, or guacamole of course! So next time you come across a great deal in avocados, haul out that vacuum sealer and put some away for your family too!

Water Glassing Eggs!

Water Glassing Eggs... have you ever heard of this? It's an old fashioned way that is still very handy to use in our modern homesteads! 

It's not pickling or boiling, the process is taking fresh eggs and preserving them in a lime/water solution and making them shelf stable. 

I've made a video on YouTube that I will post here, but I will also post the directions here too for those of you who would prefer to read rather than watch! 

How to Water Glass Eggs

Items needed:

clean, unwashed freshly laid eggs

pickling lime

fresh water 

clean vessel with lid

Begin by mixing your water and lime solution... depending on the type of storage container you use will determine how much solution you will need. I used gallon jars, but you can use food grade buckets, jars, etc. 

The solution is made by taking 1 quart of water per 1 oz (by weight) of lime. Mixing the two together and then immersing your clean, unwashed eggs.

The eggs will remain in this solution until you need to use them. Once needed, simply take the egg from the lime/water solution and give a quick rinse. Crack into separate bowl and add to anything you might need or would use a fresh egg for! Quick breads, pancakes, scrambled eggs... whatever! 

Water glassed eggs are supposed to be shelf stable for up to 2 years! I can't imagine I will ever want to keep them that long, but knowing that I could if I wanted to is a grand thing! 

My plans are to use up within one year. 

Got any questions? I'd be happy to answer! Please let me know! And if you watch the video and enjoy, please consider liking and or subscribing!