The Henline Farm

Cupcake liners

2012-01-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I made some cupcakes for the Robotics team as it was my turn to take dinner to the kids. I dusted off my "filled cupcake" recipe and it was a hit. I'll post the recipe soon. I was looking for my cupcake liners and found that my cupboard was getting bare. I sorted through my hodgepodge of liners only to find that I had a plethora of fall themed liners. So I decided to use the familiar pastel cupcake liners ... you know the kind in pale pink, yellow and blue. Since my family couldn't eat the cupcakes I set aside for the team I decided to make another batch. I needed more liners. So I stopped at my local Walmart store to pick some up. I found "designer" cupcake liners... from Wilton. But where are by "Baker's" brand liners? After searching the internet and Amazon.com I discovered that Reynold's is now the manufacturer of the pastel cupcake liner. However, they don't have any in stock...neither does Amazon.com! No offense to Wilton and other designer brand cupcake liner manufacturers, but I only need my pastel liners. Let me know if you see these "old fashioned" liners around town.

Mom... your on your own!!!

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

Conversation in the car on the way to school this morning... Well girls, I've seen my friend's chicken coop and she has an fenced in, roofed area that the chickens can hang out in safe from the elements and varmits and scratch and dust until they are content. I think this will be the project for 2012 ---to expand the chicken coop area to include a covered area for the 'girls'. To which they have replied... "sounds good mom, but your on your own!". Looks like I'm going to have to rally some friends, fill in the hole where the plastic pond is, dig some post holes, gather some wood, find roofing materials and chicken fencing to create my chicken oasis. Any volunteers? :)

2011-12-08T07:37:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get back to this blog, revive it and breathe new life into it. So today I want to start with my goals for 2011 and what I want to do for 2012. The things that I removed are to get the bees productive, make wine and try rutabagas.Our bees are doing well and I hope Emily and I tucked them in properly for the winter. The next day we have with temperatures above 50 degrees I will peek to see if they could use more food. Until then we have to believe in their survival instincts and hopefully the queen will be strong enough to lead her hive into the spring. The bees produced a fair amount of honey for us this year and I have to say this was the coolest thing I have ever done. Bottling honey is VERY STICKY work but so worth the effort. We received an inspection by the state of Ohio apiary inspector and we have to treat for varrora mites. The mites are not out of control at this point. We received our inspection in fall and will treat our bees in spring should they survive the winter.Our wine making efforts are in full gear. Jim has embraced this hobby and is excelling at it. Our only failed effort was the cranberry wine. I'm still saddened by this. I was so looking forward to this wine but alas, something went wrong in the fermentation period and he tossed it out. However we have sweet cherry and sour cherry, made from the berries, currently working which will be bottled late spring 2012. He has also made wine from kits including Merlot and Chianti. I am the official taste tester and a job I take seriously... as I feel compelled to check as many bottles as possible! ;)Now for rutabagas. We tried these unique root vegetables, however, I tried them out of season. DUH. I would like to revisit this vegetable one day to give it another try.

2011-11-30T12:54:00.001-08:00

Allison and Helen. Helen, we had a great time during your visit. Please come back again.

Helen and the Blankie!!! :)

Helen, Emily and Kevin.

How many teenage boys can you get in the back of an Amish buggy? In this case...3! Robert, Michael and Collin.

2011 German students visiting Ohio from Hennef, Germany. We love you!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T09:04:00.001-08:00

Another Thanksgiving was celebrated with family and a new friend. For the past two years our family has hosted a German exchange student via the high school German club. Working with a school in Hennef, Germany our coordinator finds host families to share an American Thanksgiving with these students. This year we hosted Helen and showed her Daffins Candy Store, Kraynaks Christmas tree lane, Wendell August Forge and Slovak Folk Center and of course Grove City outlets. We shared with her the gluttony that is Thanksgiving with all the trimmings: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed potatoes (which were almost forgotten), sweet potatoes, wilted lettuce, green bean casserole, pumpkin and pecan pies. She also witnessed up close and personal the fiasco of Black Friday. Her group then took a bus trip to Washington DC ( a one day excursion that nearly did them in!). After some resting time it was back to the mall for Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch deals. Monday we went with her group to Sugarcreek, Ohio to learn about the Amish community. We had a unique opportunity to witness an Amish school day, ride an Amish buggy (those horses are amazing!!!) accompanied by more shopping and eating at an Amish restaurant. Tonight everyone will gather, hosts and visitors, for an American pot luck supper. I hope she enjoyed her stay in America and with us and will remember her time fondly.

November

2011-11-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

It appears as though I only have a moment once a month to post to this blog. October was just as busy as September for our family and farm. I canned sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, cranberry apple sauce, and cranberry mustard. I never really liked cranberry because I have the image of this gelationous substance globbed onto a serving dish at Thanksgiving. I never really cared for the taste either. But Fresh Cranberries are wonderful and so are the cranberries that I preserved this year.

2011-11-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

Our newest addition to the farm. ROSE our Jack Russell, Fox terrier and several more...mix breed puppy. She is adorable and smart.

October!

2011-10-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, I realized that I haven't blogged since August. What happened to September?

Today I made pumpkin bread. YUM!

September found me canning: (left to right) pickled beets, roasted red pepper spread and red root relish!

AND Jalapeno Jelly, Tomato Jelly and pickled Jalapenos!

I am earnestly working on our pantry this past season. I am quite proud of our efforts this year. I still hope to can pears and cranberries. We have some winter pears in the yard and I need to beat the deer to them! The cranberries should arrive when Jim returns from his hunting trip to Wisconsin. These will both be new to me to can. I can't wait.

I also want to make pumpkin rolls. I haven't had time in recent years to attempt this project.

Also, our lovely young ladies attended the Austintown Fitch Homecoming festivities with their friends!

Kevin, Allison and Katie

Alexis, Emily, Jamie and Alyssa

Good Morning!

2011-08-29T11:22:00.001-07:00

Good Morning. This is the beautiful sky that welcomed the day today. Emily is our resident photographer. Good job sweetheart.

Chicken Scratch

2011-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

I found this nice PDF article from West Virginia University Extension office about Chicken Scratch. I am declaring this my winter project (along with about a dozen others!). Chicken Scratch is embroidery on gingham and I remember it mostly on my mom's aprons. I can't wait to start. Then when I get good at this I'll make an apron for every day of the week! And of course, I found one with roosters!

Honey!

2011-08-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is our first honey harvest. All this came from Emily's beehive. It's awesome and mmmm,mmmm, good!

Bottle trees!

2011-08-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

This is my bottle tree! We are recycling wine bottles for our own wine. I was busy today sterilizing and de-labeling the bottles.

Adventures over the horizon for Okinawa exchange student - TownCrierOnline.com | Community news from Boardman, Canfield, Austintown and Poland, Ohio — Town Crier

2011-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Adventures over the horizon for Okinawa exchange student - TownCrierOnline.com | Community news from Boardman, Canfield, Austintown and Poland, Ohio — Town Crier

Another project for next year.

2011-08-04T05:04:00.002-07:00

Whilst at the Ohio State Fair I spotted the miniature garden competition. Hmmm... I want to try this next year.

The Ohio State Fair

2011-08-04T04:46:00.001-07:00

Hinata and Emily at the Ohio State Fair

Our family visited the Ohio State Fair as part of our exchange experience with Hinata. The 4-H family provided us admission and we participated in the International Day in the Youth Center at the Fair. Hinata displayed her EISA costume.

We then walked around the fair and found some interesting things... like WALDO!

A Very Large Rabbit.

And some beautiful foul critters!

Busy,...Busy Summer.

2011-08-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

Canned Peaches

Peach Salsa

Peach Salsa

It has been a very busy summer.
Joel, our friend from Great Britain visited with our family early in July. We took him to see the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees (oh yeah), Cedar Point and Niagara Falls, Canada. I think he enjoyed his stay.
Allison and Joel

Joel loving the Falls!

Allison ,Joel and Emily getting ready for the 4th of July parade.

We also went to the Deathly Hallows part 2 movie. Joel was priceless when he shouted before the movie started...."There's a troll in the dungeon!" Everyone thought his accent was spot on! LOL!

Now we are hosting Hinata, a student from Okinawa, Japan. She will be visiting with us for three weeks. So far we have taken her to a Scrappers baseball game and the Ohio State Fair. Many other fun things are scheduled for her as well.
As for me, I've been busy canning. My husband bought some delicious peaches from Rhodes Farm Stand and I canned peaches, made peach jam with Rosalie and Emily and even made homemade peach salsa.
Yesterday I took the girls to a friend's farm and picked some blueberries. Then another friend dropped off his excess pickles and for the first time I made sweet pickle relish and homemade (not Mrs. Wages) Bread and Butter Pickles.

Still more Grandma handiwork

2011-06-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

Little Bunnies in a broken egg shell - Great for Easter... in pearly paints

A bell cookie jar and a Bell ! (Christmas Motif)JAMIE ADOPTED

Bunny and a Girl on a Pumpkin. (Can you tell Emily and I are getting tired? We are mixing the seasons!)

Another Boy and Girl Bell set and a candy dish. LINDA ADPOTED

Little girls standing in the wind. Small figures.

Candy Dishes, a Poinsettia 8"(COOKER), heart (8x6) and yeah 6"(COOKER).

A mini stein (does NOT open) and mini vase ala 70's... just add lava lamp :)

Santa...the bag can hold candy - maybe (its an odd shape and size), Snowman and Santa Cup.

4 mugs for you! Starting from left.... wooden style, Roman Chariot (?), Snow covered cabin, and a ship. All in awesome shape as are everything I've posted. COOKER ADOPTED

Music Box figure - pearly paints ALLISON ADOPTED

2 Christmas Bells.... not quite the same... Can you spot the difference?

Girl in a shell... I don't know if you can distinguish, but in the background Grandma glued pearls and rhinestones in the back of the egg!

Next project - Grandma's handiwork

2011-06-14T09:27:00.002-07:00

Jim and I decided we would learn how to make wine. I went to an initial lesson, ordered the equipment, received the equipment and scheduled a home lesson to begin the process.But in thinking ahead, we were wondering where we could put our wine. We don't have any space in our home to house a wine cellar. ( we don't have a basement). So we decided it would be best to borrow Grandma's basement. However, in recent years Grandma's basement has be a refuge for many wayward items of hers and ours. :)
SO I decided to clean out a room for a wine cellar. I felt like I was on the TV show American Pickers. I found many neat things, some garage sale fodder and other potential heirlooms for the family. I will post here some of the findings. Should anyone in the family decide they wish to keep some of Grandmas Handiwork, email me and I'll send it to you.
Off to find more treasures!

2 TURKEY baskets and one Scarecrow/Pumpkin head basket.

BUNNY Basket (number 2 of 2) and in front are three ceramic eggs she made. The one of the far left cracked and she glued it back together. They all would look good in this basket of hers!

BUNNIES!!! In the background are two bunny door hangings (ala door wreaths...see-- on a wicker flat) and in the foreground a famous bunny basket. If you don't have one-- this is one of the two that are left.

These are Christmas ornaments crafted out of plastic canvas and hand stitched.

Choir Bells - These are a pair of bells - 1975 -

Baby (trying to suck on it's toe!) 1973 - pearly paint

This is a little child holidng a basket containing a bunny - 1972 - pearly paint

Unsure what to call this cutie - hummel style - 1974 COOKER ADOPTED

SCHOOL BOY AND GIRL - 1971 - humel style

KISSING ANGELS - 1977 - Pearly Paint

PAPERBOY - 1971 - Hummel Style (she even wrote "Vindiator" on the newspapers!) LINDA Adopted

Mini Garden Pot--I mean mini,tiny, itty bitty... you get the deal. 1980!

That 70's Show! A candle holder (74) that will hold a massive candle and a small vase. (73)

A little larger vase... with gold paint! 1971

Hill Billy Mug... this made me laugh! ALLISON ADOPTED

Leprechaun Decanter... The hat has a cork around it to be purposed as a wine/liquor decanter. I like the guy... he's cute.

Another hummel style piece. She did an awesome job on this.COOKER ADOPTED

And everyone needs a dutch ceramic shoe!

And I found this Hershey collectable if anyone wants. JAMIE ADOPTED

Quick the sun is shining!

2011-05-19T10:58:00.001-07:00

After about another week and a half of rain, the sun peeked out this afternoon. I took advantage of this break in the weather to check the hives. Swarming weather is upon us and I want to make sure that they are happy.

Great Weather for....

2011-05-16T05:37:00.001-07:00

DUCKS!
Its Raining AGAIN! We had to cancel the shearing for the Alpacas as they are wet from head to toe. We are now on a sunshine waiting list. At this point it may be fall before they are sheared. :(

These are the hummingbirds that visit our feeders. (photo was taken last week when we had sunshine)

2011-05-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Lily of the Valley is in bloom

Black Raspberry patch

Red Raspberry Patch

Fiber day 2011 at Agland

2011-05-14T16:45:00.001-07:00

Agland in Canfield hosts a Friends of Fiber day. They have alpacas, and llamas on display and a shearer handy to shear sheep and goats. Inside the ladies sit and spin.
Enjoy the photos.

Swarm 2011

2011-05-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Emily and I try to catch our first swarm! Jim noticed it on a cherry tree behind our beehive when he was returning from hunting for turkeys. Luckily we had a nuc box ready. I asked Jim and Allison to hurry up and put some frames together and Emily and I suited up to "catch" the swarm. This swarm is so big it doesn't fit in the nuc box.

Hens and Chicks- gardening style

2011-05-13T10:42:00.001-07:00

Today, I also ventured down to the Fellows Riverside Garden Plant sale. I've never been before,but thought I'd take a chance. What a lovely selection of plants,trees, shrubs, and containers. You name it, I'm sure they have it!
Now, something on my wishlist this year was to try to make a hen and chick wreath. And the Gardens had all the fixins ... wreath, liner and plants. So in pictures I take you from wire frame to soil, to plants to finished product. The "experts" at the Gardens informed me that it will take the entire season for this to fill out. And something else truly cool, I can hang it up. They also suggested in the winter that I can bring it in the house and use it as a centerpiece for the table, just add a candle to the center! What a neat idea. Enjoy.

Gardening

2011-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

The spring has been really wet. However,God has given us a break the last few days. I have been out in the garden, planting everything I can get my hands on. My problem garden is with my herbs. It seems that I never quite find the right place. So this year... I'm using containers.

This container is thyme and the itty bitty sprouts next to it are beebee tree sprouts. I was given some beebee seeds at our last beekeepers meeting. These beebee trees are supposed to bloom during summer when little else is blooming. I hope they grow big and strong.

This is my basil and parsley container. No I didn't consult a companion planting guide, I'm winging it!

This is lavender and tri-colored sage.

This is my mint container. I have spearmint in the middle surrounded by apple mint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint! This smells heavenly.

Spring is.... Springing!

2011-04-28T11:20:00.001-07:00

I found the "chick" feeders. They come in purple and green. I don't really need both, but what the heck, I'll decide which to use tomorrow. I like to keep my options open.

Remember that spring garden I planted a while back? Well, here it is. Looks like a box of mud with little sprigs in it. Some onions, peas and lettuce made it. I will most likely replant the rest.

The chickens sooooo want the land to dry out a bit. Their yard is mud, mud, mud.

And the Alpacas? This is their.... "I'm ignoring you" pose. This is the one they favor by the way. You see, they ignore me all the time. Unless, of course, it's feeding time! :)

Apricot Tree... I think. Since it has never born any fruit, I can't say for sure.

Apple - planted last year. Looks good

Pear tree minus the Partridge (smile).

Cherry Tree - This tree is host to our bird feeders!

Magnolia - notice the browse line. The browse line is created by some lovely creatures we share the planet with. The white tail deer nibble on everything they can reach. When this tree blossoms... you can quite clearly see the part they like to munch on! (When is deer season in again?)

One thing leads to another!

2011-03-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

It all started with a recipe for essential oils using apple peels. Well, I wasn't going to peel some apples without doing something with the the rest of the fruit. So, I decided to make apple cake!

Then I thought about my personal bread quest. I had wanted to make a spinach flat bread recipe ever since I tried some two weeks ago. It looks good. I can't wait until it cools off.

And the critters got the good vegie scraps!
(I cleaned out the vegetable bins in the refrigerator) :)

Homemade Essential Oils | eHow.com

2011-03-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, I was inspired to make my own liquid hand soap. I enjoy using the Bath and Bodyworks apple scented foaming liquid soap. It is expensive and they do not carry refills. What a waste. So in reading the Chickens in the Road blog, I was inspired to try to make my own dispenser with liquid soap. The theory I'm formulating is if I water down the liquid soap,it will work through the dispenser. However, what about the apple scent. I found information on eHow on how to make essential oils. Seems like a reasonable theory that should work. I'm off.... I will let you know what happens in my kitchen today. Take care everyone.
Homemade Essential Oils | eHow.com

Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses Youve Probably Never Thought Of by Vicki Lansky

2011-03-22T06:42:00.001-07:00

I bought this book at Barnes and Noble last night. It has ideas I've never pondered.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses Youve Probably Never Thought Of by Vicki Lansky

View more documents from AutoSurfRestarter.

How to Make Ginger Ale - wikiHow

2011-03-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

Am I brave enough to try this project? I will grab some ginger root at the store the next time I shop. However, I wonder if I can use a quart jar? I don't feel comfortable using a recycled 2 Liter bottle. Hmmm...
How to Make Ginger Ale - wikiHow

The Buzzards Return to Hinckley

2011-03-21T05:31:00.001-07:00

A Turkey Buzzard...the real thing.

Here is an article from the Ohio Festivals Page about the annual Buzzard migration. Every year around March 15th, the Buzzards return to Hinckley, Ohio. I must put this on my list of things to do. It looks like a fun experience.

Bees, the Garden and Earthquakes....Oh My!

2011-03-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

BEES

I walked back to the hives today to see it all a "buzz". I am happy to see that some our our girls made it through the cold, harsh winter. The temperature reached about 60 degrees today and the bees were busy. I fed them a pollen patty to help them get their mojo back until the blossoms appear.
Come on....blossoms.
I encourage everyone to plant something for our pollinators. Remember butterflies are pollinators too! Sunflowers are easy to plant and grow and benefit the butterflies, honey bees and birds too! This year I want to plant some bee balm as well as some other pollinating plants. I hope to have some nice flowering plants all season long.
More flowers + More pollinating = MORE HONEY!!!

THE GARDEN

This is the first year in about the last ten where I actually had the time to prepare the garden for early spring planting. I have one box ready to go and I planted some spinach, radishes and lettuce. I need to go to the store to get my pea seeds and some onions and my Spring Garden Box will be ready. Woooo....Hooo.

EARTHQUAKES IN OHIO
Apparently our area experienced a 2.6 magnitude earthquake on St. Patrick's day (March 17, 2011). I didn't feel it as I was taking a car pool to Jazz Band practice. And I didn't notice any buildings shaking. Thankfully, no major damage was reported in our area.
My prayers continue for the folks in Japan dealing with their Earthquake, Tsunami, Cold Weather and Energy problems. The American Red Cross continues to help. Please keep these victims and volunteers in your prayers.
Below is the information from the USGS web site that monitors earthquakes.

Magnitude 2.6 - YOUNGSTOWN-WARREN URBAN AREA, OHIO
2011 March 17 10:53:09 UTC

This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
Magnitude
2.6
Date-Time
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:53:09 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 06:53:09 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
41.110°N, 80.680°W
Depth
5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program
Region
YOUNGSTOWN-WARREN URBAN AREA, OHIO
Distances
2 km (1 miles) WNW of Youngstown, Ohio
18 km (11 miles) SE of Warren, Ohio
95 km (59 miles) ESE of Cleveland, Ohio
234 km (145 miles) ENE of COLUMBUS, Ohio
Location Uncertainty
Error estimate not available
Parameters
NST= 7, Nph= 7, Dmin=2.8 km, Rmss=0 sec, Gp=108°,
M-type="Nuttli" surface wave magnitude (mbLg), Version=1
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2011ipc6
Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver

Pun on Family name!!!

2011-03-16T09:36:00.001-07:00

This is a 'HEN LINE'... teehee

Old Photo Time!

2011-03-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me at 14 months old. I am only a little bit bigger than a bushel of apples. I don't remember the dog's name. I'll have to ask one of my OLDER Sisters.

Cinnamon Bread, Crocus and MUD!

2011-03-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all my friends and your kind encouragement to continue on with this blog.

Over the weekend I started my bread project. I made a homestyle white bread and it turned out pretty good for my first attempt. I also made a Cinnamon bread yesterday. The recipe I used made 2 loaves. When I went to take a picture to show you...there was only one loaf left. I think my family likes this one! :)

After running to the grocery store this morning I spotted our crocus. A sure sign that spring is doing its' best to arrive.

And what is spring without a little MUD!

Time to dust off the blog!

2011-03-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up with this morning. Winter storm warning in effect until noon. (I think). Really??? Hopefully this is the last of the winter weather. We say this every day!!!

2010-10-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our Maple tree beginning to change colorsI love Dad's windmill
Cookie!
Bees are a buzzin'!
Hickory (Dickory) Trees!
Allison's 1st Place prize on her spinning! We are soooo proud.

List of things to do.

2010-10-08T10:07:00.001-07:00

My list of things to do seems to get longer and longer and longer...
The weekend begins tonight with a home football game and working the concession stand for the band. Meanwhile my swim team moms will be selling pompoms at the game for the swim team fundraiser! See my multitasking abilities?

Tomorrow I need to take the car for some TLC... so off to the garage at 8am! Then I need to stop by the feed store to get some chicken feed, bedding, straw and maybe a mum plant or two or three! ;)

Next off to the AWESOMETOWN event at the Austintown Township Park. Allison is performing with the Fitch Pep Band to kick off the festivities at 11am. Then she needs to work the robotics booth for FALCOTECH #3193 team from the High School.

Where is Emily, you ask? She will be holding down the couch again as she has been home sick for 3 days. She doesn't have strep... thank goodness! But she is run down and achey... so she is on forced R&R!

Now... what I would like to do later in the day is to get some apples to make applesauce and buy some local pears to make some canned pears. (hmmm... I think I can...I think I can....)

Sunday is my turn to "read" in church and Emily's turn to Acolyte. She also has to go to her confirmation classes.

Now... somewhere in that restful(?) weekend I'll have to retrieve my car from the maintenance garage, visit my mother in physical therapy rehab, and clean my house.

I think I need a plan to get the house clean though. We are expecting some visitors for Thanksgiving and we need to do a thorough cleaning. Time to start list making!

Time now to ask your forgiveness in my rambling post. Hope your weekend is pleasant and sunny!

Living the Frugal Life: Potatoes in Buckets 2.0 (Finally!)

2010-10-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Living the Frugal Life: Potatoes in Buckets 2.0 (Finally!) Something to try next year!!!... Oh dear... where did I put all those plastic buckets???

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

2010-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
I just put Shiitake Mushroom growing on my wish list.... now I'm off to find some hardwood trees! Oh, honey, can you bring your chain saw on a walk with me??? LOL! ;)

Happy Fall!

2010-09-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. This past weekend the girls and I, along with their friends went to a corn maze. We had a great time deciphering the map,finding some clues to the game and of course, eating french fries and ice cream!

Then on Sunday, I made some Sausage and Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad and Apple Cake! I'm definitely in my autumnal mode.

I'm hoping to start a craft/sew group with my daughters and their friends on Sundays as our time permits. First up....tied blankies. We'll see how it goes.

Until next time.

Wow....

2010-09-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated since shearing day! Where did my summer go? The bookmobile was busy this summer as were our daughters. We planted a garden, however my darling husband will have to "kick it up a notch" for next year. Our tomatoes didn't do so well. I harvested enough to make a couple batches of salsa, but that was about it. I canned dill pickles, kosher dill pickles (I know, I know), bread and butter pickles, pickled beets(red, striped and gold)dilled green beans, canned peaches and am looking forward to the fall harvest. I would like to put up some applesauce and can some pears.

Apiary update: our purchased bees from North Carolina did not survive. Now we have two swarms in our hives... one we adopted on Father's Day and another adopted on the 4th of July. We have been nurturing them, feeding them and now we are preparing them for the winter to come. They have been pollinating the goldenrod and ragweed and the front of the hives have a yellow deposit on them from where the bees land to get into the hive. It is rather fascinating to watch this.

Alpaca update: They survived the shearing, and this past weekend was PEDICURE weekend. We harnessed, led, cajoled, and yes, wrangled our Alpacas to clip their nails. They haven't looked our way since! LOL!

Chicken update: We now have 10 ladies left. The rooster was attacking Allison and Emily so.... Soup time for you! One lady never returned after we let them out one evening. There you go... circle of life and all that. We continue to get 8 to 9 eggs a day. Our plan is to purchase more chicks this spring and begin again.

Canfield Fair update:
Emily and I didn't enter many categories this year. Allison entered a few more.
Emily entered Pecan Tassies and won 1st place. And she entered her basket we made in our weaving guild and placed 3rd.
Allison's spinning won 1st place this year! We were thrilled. This is our own Alpaca fiber that she dyed herself, then spun herself. (Sounds like the LITTLE RED HEN huh?) She did a wonderful job! She decorated a cake that looks like the Tartis on Dr. Who and won 3rd place. And she also took third place on her woven basket.
My snickerdoodles won 1st place as did my Elderberry jelly. My pickled beets took 2nd place. All in all it was a good year.

Allison and Emily update:
These two are keeping us so busy I don't have time to post here! They both swam for the Firestone Area Swim Team this summer. Meanwhile, Allison was practicing daily for the Flagline for the awesome Austintown Fitch Marching Band. The band participated in 3 band nights (one was our own) the Canfield Fair, the Carnation parade in Alliance, Ohio and of course... all our football games.
Now we are also into volleyball season. Emily earned a place on the 8th grade red team this year. Most nights we aren't home until after 8pm!

Shearing Day!

2010-05-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Photo updates

2010-05-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

Catching up.

2010-05-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

The hummingbirds have returned and are visiting our hummingbird feeders. A nesting pair of blue birds found one of bird houses to their liking and are now busily building a blue bird family.

The lily of the valley blooms are almost done, the irises have started to bloom and now that the rain has stopped the grass is GROWING. We think by Wednesday the ground should be dry enough to begin planting our garden. On Sunday I stopped by Park's Garden center in Canfield and bought some flowers for our outdoor pots and some peppers and tomatoes for the vegetable garden. Emily busily attended the planting of our flower pots and they look awesome. Thanks for a wonderful job, Emily. I need to prepare a little space for my sunflower garden. Sunflowers are important to our honeybees and the birds. I encourage everyone to make a little space for some sunflowers.

The alpacas were sheared over the weekend and we contributed our shearing 'ends' to the Gulf oil clean up efforts. Allison is working on uploading a video of the shearing. I can't wait until she is done, then I can post it here. Emily created a nice display explaining about our animals and about alpacas in general. Allison had her spinning wheel out, but lacked the time to spin due to her video project.

The rooster is getting 'cocky' and has attacked both Allison and Emily. I fear for him if he should attack me... if his attitude doesn't improve, I think I'll be making some soup soon.

The middle of last week found our bee hives covered in black ants and our poor honeybees fighting for their lives. To top that off one hive was hosting a nest of yellow jackets! We initiated a cleanup effort and removed the unwanted yellow jacket nest. I checked the hive thoroughly to ensure that there weren't any more unwanted visitors down in the comb area. Now the honeybees can go about gathering nectar and pollen in peace. Blooming for our ladies this week is the blackberries and strawberries.

I will post a few photos soon and hopefully Allison's video.
Until next time...

Farmers solving the BP Oil Spill disaster!

2010-05-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Please watch this video about farmers solving the BP Oil Spill Disaster! They even have an idea of what to do with the used up hay. Whoo Hooo. You guys need to be on O'Reilly!

Agland Fiber Day

2010-05-08T16:20:00.001-07:00

Agland in Canfield,Ohio hosted a fiber day. They welcome some critters,spinners and weavers to show the fiber process from animal to yarn! Enjoy the photos below.

Sheep

Alpacas

Llamas

The ladies from the local spinning guild.

The shearer...shearing the sheep.

Allison leaves for Myrtle Beach

2010-05-08T15:58:00.001-07:00

Allison left this past Thursday with the band for a competition and trip to Myrtle Beach. Good luck Allison and return to us safe.

Ginger Ale - Part Two

2010-05-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia has this to say about ginger ale. So I learned that there are two types of ginger ale: golden and dry. Hmmm... I never thought about it like that before.
Making Ginger Ale at home. Didn't know it needed to ferment!
This Ginger ale recipe looks more my speed.
OOO... I like this recipe, it includes step by step photos!

Where is the Ginger?

2010-05-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

No, not Ginger Grant from Gilligan's Island, but the Ginger in Ginger Ale. For upset tummies my husband and I like to keep ginger ale in the house. So I went up to my local store this morning to get some. For giggles, I read the ingredient labels. Know what I found? NO GINGER in the ginger ale!
I had Canada Dry and Vernors to choose from. Reputable and National brands. Hmmm... lets see. Canada Dry is claiming it is made with REAL Ginger. However, the label does NOT list ginger as an ingredient. In the US the FDA or some government agency requires manufacturers to list ingredients on labels in order that they appear...so to speak. So water, that makes sense. High Fructose Corn Syrup, again the sweetener needs to be there. Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate as preservatives and finally natural flavors. Oh... by the way they claim that the natural flavors includes real ginger! However (me thinks)a significant amount of ginger must not be in the product because it didn't make the label. Vernors is the same way. I'm confused, baffled and befuddled! I don't want a generic post of natural flavors, whatever that is. Just GINGER!
I have tried the ginger candy from the health food stores, but have found it to be extremely strong. Our household prefers ginger ale. I guess, I need to look into some home made alternatives using REAL GINGER... and not some natural flavors.
If you know of a home made option, please post in the comments. Thank you.

Some new books to ponder

2010-04-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Town the Saved Food by Ben Hewitt.
Over the past 3 years, Hardwick, Vermont, a typical hardscrabble farming community of 3,000 residents, has jump-started its economy and redefined its self-image through a local, self-sustaining food system unlike anything else in America. Even as the recent financial downturn threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms, a stunning number of food-based businesses have grown in the region—Vermont Soy, Jasper Hill Farm, Pete's Greens, Patchwork Farm & Bakery, Apple Cheek Farm, Claire's Restaurant and Bar, and Bonnieview Farm, to name only a few. The mostly young entrepreneurs have created a network of community support; they meet regularly to share advice, equipment, and business plans, and to loan each other capital. Hardwick is fast becoming a model for other communities to replicate its success. The captivating story of a small town coming back to life, The Town That Food Saved is narrative nonfiction at its best: full of colorful characters and grounded in an idea that will revolutionize the way we eat.

I can't wait to read it... I'm on hold for this title with my library.

Warm Bread and Honey Cake by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra.
Containing a mix of familiar family favorites and unusual, exotic delicacies, this comprehensive collection of recipes for breads, cakes, biscuits and pastries is also a well-researched exploration of home-baking techniques and global ethnic history. Inspired by her multicultural background the author has drawn inspiration from all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Nice book. I've had a chance to peruse her recipes. Yum, Yum. I am concerned however, that if I have difficulties with the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, that this book is a bit out of my league.

And for the children and children at heart. Feeding the Sheep by Leda Schubert. Narrated in a chatty, question-and-answer rhyming text, this warm story describes work throughout the seasons on a farm. A little girl repeatedly asks her mother, “What are you doing?” and Mom’s step-by-step answers describe how she feeds the sheep; shears, washes, dries, and cards the wool; spins and dyes the yarn; and, finally, knits a sweater (“Knit and purl, needles whirl”). A closing scene, “Sweater hug, woolly hug,” shows perfect bliss between mother and daughter, and in a final reversal, the mother asks the questions, while the little girl dives into work. The physicality of the words (“Soft and deep, sheepy heap”), the fascinating facts, and the action-filled, brightly colored illustrations will capture kids’ attention, as will the cozy family bond between parent and child, working together and caring for their free-range animals. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Hazel Rochman .

I think all my fiber friends need this book. You can read it when you display your spinning/weaving/knitting etc. at shows or simply to any child in your life. This is one of the best books out there to describe how fiber is processed from critter to sweater. LOVE IT!

I spy...

2010-04-23T15:17:00.001-07:00

Our Rooster

Sammy, Aunt Janet's horse

Two bee hives

Alot of bees!!!

Some Violets

Our nesting ducks

The ducks again

A bunny!

Planting trees - Earth Day!

2010-04-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

Our trees were delivered via UPS from Miller Nurseries last night. We opened our package and found healthy trees and bushes. So after supper we went out to plan and plant our 'orchard'.
First off Jim planted his raspberries. He planted Gold Raspberries and 2 types of Black Raspberries.
Then with the help of our resident hole digger (AKA - Allison) we moved onto the trees. We needed to plant them near the Alpaca pasture...as they seem to keep the deer away. We will find out soon if our strategy works. My job was to instruct the hole digger where to dig the holes. We planted 2 Yellow Transparent Apple trees, 2 Spitzenberg Apple Trees, 2 Northern Pecan Trees and 2 Carpathian Walnut Trees. We also planted 2 elderberry bushes. We hope the Lorax would be proud! Happy Earth Day everyone!

This and That

2010-04-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Emily is the 4-H beekeeper for the Loghurst farm this year. Here she is getting ready to install some package bees.

Emily and her Loghust farm mentor, Barb Loewit.

Welcome to your new home honey....bees! ;)

Emily and Barb working together.

Its Turkey Season! Run turkeys...run! Those are real wild turkeys, not lawn ornaments. Any yes, that is our backyard.

Ol Wiley E... Coyote that is. This guy was right behind our beagle Cookie thinking she may make a good dinner. (located right behind our back door!)Dad to the rescue!

Look at the chompers on that thing! Amazing.

Drawn Out Comb

2010-04-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

One of our new bee hives had a drawn out comb on the inner cover. Wow! We're new at this so we called our mentor and asked what do we do now. You see the comb is supposed to be down in the hive box on the frames... not on the inner cover. He said that the bees had a bad project manager! I love his sense of humor. We were instructed to remove the comb, lower the inner cover to the bottom super(hive box) then place the feeder over the inner cover, place another hive box (super) over the feeder then the top cover to fix this construction glitch. So that is what we did. Emily and I are concerned about the queen. We couldn't find her and hope that she was down in the frames when we were stirring up the hive. We'll check back tomorrow...maybe.

Spring Planting

2010-04-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

Brrr... it is COLD today. We have been spoiled lately by nice weather and then mother nature sends us a chilly reminder of who is in charge!
So I tucked in today and order some plants! I ordered our apple trees and threw in some nut trees, raspberry bushes and some elderberry bushes too. They should arrive in a week.
Then I went online to a farm that sells heirloom seeds. He wasn't very expensive so I thought I'd give him a try. I ordered beets and carrots. We'll see how good his seeds are.
Now I am planning the garden. Since I ran out of my pickled beets this year, I ordered plenty of seeds(see order above). Zucchini, carrots, beans, tomatoes (out of salsa too!) and peppers will all be going in. Then, we'll see what else we feel like throwing in... maybe more dill, and basil.
I'll try to keep everyone updated.
Later...

The Honey Bees are Here!!!

2010-04-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

Emily and I are so excited! Allison told me as I was driving home tonight that Don called and our bees are here! Around 5pm we went to Don's brother...Frank's house to watch our mentor "download" or rather install his new bees into an empty hive. He showed us where to put the queen, where to place the food and most importantly how to place the worker bees into the hive. We came home with our new bees and began our beekeeping journey. We prepared the hives by inserting screen in the entrance. We don't want the bees to leave just yet. According to the instructions we received, this screen needs to stay in place for 2 days for the worker bees to get to know their queen! We needed to place little wood pieces for the box of bees and the food. We placed the queen in her cage in the center of the hive and placed her workers over top. We hope they like her! We covered them up and hope for the best! I also made some more food for them and will replace the food either Friday Night or Saturday morning.
It is quite cool today after a beautiful week. It was around 50 degrees with drizzly overcast skies. We hope that the bees will be warm and happy on their new farm.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!
It has been some time since I last posted. Allison and Emily have had busy schedules. First Emily qualified for "Zones" competition with the YMCA swim league. We traveled to Bowling Green State University in Mid March to compete with other wickedly fast swimmers from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. She competed with her buddies on both the Free Relay and the Medley Relay teams. They competed respectfully. She had a lot of fun and enjoyed the competition. Congratulations Emily.
Next Allison has been competing with the High School Robotics Team. I'm hooked! This is a fantastic team and they learn everything in this competition...programming computers, designing robots, building robots, competing with the robots, then troubleshooting. They are judged not only on the robot and all its functions, but the functions of the team... eg. do they perform community service? what about fundraisers? how do they let the community know about their team? etc.. It is a terrific program and well worth the time and effort. For more about her team go to www.falconrobotics.webs.com Allison has tried out for and made the symphonic band for the high school which is the elite band in the school. Congratulations Allison!
We are winding down now and coasting in both swimming and robotics. This summer we will probably swim for the Firestone Area Swim Team in Columbiana, Ohio. Allison will be busy with the Marching Band and Emily with babysitting. They both will finish some 4H projects (new to us this year).
In Farm News....its onto our garden. Our raspberries (red and black) have come through the winter and are sprouting up everywhere! As far as planting goes, I want to plant more beets as my pickled beets were eaten up quickly this winter. We will also plant peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and lots more. We are looking forward to our bees. They should be arriving in about 2 weeks time. We hope the trees begin to blossom around the same time too! In the meantime Emily and I are attending beginner beekeeping classes and are excited about our latest adventure. I am scheduling in the shearers for the Alpacas...probably in May. Allison continues to "spin" and enjoys her fine Alpaca fiber! Our next big decision will be what to compete in for the Canfield Fair!
So if I forget to post for a while... you'll understand.

What's at your bird feeder?

2010-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

What's at your bird feeder?
Turkeys are visiting our bird feeders this winter. Jim counted 23 of these huge birds over the weekend. Enjoy.

I spy

2010-02-10T04:48:00.000-08:00

I spy a blurry cardinal at the bird feeder

I spy another blurry cardinal in the tree

I spy waaay too much snow on the trees!

I think I spy our sidewalk...its there...just squint!

I spy Jim trying to plow the driveway....again!!!

Weaving Guild---Basket Making

2010-02-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

I finally uploaded our basket making session. Enjoy

SNOWED IN!!!

2010-02-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

Words cannot express the feeling of checking on the animals and having snow go all the way up your backside! There were drifts that I stepped in that actually touched my butt! Our animals are trying to figure this out too. Now how do I get to Agland to replace my light in the chicken barn?

Family Time - Making bee hive boxes!

2010-01-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

On my wish list is a desire to keep bees. My birthday present last year (2009) was two beehives. (I like to get two of things...so one isn't so lonely---And it worked for Noah!) So in October I made my pilgrimage to Blue Sky Bee Supply in Hiram, Ohio. The owner was friendly and knowledgeable. She gave me loads of information, some of which I jotted down and most of which overwhelmed me. Next time I think I'll take a video recorder and play it back when I need it. So now it is January 2010. I have a stack of wood that promises to be two beehive stands.

See I am somewhat intelligent... it's starting to look like a bee hive box. I think the technical term is...super.

"So Mom... what's with all the hammering.... oooo... can I help?" Please note, we are assembling these in my kitchen. It is about 9 degrees outside and our garage isn't heated...so its project time on the kitchen floor!

Dad jumps in and makes one too!

Allison and I finished our Supers first.

So then she says she needs to spin some more... I have three huge boxes of Alpaca fiber that need to disappear! Keep spinning honey.

Next, we assembled the "frames". That's those things hanging in the boxes. This is what the bees hang on to. This is where they make the babies, honey and a new queen if they need one. These frames are empty right now. We will wait for the glue to dry then insert the form. There is a form that looks like honeycomb that gets inserted into each and every frame.

That is all for today. We still have 20 more frames to assemble, the hive boxes to paint (to help it through the weather)and the honeycomb forms to insert into the frames.
Until next time....
Here is a quick photo (taken out of our window) of the wild turkeys that have been visiting us this week. We have about a dozen that check out our bird feeder. I have to buy more corn for them. They were walking away before I could get a decent picture. (The other half were already on the other side of the fence.)

Ok -- Cupcake!

2010-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

I was lurking on other blogs this week and found a cute cupcake potholder. I said I think I can make something like that. So this is my attempt. Ok...so squint real hard. Do you see the cupcake now? The only thing I would do differently next time I make this potholder is use bias tape and a pattern!
I assembled this item using my own creativity and an old Oriental Trading catalog. Time for a glass of Merlot! Good evening all.

One thing done....

2010-01-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

One thing on my "list of things to do" is completed! I finished putting the rest of the non adhesive contact paper in my pantry. Call this "pantry therapy". I feel like I have accomplished something. In completing this project I sort of talked to my self a bit and took a non scientific inventory of the pantry contents.
First, I find some canned soups for when a teen gets sick...for there is something comforting about that red and white Campbell's soup label. As for me... let me start with some broth and egg noodles and cut up some chicken.
Second, my canned goods. You will find three types of jam/jelly. (Grape and Black Raspberry Jelly and Strawberry jam). Ok.. on the list for next year, Elderberry jelly and Peach Jam....oh yeah. (note to self: need a clone). Also on the shelf - tomato based canned items such as salsa, spaghetti sauce and tomatoes...straight up! And next,(drum roll) this year, we added sauerkraut. We tried the sauerkraut for the first time over the holidays. WOW! Outstanding. I don't know if it is the early cabbage I used or the stars were aligned, but I can't go back to the store stuff again. I'm doomed! My husband was so comfortable with our attempt...he gave a few jars to the neighbor. And the neighbor loved it too!
There are also some canned beets on the shelf. I forgot how much I like pickled beets. I like them so much that there is only one jar left! It's January! There is only one jar of beets left! Arguuuhhh. Ok... 2010 list of things to do...plant more beets...make MORE pickled beets.
Wish list time....canned green beans. Why can't I can green beans? I follow the directions and still they don't process well....one shouldn't eat fuzzy green beans!
This green bean dilemma has led me to another thought... I'll have to contact my extension office and hope they have classes to help the green bean challenged.
Well, I must go ponder some more projects and maybe even complete one! *smile*
Until next time...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year. May everyone have a healthy and happy 2010!
PS
No Blue Moon for us last night... we received rain instead!

Blue Moon

2009-12-31T17:43:00.000-08:00

I've been reading other bloggers posts today. Some were reviewing their year, others making some resolutions. One even talked about the blue moon tonight. As for me, I'll relay a mishmosh of things.
It's been a challenging year. Grandma's (my Mother) health overshadowed most of what consumed me for a while now. My wish for the New Year is that for her health to rebound and for her to enjoy life's treasures to the fullest.
I hope for a good economy so that my husband's small business can prosper and grow. I also hope for continued support of the local libraries so we can continue to serve our public to the best of our abilities.
I want to enjoy my family and farm. I want to take fun breaks with my husband and daughters and enjoy our lives together. I would like to add to the farm this year, but I fear that my first year with the bees will be enough for now. I hope to add to the garden and the orchard. We need to look into the fruit trees that are having growing difficulties (eg...deer!) and figure out how to help them be fruitful. I hope to add some elderberries (why do they smell so good when they are cooking?) and blueberry bushes too.
Well I'm off to see if I can spot a blue moon! Until next year....

My new quest...

2009-12-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

My new quest is to try to support my local farmers and eat food grown here...in Ohio. I found this fabulous web site...Ohio Proud. This is my new resource in this quest. At this site it lists products, regions and farms that one can search by. I will try to seek out these producers and try their products. I think 2010 may be a fun year!

Christmas Music

2009-12-22T06:47:00.001-08:00

Ok, I feel it's time to "chime" in on the Christmas music topic. I love Christmas music. We have several compliation albums that must include Bing Crosby's White Christmas, and a rendition of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Santa Baby. I enjoy the Beach Boys Christmas album...gotta hear Little St. Nick. And for background I enjoy Kenny G and Manhattan Transfer's Christmas albums. But my all time favorite, A #1 Christmas Album for all time is the Muppets and John Denver's Christmas Album entitled A Christmas Together. What's not to love? Miss Piggy is priceless! I guess its the child in me.
My cd slots in my car are filled with the sounds of the holiday. Quoting the movie Elf..."The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." So as I commute back and forth to work you will see a little woman in her car just singing away... loudly! During that hour...I miss my cell phone calls from my husband and daughters because I'm just singing along. Good thing our windows are up! *smile* Merry Christmas!

Catching up.

2009-12-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

I've been somewhat lax in posting recently. My daughter took her camera back and I'll have to wait on Santa and hope he brings me a camera for Christmas. There have been many things I would love to show you, but for now we will have to wait.
I've been reading/lurking in on other blogs from around the world. I have been inspired by these people...mostly women (I truly don't know why that is...huh). Being inspired I have painted my entry door red and decorated the entry way for the season. See the website Front Porch Design.
I have updated my pantry shelves by buying some non-adhesive contact paper. Wow what a delightful update for this cramped space. This little change has improved my harried holiday mood.
(Please note: If I had a camera, I'd show you my pantry shelves). This change was inspired by the Farm Chicks. They painted their pantry shelves... I took the working woman's route and I'm very pleased.
I've been desperately trying to bake cookies for my Christmas table. My family, however, has other plans. They are enjoying the cookies and sharing them with their friends. So it's back to the kitchen next week to bake up a least two batches of cookies for the Christmas table.
The latest books that I've read are Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz. This is a young adult novel that continues the adventures of Alex Rider and Mr. Horowitz does not disappoint! I love that James Bond type stuff and eat his books up!
An adult title that I finished yesterday is The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman. You know I'm all over any book that talks about cookies and Christmas cookies are my favorite. The novel delves into the ladies that attend the yearly Christmas cookie club. This is not a novel for the faint of heart as it deals with many issues that occur in today's world. I did enjoy the story and the recipes and the informative little breaks between chapters. The author discusses such things as the history and uses of butter, salt, cinnamon, just to name a few. Now I want to start a Christmas Cookie Club! There's always next year!
I've also become intrigued by the notion of eating locally and trying to buy all local foodstuffs for cooking at home. Ok, I'm on it. I'll start with eggs! *laughs* I was baking my own bread for a while and need to get back to that, however, I started thinking--- how do I get locally milled flour? Hmmm. Now I'm searching around for local flour, butter and cheese. Here's a shout out to all my friends, if you know of any farmer or mill that sells its wares locally, let me know. This is going to be a fun adventure. Tonight my one local food item for the table was my canned spaghetti sauce. Yeah for me... my youngest daughter thought it was delicious (and it was). My inspiration for this idea came from Not So Urban Hennery
Lastly, I would like to host a screening of a movie about farmers entitled Fresh! the Movie inspired by the blog Friend of the Farmer. I think this would be neat.
Off to watch Julie/Julia with my daughters. I love Meryl Streep's performance in this movie!
Until next time...

C is for Cookie

2009-12-07T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful cookie --cookbook web site. Thanks to Sue for finding this one.
http://we-energies.com/recipes/2008cookiebook.pdf

Busy weekend

2009-12-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

We have moved my mother into an Assisted Living facility near our home. I hope she will come to like this place. It is a beautiful place with an attentive and caring staff. We have moved her bed, chair, tv and brought her one of her ceramic Christmas Trees. Her room is warm and cozy. They posted her memory box outside her door over the weekend too. I gave them pictures of her holding one of our baby ducks (from this spring) and other pictures of our farm and her dog. She loves it!

I stopped by the local Farm Bureau office and registered with them. We are now an official member of the Ohio Farm Bureau.

I have baked a few more cookies. We have baked star cookies (Thanks Allison and Austin) and with Emily's expertise Pecan Tassies. This morning I made some stained glass cookies. I LOVE cookies! The theme for my story times for this week...Cookies! (For those of you who are unaware, I'm a children's librarian in a public library). Before we started baking, everyone selected the apron of their own choosing and we rolled up our sleeves and the proceeded to create some masterpieces.

The girls finished hanging the ornaments on our tree and our tree is a lovely expression of the family and the season.

Critter wise... I had to change all of the water buckets as the water was all frozen. We've had a cold snap come through and I decided that it was finally time to "plug it in"! Dogs, Alpacas and Chickens all have heated water dishes/buckets. I also re-installed the warming light in the chicken coop to keep my girls (and rooster) warm and happy. The dogs got extra bedding too.

Until next time....

Christmas Coookies

2009-12-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Have you started your Christmas Cookie Baking? I tied-on my Christmas Apron and started last night with a double batch of snickerdoodles and a batch of butterballs. I learned I need to read the manual for my new oven. The bottom rack of the oven is hotter than the rest. I need to find out why. Guess how I know this. Yup, right in one... the cookies placed on the bottom rack were... slightly blackened.
Fast forward an hour, the lights are on- on the Christmas tree, the Christmas music is playing (an eclectic mix of the classics and some Kenny G thrown in.) A beautiful setting accompanied with a delightful cookie/vanilla smell. The family comes home from swim practice and states, "Wow the house smells great!" and devoured the cookies! I'm standing there watching them eat the cookies, and grabbing the milk. I managed to put away two dozen (out of four and a half of the snickerdoodles), although I expect after school today those will mysteriously disappear.
So tonight I shall begin this endeavor again.

Swapping

2009-11-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

Thank You, Rhonda. What beautiful cookie cutters. I had fun in this swap. I hope you can enjoy my goodies too...neighbor *wink*.

A Thanksgiving Tale

2009-11-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm sure you've heard it all. But you haven't heard it all from me..*wink*!
I tried some new recipes this Thanksgiving with mixed results. I started with the Pumpkin Muffins from Ree Drummond... see thePioneerWoman.com for the recipe. I would have taken a photo but her photos are much better and I don't have any muffins left! These muffins were DELICIOUS!
Two comments about this recipe. She uses the muffin tin straight up! Meaning... no cup cake liners! I said, "No cup cake liners!" "Can this be done?" You see, I have cup cake liners for Winter, Christmas, Halloween, Fall, Valentine's Day, Easter, and the old standy by pastels. I can't not use cup cake liners. I think I need to start a support group. Hello, my name is Sheila and I use cup cake liners. Soooo... I sprayed the tin(cringing all the while)and filled them with the batter. I let them cool and PRESTO, the muffins fell right out! Ok, I feel a little better, but I'm not sure I can do this all the time.
Also included with the muffin recipe was the frosting recipe. A simple cream cheese frosting. I was doing just fine, cup of this, teaspoon of that and then....whamo... a half POUND of powdered sugar! WHAT! Where is the half pound marker on my measuring cup. Quick, to the Betty Crocker cookbook... dang... no conversion for a half pound of powdered sugar! My blondness is blooming right about now. I ended up putting in the powdered sugar in a 1/4 cup at a time and had my handy dandy taste testers help me figure out when to stop. I felt compelled to let you know,an airhead like me had a few obstacles.
Next, I wanted to try the butternut squash puree. Ummm. I like butternut squash. And the recipe said to use butter (I'm in) and Maple Syrup(Awesome!) I baked the squash, scraped out the pulp and put it into the blender... all is good. Except, the blender. As Flannel Man put it... "it's not the blender but the person using it." Hmmm. Is it wrong for me to expect to put something in the blender and expect it to ...I don't know...BLEND!? I pushed the button..ok all of the buttons and nothing. Oh.. it whirred. But didn't BLEND. Flannel man said I needed a cement mixer to do all that squash.
I said, "SIGN ME UP. Do they sell one at Amazon.com?" "Well, Super Flannel Man,"I said, "what do you suggest I do?" He says, exasperatingly, "You have to take all that out and do a little at a time with water." "But dear," I say, "the recipe doesn't call for water." (I'm weird that way). So I pondered a moment, but I wanted to get done and did as he suggested. The puree was pretty, smelled good, but was ... a little watered down. OK. Check this off my list. Not an airhead approved recipe.
So, Flannel Man and I are moving on, he to the Sweet Potato casserole and me to the wilted lettuce. No problems there. But now there is a clicking noise. Now, I've heard this noise before and it hasn't been an issue. See we have a gas stove. (Do you know where this is going?) It's been clicking intermittently for a while, but has stopped in the past. Flannel man took off the element and plugged it back in. Still clicking. Oh well, we just kept on.. making the dinner. On to the mashed potatoes and gravy. The burner is still clicking. You know after a while that sound is annoying. I feel like its a timer and I'm on 'Beat the Clock' or something. Hurry, get that dinner done! Ahhh... stress!
Then flannel man turns on the burner and POOF! Yes, an actual, POOF! "Oh my," he declares. "Whoa," I say. He is reaching for the plug and I'm blowing out the fire...yes fire coming up through the knobs. Just to be clear, yes a gas stove has fire...on the burners. A fire, however, should not occur through the knobs. What an interesting odor. No longer did the house smell like sweet potatoes and turkey, but of an indescribable sulfur and electrical aroma. The gravy was finished but the rolls were not. We served the dinner. One of the darling daughters noted that we forgot to light our candles on the table. But she did come back with a witty reply..."That's ok Mom, We lit the stove instead"! *laughter all around*. Grandma shared our meal today and we are thankful that she is still with us,and that we have food and a warm home. We cleaned up after our meal and proceeded to move the stove out of the house.

We sang taps.

We are looking for a Black Friday sale on a stove!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Tie One On!

2009-11-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

National Tie One On day.... An Apron of course!
For all those Apronista's out there... tie one on today!
This is the apron I recently finished for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

'Twas the day before Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

'Twas the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm scurrying about
with doctor appointments and forgotten ingredients from my grocery list.

When the going gets tough its time to take a break---
I'm going to make a pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving with a recipe from my friend Sue. (She won 1st place with this recipe at the Canfield Fair). How bad can I mess this up?
Don't you just love the little butters? Oops... this recipe doesn't use butter. Hmmm... a recipe without butter. What would Paula Deen or Ree Drummond say? What would Flannel Man say? Oh well, I'll be back butter.

Then I grabbed my mini loaf pans that I remember my Grandma using for her bread recipes. (For all my antique'e friends these are Cake King loaf pans--MADE IN THE USA! Obviously this is BC...(Before China)*wink* Come on group... how old are these?)

Then I dragged out my favorite baking bowl. Its a Longaberger Bowl that I bought for myself shortly after I married the Flannel Man. Ever since this has been my bowl for all my baking projects. The girls are warned within an inch of their lives not to break this bowl. They usually use another glass bowl of mine or the Tupperware! Sorry folks, but this is MINE.

And Voila! Through blogger magic a batch of pumpkin bread batter appears. It's missing something. I think I'll sprinkle some mini chocolate chips in...why put a good recipe in the oven without a good dose of chocolate. MMMMM... some for me... some for the batter.

Now we wait..... about an hour. I'll let you know how this pumpkin bread turns out.

Wait for it....

Wait for it...

YUM!!!

The Mail and a Fun Find

2009-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

The mail came today and my seeds from the Campbell Soup company arrived. Go to the Campbell soup web site and see if you can still get some free seeds. I think I'm going to laminate the see packet after I plant next spring. The packet is awesome.

I was at the grocery store the other day and spotted this. Yes, I will buy a bottle of wine because of the label. I really want a truck like this for my farm one day. How do I remove the label without destroying it?
The day before I asked my local wine shop owner for some Christmas themed bottles. I'm thinking something in a Rudolph Red? *wink* He will look into for me. I can't wait to see what he finds.

Cookie Cutter Quest!

2009-11-19T04:49:00.000-08:00

I am a lurker of other farming type blogs. I found one entitled Country Pleasures that is hosting a cookie cutter exchange for the holidays. So, you guessed it, I signed up. I thought this sounded like fun! Yes, I'm a geek! Since then I have been searching for cookie cutters. I am looking for local artisans, second hand shops for the vintage cookie cutter and online, just to see what is out there.
This is what I found. I think I found cookie cutter heaven! *simle*
Ann Clark Ltd. - the Cookie Cutter People from Vermont.
Enjoy the holidays with this awesome find.
To that end, my daughter is looking for a vintage 1930's ish typewriter, that still works. If you know of someone giving one away. Please contact me. Thanks.

Around the farm

2009-11-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

I had the back door open this afternoon scrubbing my floors. The rooster kept crowing at me...relentlessly! So I put on my shoes and meandered back to the chicken run and let them out. Oh were they happy.

They went looking for bugs.

Hey...look over here.

Dirt piles aren't just for kids. Our chickens like them too! They took in a good dusting today. Just like me at the beach.

Happy Dusting.

Oh Yeah... Bring on the Mai Tais and Margarita's.

Ursula, however, is very busy and can't be bother with such lay abouts.

I am Ursula and I run this farm.

Mmmmmmmmmmm....I love when Mom gives us hay!

I can just lay here, and munch all day.

Munch, Munch, Munch

Today at the Craft Show

2009-11-15T05:01:00.001-08:00

I simply love visiting our local Craft Shows. Our middle school PTA hosts one every fall before the Christmas Season.
Here are my finds:
A Santa ornament, cookie cutter ornament and this neat tree made on a cinnamon stick.

Some gloves for when I need to chaperone the band! Go Falcons!

And some yummy peppers. The lady selling these won a blue ribbon at the Canfield Fair. That's good enough for me!

More Pictures

2009-11-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

Frost on the shrubs

My brother's horse...Sammy.

The Chickens.

Way Cool!

2009-11-06T04:55:00.001-08:00

Ever hear of the phrase...frost on the pumpkin? Well, this morning there was frost on the pumpkins and everything else. The chain on the chicken gate was frozen. I thought, you know those farm gloves I bought would be great right now...I wonder where they are? The water was frozen in the buckets and the ground crunched beneath my boots. I was COLD. I'm so not ready for this at God:30 am!

Ok, the hay WAS covered by the tarp. However Mother Nature in her infinite wisdom decided to create a massive wind gust. I found the hay like this...this morning. Another mess to clean up! It never ends.

No more grapes this year. I thought this looked neat.

Frost on the Dill.

Frost on the Purple Cone flower pods. I can't spell echinechea (sp?)! And neither can spell check! LOL!

This is what God:30 am looks like and frost on the grill. Love the swirlies.

Chickens are just sooo....

2009-10-30T10:36:00.001-07:00

I love my girls and my beautiful Light Brahma Boy. Our rooster is the kind that has feathers on his feet. If it weren't so muddy you could probably see them. However it is very overcast today and difficult to see much of anything. I keep throwing down straw for them so they don't get so muddy. This also helps to keep the eggs mud free too!
Our beautiful Farm Fresh eggs.

Ursula... you are NOT an Alpaca!

Rooster on Patrol.

My day off.

2009-10-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

I get to rake some leaves...

But there are sooo many more to do.....

Rikki is a good guard dog.

Cookie is my little pudgy buddy. I need to take you for a walk.

OK Girls.... your turn!

Girls in the pumpkin patch!

2009-10-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Allison and Emily were carving pumpkins today. I let out the chickens because I was cleaning the coop. It looks like the hens found all the pumpkin guts! Now Al and Em won't have to clean up! *smile*

Our Fiber Arrives!

2009-10-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Our fiber arrived from the mill today. We gave it to them at the Wooster Fiber Show at the end of May. We just received it and Allison is sooooo excited. She can't wait to spin.

Chickens!

2009-10-21T15:47:00.001-07:00

I'm worried about our one hen. Her neck is all tore up! It's as though something tried to grab her about the neck. Only one hen looks like this and everyone (except Ursula) was in the chicken run when I came home this evening. I wonder....is the #(*&@) coyote back? Where's my .22? I'm not happy.

Help Grow Your Soup: Community Projects

2009-10-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Help Grow Your Soup: Community Projects

Getting Caught up!

2009-10-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

Wow.
First of all...where did September go? We have been busy with volleyball and now that the season has ended...perhaps I can post more regularly.

Farm update. I spotted the coyote again! Unfortunately the .22 wasn't readily available and he slinked (grammar issue?) off before we got our act together... think 3 Stooges style! *smile*

Since the rainy season has hit us hard everything and every critter is MUDDY! We really need a few days to dry out. I've been throwing straw into the chicken yard to help my ladies along. They seem to like to scratch through the clumps. I was scattering the straw leaves about...but no more. The girls do a fine job. They are eating more...just like me. LOL. It could be that 'nesting' thing. (I know...right...just don't groan). My rooster is terrific. He takes care of his girls with love and gentleness. I think he is very happy with his harem. Best of all he is happy with his human caretakers. In my opinion, the worst thing on a farm is an aggressive rooster. I absolutely love this guy!

The alpacas are humming along. I rolled in the last of the hay bale this past Sunday and they are laying about it...munching on it and using it as a pillow! I'll try to snap a picture of that. I find them there every morning.

We've had a killing frost and I need to take care of the garden. The balance of the tomato plants need to pulled and mulched. We've picked our pumpkins. We got almost a dozen moderately sized ...(are these classified gourds or squash?) squash. Now the girls are planning their carving strategy.

We were contacted yesterday and our fiber has been processed! We should receive it by the end of the week. Allison can't wait to spin it up! Now I can sell some of our fleece roving too!

We want to fit in a corn maze and a haunted house 'field trip'. (I'm full of the groaners today!)

I need to get the camera back to post more photos.
Until next time....

Our weekend

2009-09-28T04:45:00.001-07:00

My family and friends are wonderful. After raining the previous day, night and part of the morning the skies cleared up and we enjoyed a pleasant afternoon of friends and food. It is wonderful to welcome people to our farm, to show them our animals and our comfy home. The adults grazed on our ripe red raspberries and concord grapes. They picked a few tomatoes that still remain and received some farm fresh eggs in the deal. The children 'ran' with the alpacas--the alpacas needed the exercise as they are well fed and they petted the chickens, even the elusive rooster. Even though I stress over a clean home and close off many doors to areas not receiving my thorough attention our Sunday afternoon was terrific.

I also visited briefly with my dear friend before our little farm/wienie roast. She is undergoing a battle and needs our prayers. Just send up a healing/thinking of you prayer for my friend Tiffany a wonderful person ---that a bad thing is happening to. She is battling a stage 4 cancer and doing wonderfully.

Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing, our schedule is hectic with volleyball and football games. And there isn't anything else I would like to do or anywhere else I'd rather be.

I hope to post some photos this week.
Until then....

Allison's Confirmation

2009-09-20T16:25:00.001-07:00

Today was Allison's Confirmation. It's a strange time of year for this unique celebration, but none the less, an important milestone for her. I had an emotional time today. My little girl is turning into a beautiful young lady...too fast! Allison read her statement of faith. It was a beautiful expression of her faith journey. The Church provided refreshments after the service. We then went to visit with grandma after the service. Grandma felt bad that she couldn't be there but enjoyed our visit and appreciated the extra effort we took to include her. God Bless you Allison.

Dyeing Day- 2009

2009-09-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, the East Ohio Handweavers Guild held their dyeing day at the Skyline Diner. We dyed our roving, batting, fabric and of course t-shirts!

Today...

2009-09-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

Goldenrod
Jim and Ursula
Sammy... Aunt Janet's Horsie
Ursula
Our Rooster
Isn't he pretty...er handsome?
A hen.
Some ladies.
Peek a boo...Sebastian
Another lady
Samson
We let the chickens out for a little while tonight to scratch around. They loved it. They even followed me around for a bit as I checked the gates and fence. Ahhh...farm therapy! I feel better now. I hope you do to.

Vacation week...what a blur.

2009-09-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

I took a week's vacation to spend with my daughters. This year however, the school system started school before Labor Day because the holiday was late this year. They went to school on Monday. Monday was also the Austintown Fitch Band Night. So Jim and I worked the concession stand, watched 5 area high school bands along with the YSU Marching Band AFTER we watched Emily in her first Volleyball game.
Day two, I removed the girls from school to submit their entries to the fair. The school permitted them an educational absence as long as I submitted a copy of their Canfield Fair entry form. I just love paperwork *sarcasm*. Then we visited with Grandma for a short while. Emily attended Volleyball practice and Allison had to report to school to catch the bus for a neighboring school's band night. Dad and I picked up Emily and Allison's friend, Lauryn, and headed off to Canfield High School for another band night.
Wednesday, the girls went back to school. I managed to squeeze in canning the sauerkraut. You should have smelled my house! *whew* This was my first attempt, we hoped it worked as it should. Only time will tell. Emily had an away volleyball game and arrived late. I guess the first week of school is crazy for the transportation office as the whole busing thing was askew.
Thursday was a waiver day for the school and found us at the Canfield Fair! Yeah! Emily had to report to the church Apple Dumpling stand to volunteer as this is a part of her Confirmation service project for our church. Allison arrived with the marching band, marched around the track and performed at the grandstand. They sound wonderful. I received many comments from people throughout the day about how well they sounded. Then I dashed off to the Columbiana-Mahoning County Beekeepers Association stand. We sold honey sticks, honey, and beeswax. Our stand also had a display of a glass enclosed honeybee hive. I was also educated on Ohio issue #2. This issue is to establish a Livestock Care Standards Board. This board will establish a well rounded representation of veterinarians, farmers, animal advocates to ensure that Ohioans have a healthy food supply. So this fall ....Vote YES on issue #2. After Emily and I served our time and Allison roamed the fair...it was off to take Emily to her volleyball practice. Allison came home with me to take care of the animals and collect eggs. Dad came home and we were off to get Emily and return to the fair for supper. We checked out all the displays, and made plans for next year.
Friday again no school and we were winding down. Emily was off to practice and Allison slept in. I picked up the flowers from the band fundraiser and received 6 red roses. What fun this is. Let me explain. The band sold for $25 a card from the local florist. On this card you can go into the flower shop once a month for a year and receive a bouquet of flowers. The bouquet varies every month and September started with 6 red roses. I bought a card for my mom too. So I took her 6 red roses on Saturday... and she loved it. This is a great value for $25 and a great way to support a local small business.Friday night was another home game and found Dad and I in concession stand #2 again.
Saturday, Emily went to practice and I was slowing down. Allison slept in again. We went back out to the fair for a couple hours. I got to visit with Grandma everyday except Thursday. We ate dinner at home! It was the first time we sat down for dinner all week... and did we enjoy that.
Sunday, I took Rikki to see Grandma. She loved it. I think Rikki enjoyed it too. We started some farm chores, cleaning out the little decorative pond for the winter, removing some plants, cleaning out the shed and other farm chores(poo pick up).
Monday, Emily off to practice, house cleaning was also on tap for the day. Tomorrow back to my routine of work, getting the girls to practices, and visiting mom.
I think I can clearly state that I need a vacation from my vacation.

Object d'art ala Charlotte'

2009-09-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

I hope you all get the Charlotte's Web reference. This is what greeted me this morning. The fence was lined with these magnificent pieces of art. I ran out of memory card or I would have taken a dozen more photos. Enjoy.

Canfield Fair

2009-09-04T11:57:00.001-07:00

Our Canfield Fair winning entries: All notations are under the photos.

Emily's winning basket--3rd Place.

Sheila's winning basket - 1st place.

Button Art - Emily's Frame and Sheila's Tree (1st place)

Sheila's Origami - 2nd place.

Allison's Duct Tape Mini Skirt- Honorable Mention

Allison's pillow... top right (Black and White)..1st Place!

Emily's pillow 2nd Place

Emily's Blanket - 1st Place!

Emily's beaded bracelet - 3rd place.
Allison's macrame' bracelet - 1st place
Emily's scrapbook page - 3rd place.

Sheila's Apron - 3rd Place.

Allison's homespun yarn... green skein... 2nd Place! Wooo Hooo!

Allison's Wool homespun yarn...green/blue varigated skein...2nd Place! (She entered her spinning into the adult categories...impressive girl)

Sheila's blueberry muffins - 2nd place. Thank you Judy, for awesome blueberries!
Emily's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies - 2nd place.
Emily's awesome Apple Pie.... 1st Place! I Love It!
Emily's banana bread 3rd place.
Emily's Zucchini Bread.... 1st place....(I didn't sabbatoge her this year...ask her about that)

Allison's award winning Decorated Cake - 1st Place. Think you'll challenge the Ace of Cakes guy someday?

What a weekend.

2009-08-31T08:30:00.001-07:00

Friday night found all of us at the local high school football game. Allison in her first game as a marching band participant. Mom and Dad working concession stand #2 and Emily hanging with the siblings of band students. It was a fun but exhausting night.
On Saturday the girls invited their friends for an overnight... the last blast of summer! Sunday was baking day in preparation for the Canfield Fair. Emily baked her arms off! She is entering 5 categories this year. Good luck honey. But Allison's friend Austin felt left out and wanted to bake a pie. So...here is his pie... and he ate it too! *smile* Austin, no doubt about it... you're entering a pie in competition at the fair next year! Falcon Baking Team rules! Are aprons considered Spirit Wear!? *teehee*

Austin Corey's famous Apple Pie!

Back to school

2009-08-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

Emily, Hannah and Logan waiting for the bus on the first day of school...in the fog!

Good Luck at your first volleyball meet tonight,Emily.

It's a little dark at 6:45 am! The High Schoolers ride with the intermediate school children.

Fairview Road's 9th graders...Allison and Alexis. Freshman Rule!

Farm Fresh!

2009-08-28T05:08:00.001-07:00

After waiting and waiting and waiting, we finally have a hen laying eggs. Pullet eggs are small. I thought (almost an afterthought) I'd post our first egg feast on our farm blog.

The egg carton is an extra large egg carton...these pullet eggs are swimming in this space!

I cracked the little egg...the shell is very hard. We must be feeding the chickens well!

7 pullet eggs later...enough for two!

Oh...the bright yellow color, with an incredible smell. I forgot how good eggs can be!